Illustration: Binay Sinha
The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has analyzed the self-affidavits of 1,618 (out of 1,625) candidates who contested the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections on April 19. In the first phase, elections will be held in 102 seats in 21 states. including 39 seats from Tamil Nadu, five seats from Uttarakhand, 12 seats from Rajasthan and a large part of the Northeast.
According to the analysis, 252 candidates, or 16 percent, have filed criminal cases against themselves, 450 candidates (28 percent) are crorepatis, with declared assets of Rs 1 crore or more. The average assets of such candidates are Rs 4.51 crore. About 35 candidates have reported hate speech against themselves.
Meanwhile, 836 (52 percent) candidates have declared that they have graduated or higher. At least 505 (31 percent) candidates have indicated that they are between 25 and 40 years old, while 849 (52 percent) candidates have indicated that they are between 41 and 60 years old.
Approximately 135 (8 percent) female candidates will participate in the first phase.
First print: April 9, 2024 | 12:14 pm IST