Overview
- West Bengal’s ADR review finds 65% of 292 winners declared criminal cases, with 58% flagged for serious offences that include murder, attempted murder, and crimes against women.
- Party splits in Bengal are wide, with 74% of analysed BJP winners declaring cases versus 43% for Trinamool, while both Congress winners reported no cases.
- Kerala’s analysis shows 84% of 135 winners declared criminal cases and 57% reported serious charges, as 69% qualified as crorepatis with average assets rising to Rs 6.94 crore.
- Assam bucked the pattern with 17% of 126 winners declaring cases and all 10 Bodoland People’s Front MLAs reporting none, even as average assets nearly doubled to Rs 8.82 crore.
- ADR bases these findings on self-sworn affidavits, which record allegations rather than convictions, and its definition of serious offences covers non-bailable crimes and those carrying at least five years in prison.