Lok Sabha Polls 2019: These ‘Red Alert Constituencies’ Have 3 or More Candidates With Criminal Cases

2019 General Elections | 37 of the 71 constituencies going to polls today during the fourth phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2019 have three or more contesting candidates with declared criminal cases against them.

The Association of Democratic Reforms calls these ‘Red Alert Constituencies’.

“Red alert constituencies are those constituencies where 3 or more contesting candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves,” it says. They have been fielded by various political parties, while many are contesting as independents.

Data based on affidavits filed by the candidates contesting in Lok Sabha Elections 2019 and analysed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) shows Maharashtra's Kalyan has the highest number of candidates with criminal cases for a constituency 10 of the 27 candidates analysed by ADR have criminal cases declared against them. Parties that have fielded candidates with criminal cases in this constituency include BSP, NCP, IUML, SHS, Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi. Five are contesting as independents.

Maharashtra’s Mumbai North East and Shirdi constituencies take the second spot with 9 each candidate having criminal cases declared against them. Parties that have fielded candidates with criminal cases in this constituency are BJP, BSP, NCP INC, CPI, Bahujan Republican Socialist Party, Republican Bahujan Sena, SHS, Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi. Three contesting candidates are independents.

Next on the list is Maharashtra's Dhule constituency where seven of the 28 candidates analyzed by ADR have criminal cases against them. They have been fielded by Ambedkarite Party of India, Bahujan Republican Socialist Party and Kranti Kari Jai Hind Sena, SHS. Two are contesting as independents.

Another Maharashtra constituency to figure on the list at number five is Maval where six of the 21 candidates have criminal cases against them. Barring two independents, five of these candidates have been fielded by Ambedkarite Party of India, Bahujan Republican Socialist Party, Kranti Kari Jai Hind Sena, SHS.

Madhya Pradesh’s Balaghat, Maharashtra’s Shirur, Bihar’s Ujiarpur, Jharkhand’s Palamu, Maharashtra’s Mumbai North West constituencies have six candidates each with criminal cases. 13 of these are contesting the polls as independents while the rest have been fielded by BSP, CPI, Bahujan Mukti Party, , BSP, Bahujan Republican Socialist Party, , SHS, Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi, BJP, CPI(M), Pragatishil Samajwadi Party (Lohia), Rashtriya Lok Samta Party, Bahujan Mukti Party, CPI(ML)(L), , RJD, INC, Bhartiya Manavadhikaar Federal Party, and SP.