Haryana polls: 13% 'criminal' candidates, 52% crorepatis in fray; details

A total of 1,031 candidates are vying for seats in the Haryana Assembly, comprising representatives from national parties, state parties, registered unrecognised parties, and independents

The Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) has released a comprehensive report profiling candidates contesting the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections based on various parameters, including criminal background, education, gender, and wealth.
 

A total of 1,031 candidates are competing for seats in the Haryana Assembly, representing a national parties, state parties, registered unrecognised parties, and independent candidates.

Criminal background of candidates

According to the ADR report, 133 candidates (13 per cent) out of 1,028 analysed have declared criminal cases. Notably, 95 of these individuals are facing serious criminal charges. This marks an increase in serious criminal cases compared to the 2019 elections, where 117 candidates (10 per cent) out of 1,138 analysed reported similar declarations.

Party-wise breakdown of candidates with criminal cases

• Congress: 17 (19 per cent)
• BJP: 6 (7 per cent)
• Aam Aadmi Party: 23 (26 per cent)
• Jannayak Janta Party: 7 (11 per cent)
• INLD: 9 (18 per cent)
• BSP: 3 (9 per cent)

Among the candidates with declared criminal cases, 11 are reported to have charges related to crimes against women, while six are facing murder charges (IPC-302). The report indicates that several major political parties have disregarded the Supreme Court's 2020 directive to avoid selecting candidates with criminal backgrounds.

Financial status of candidates

The financial status of the candidates is also notable, with 538 (52 per cent) of the 1,028 candidates identified as crorepatis. A detailed analysis reveals that 240 of these affluent candidates are from national parties. The BJP leads in this category, fielding 85 candidates (96 per cent) who have declared assets exceeding Rs 1 crore. Congress follows closely with 84 candidates (94 per cent), while Aam Aadmi Party has 52, Jannayak Janta Party 46, BSP 35, and INLD 34.

The richest candidate in the fray is Capt Abhimanyu from the BJP with declared assets of over Rs 491 crore. He is followed by Congress’ Rohtas Singh, who has assets exceeding Rs 484 crore, and independent candidate Savitri Jindal with assets of over Rs 270 crore.

Educational qualifications

In terms of educational qualifications, 492 candidates (48 per cent) hold degrees at the graduate level or higher, while 486 (47 per cent) possess qualifications between Class 5 and Class 12. Additionally, 15 candidates are reported as illiterate.

Age distribution of candidates

The age distribution reveals that 319 candidates (31 per cent) are aged between 25 to 40 years, while 528 candidates (51 per cent) fall within the 41 to 60 age bracket. There are also 181 candidates (18 per cent) who have declared their ages to be between 61 and 80 years.

Gender representation

Regarding gender representation, only 100 female candidates (10 per cent) are contesting in the 2024 Haryana Assembly elections. This is a slight increase from 2019, when 104 women (9 per cent) were among the 1,138 candidates analysed. Among the major parties, Congress has fielded the highest number of female candidates, with 12, followed by Aam Aadmi Party with 11, and BJP with 10.

Polling for the Haryana Assembly elections is scheduled for October 5.