'191 BJP, 143 CONG POLL PICK FACE CRIMINAL CASES'

Out of the 440 BJP candidates contesting the Lok Sabha polls, 191 have declared criminal cases in their election affidavits, according to an analysis by a poll rights body. For the Congress, out of its 327 candidates, 143, or 44 per cent, have declared criminal cases, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) said in a report based on data compiled from the affidavits on the Election Commission's website.

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The cases, it said, include those related to murder, attempted murder, crimes against women and hate speech.

The ADR said the data obtained from the poll panel's website reveals that a "significant portion of candidates contesting in the elections have self-declared criminal cases against them".

The analysis presents a breakdown of candidates with declared criminal cases party-wise, it said. The report stated that among the major parties, the Bharatiya Janata Party has 191 (43 per cent) of candidates who have declared criminal cases, while the Congress has 143 (44 per cent) of such candidates.