Delhi Assembly Elections: Unveiling Candidates with Criminal Records

The ADR's analysis of the Delhi Assembly elections reveals that 20% of candidates with criminal records had their backgrounds undisclosed by their parties. Despite the Supreme Court's directive for transparency, several parties cited weak reasons for selecting such candidates, highlighting a worrying nexus between crime and politics.

The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has raised concerns about the disclosure of criminal records in the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections. Of the 118 candidates with criminal pasts, 20% have not been transparently vetted by their political parties as per Supreme Court directives.

Among the candidates, 71 are facing severe charges. Despite this, major parties like AAP, Congress, and BJP have made some disclosures under Format C7, but smaller parties lag behind. Identical justifications such as political motivation are frequently claimed without evidence, the ADR points out.

Notably, affluent candidates facing severe charges underline the concerning link between wealth and politics in these elections. The ADR suggests urgent reforms, including penalties for parties that fail to comply with transparency norms, as Delhi heads to the polls on February 5.

(With inputs from agencies.)