According to a report by the Uttar Pradesh Election Watch and the Association for Democratic Reforms, Samajwadi Party tops the list parties fielding tainted candidates. Vicky Nanjappa reports
Out of the 129 candidates contesting the Goa assembly elections, 30 candidates or 23 per cent declared criminal cases. Vicky Nanjappa reports.
As Gujarat braces for an election this year, it would be interesting to see the donations received by the political parties in the state, and the list of candidates who have a criminal background, says Vicky Nanjappa
The National Election Watch and the Association for Democratic Reforms states in it report and analysis that out of the 248 candidates 76 candidates or 31 per cent declared criminal cases against them. In 2007 assembly elections for Uttar Pradesh, 27 per cent candidates had declared criminal cases against themselves. Vicky Nanjappa reports.
Of the 114 constituencies going to polls in the first two phases in Uttar Pradesh elections, 41 are red alert constituencies -- they have three or more candidates with criminal records. According to the record of the candidates analysed by the Association for Democratic reforms, 36 per cent of the constituencies in the first two phases of UP polls are red alert ones. Of the 41 red alert constituencies, 28 have three candidates with declared criminal cases.
A report prepared by the Association for Democratic Reforms states that the total tax exemptions received by six national parties during financial years 2006 to 2009 is Rs 510.02 crore. Vicky Nanjappa reports
The Association for Democratic Reforms, in association with the National Election Watch, has compiled the list of the poorest Members of Parliament. The list is based on the assets declared by the candidates, before the Election Commission, when they had filed their nominations for the Lok Sabha polls.
Political parties may campaign against corruption and criminality, but it's the selection of candidates for the upcoming assembly polls that tells the real story.
Political parties may campaign against corruption and criminality, but it's the selection of candidates for the upcoming assembly polls that tells the real story.
The Foundation for Democratic Reforms and Lok Satta, along with some organisations will arrange a round table conference in New Delhi on April 24. The conference is for a consensus on the creation of a powerful and independent Lok Pal at the national level and Lokayuktas in states.
The data provided by the Association for Democratic Reforms states that out of thes 60 members of Legislative Assembly, 36 (or 60 per cent) are crorepatis.
When it comes to financial contributions/donations, political parties in the country seem to benefit a lot by them as a significant part of their income depends upon them.
In spite of the Election Commission's repeated pleas against the criminalisation of politics, few political parties have paid any heed to it and have continued to field candidates with a dubious record in the forthcoming Bihar assembly polls.
A report by the Association for Democratic Reforms states that none of the 60 newly-elected MLAs of the Manipur Assembly, has declared criminal cases against him/her.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has received more donations compared to the Congress in Himachal Pradesh in the last seven years, a study has found.
Only 18 Bharatiya Janata Party legislators switched parties to contest the polls in this period
The story of Uttar Pradesh in the third phase of the assembly elections is no different from phase-II polls. One hundred and twenty one candidates out of the 317 have criminal candidates pending against them. Vicky Najappa reports.
The union territory of Puducherry has the dubious distinction of having the laziest legislators in India. A report shows that in comparison to the other four poll-bound states -- Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal and Assam -- the legislative assembly in Puducherry had the lowest number of sittings in the past 5 years.
It is bad enough that we have leaders with pending criminal charges against them. But what happens when the very same leaders get guns from the government?
According to a report by the Association of Democratic Reforms, 59 per cent of the MLAs (or 141 MLAs out of 241) in the Bihar assembly have criminal records pending against them. Comparatively, the percentage of tainted legislators in the last assembly was 35 per cent
The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to produce before it in sealed cover the "up to date" data of funds received by political parties through electoral bonds till September 30, 2023.
A recent report put out by the Association for Democratic Reforms and National Election Watch revealed that 47 per cent of the newly-elected Uttar Pradesh assembly has candidates with criminal cases pending against them.
The average asset of the 92 re-elected members of Legislative Assembly in Karnataka is estimated at Rs 30.15 crore, according to the Association for Democratic Reforms and Karnataka Election Watch analysis.
Total of 59 seats spread across 6 states and one Union Territory will go to polls in the sixth phase on May 12.
It will be in Modi's interest to reinvent his party, read the writing on the wall that voters wrote, and move ahead. He has little choice now. The country is watching, asserts Ramesh Menon.
The general elections are round the corner and there is a great deal of activity where the fielding of candidates is concerned. What we have noticed in the past few elections that there is a great deal of debate regarding the background of a candidate. The Association for Democratic Reforms has managed to create an awareness among the voters regarding the candidates that they have been voting for.
The bench refused to entertain the plea filed by NGO Association for Democratic Reforms and dismissed it.
'Not even a single rupee from the electoral bonds should be allowed to be used in the election.' 'If it is used in the election, it will taint India's electoral process itself.'
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav also have cases registered against them.
'After a month of working on the new machine, I realised that the black glass on the VVPAT lets the programmer manipulate not just the electronic system, but the paper vote too.' 'And it will not be detected even during the mock poll or the actual voting because of the black glass.'
'The number of candidates in Karnataka with a criminal background has come down by five per cent when compared to the 2004 election,' says Professor Trilochan Sastry of Karnataka Election Watch.
59 constituencies across 7 states and one Union Territory will go to polls in the seventh phase on May 19.
Kishore said the Congress and its supporters are bigger than any individual and Gandhi should not be stubborn that it must be him who will deliver for the party despite repeated failures.
An analysis of the declarations made by these MLAs reveals that 37 have declared serious charges including those related to rape, attempt to murder and crime against women.
The Karnataka Election Watch Committee of the Association of Democratic Reforms has found that several leaders, including former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and his brother H D Revanna, have not declared their PAN numbers while submitting their affidavits to the returning officer at the time of filing their nominations. 240 candidates from various parties in Karnataka have failed to declare their PAN numbers at the time of filing their nomination papers.
In a landmark decision the Central Information Commission (CIC) has ruled that the income tax returns of political parties will come under the purview of the Right to Information Act (RTI). The move will, it is hoped, enable the public to get details on the funding sources of political parties.
Electoral trust is a non-profit organisation formed in India for orderly receiving of contributions from corporate entities and individuals to political parties.
The Congress raised Rs 918.03 crore, of which 383.26 crore came through the debt instrument, which can be purchased from select branches of State Bank of India and donated to any political party.
The richest candidate in the first phase is from Chevella. The poorest candidate is also contesting from the same constituency in Telengana!
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances