UP Elections 2022: Serious Criminal Charges Against 17% Of Candidates Polling In Phase 3

Ahead of the third phase of the Uttar Pradesh elections, a report states that 103 candidates out of 627 polling in the upcoming phase face serious criminal charges. In all, around 17 per of them declared these charges, which are non-bailable and amount to more than five years of rigorous imprisonment.

The numbers were collated collectively by UP Election Watch, and the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) published recently. However, the candidates' criminality rate is lesser than the earlier group compared to the first two phases.

Kidnapping, Murder, Rape - Troubling State of Affairs

According to NDTV, the ADR analysed the data according to the information submitted in the respective poll affidavits. Out of the 59 constituencies going to polls across 16 districts, around 26 (44 per cent) of them are issued 'Red Alert' with three more candidates facing charges.

The advocacy group also revealed disturbing details regarding the same. The cases include kidnapping, murder, crimes against women, corruption, and electoral offences. Not only that, there are candidates who face both rape and murder charges simultaneously, revealing the sorry state of affairs in the all-important elections.

BJP And Samajwadi Party At The Top

The Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) and Samajwadi Party (SP) are the two key players in the Uttar Pradesh polls. While they may be the ones to watch out for, they share the same statistics regarding criminal candidates. Both the parties have around 36% of them facing charges. The only place where SP pips BJP is candidates with pending criminal cases with 52 per cent for the former and 46 per cent for the latter.

Other political parties in the equation are not far off. As reported by the Hindustan Times, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has 31 per cent facing charges and 36 per cent with pending cases. Aam Aadmi Party and Congress are close to each other, with 22 per cent and 18 per cent of candidates in this category. However, the latter beat the former by having more candidates with pending criminal cases against them.

Lawbreaking Lawmakers

Despite being electorally important, Uttar Pradesh is notorious for the political parties' criminality. The numbers in the third phase may be lesser than the earlier ones, but there has been no improvement. Publishing the data, the ADR expressed concern about this, stating that none of the political parties is interested in working towards UP's welfare. Making lawbreakers, the lawmakers will only make it worse for our democracy.

Phase 3 will kick off on February 20, with 16 districts contesting the elections. They are Farrukhabad, Etawah, Firozabad, Lalitpur, Jalaun, Jhansi, Hathras, Hamirpur, Auraiyya, Etah, Kannauj, Kanpur Dehat, Kanpur Nagar, Mahoba, Kasganj and Mainpuri.

Also Read: '80 vs 20' Is A Reality Of Uttar Pradesh Elections: CM Yogi Adityanath