65 of 238 candidates in phase 2 of J&K polls facing criminal cases

SRINAGAR: Sixty-five out of 238 candidates in the fray in the second phase of assembly elections in J&K on Sept 25 have criminal cases against them, with 49 facing minor cases while 16 have declared serious criminal charges in their poll affidavits. Only 3% of the candidates in this phase are women.

According to an analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), three candidates have declared cases of attempted murder (IPC section 307), while seven have declared cases related to crimes against women, with one contestant facing rape charges (IPC section 376).

The party-wise list of contestants facing criminal charges shows 4 out of 26 (15%) candidates fielded by PDP have declared criminal cases against them in their affidavits. BJP has4 out of 17 tainted candidates (24%), Congress has2 out of 6 (33%) and NC has 1 out of 20 such nominees. Among candidates facing serious criminal cases, PDP has fielded 1 (4%), BJP has given tickets to 3 (18%), Congress to 2, and NC to 1 (5%).

ADR further reported that 8 assembly constituencies (31% of 26) have been put in the ‘red’ category, where 3 or more contestants have declared criminal cases.

In terms of assets, 131 (55%) of the total candidates are crorepatis. All 6 Congress candidates (100%), 18 (90%) from NC, 13 (76%) from BJP and 19 (73%) from PDP have declared assets worth more than Rs 1 crore.

“The role of money power in our elections is evident from the fact that all major political parties give tickets to wealthy candidates,” ADR noted.

The average assets per candidate in phase 2 in J&K is Rs 5.80 crore. Among major parties, the average assets of 6 Congress nominees is Rs 29.39 crore, while it’s Rs 11.21 crore for 20 NC candidates, Rs 11.07 crore for 17 BJP candidates, and Rs 5.24 crore for 26 PDP nominees.

Syed Altaf Bukhari, with declared assets of Rs 165 crore, is the richest candidate in phase 2, followed by Tariq Hameed Karra (Rs 149 crore) and NC’s Mushtaq Guroo (Rs 94 crore). Bukhari and Guroo are contesting from Channapora, while Karra is seeking election from Central Shalteng.

In terms of education, ADR reports that 117 (49%) candidates have declared their educational qualification to be between 5th and 12th standard, while 114 (48%) are graduates or above. Six candidates hold diplomas, and one has declared himself illiterate.

Regarding age distribution, 84 (35%) candidates are between 25 and 40 years old, 105 (44%) are aged between 41 and 60, and 49 (21%) are between 61 and 80 years of age.