As many as 18 per cent  of the total 8,054 candidates contesting the elections in Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Telangana have criminal cases registered against them. Telangana tops the list among, where major political parties including BRS, Congress, and BJP have fielded candidates with criminal records ranging from 24 to 72 per cent .

According to a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), out of the 8,051 candidates analysed in five States who contested the Assembly elections, as many as 1,452 have criminal cases registered against them, while 959 are facing serious charges.

For the 119-member Telangana Assembly, the ADR said it has the highest number of candidates with criminal records. Between 24 per cent  and 72 per cent  of candidates from all major parties contesting elections in the State have declared criminal cases against them. The political parties have fielded candidates with criminal records ranging from 6 per cent  to 72 per cent  in Rajasthan.

Of the 2,290 candidates in Telangana, 521 (23 per cent ) have criminal cases against them, while 353 (15 per cent ) have serious criminal cases against them, the report said.

It also stated that BRS, which is contesting on all 119 seats in Telangana, has fielded 57 candidates with criminal cases against them, while 34 of them are facing serious criminal cases.

The figures are lowest for Mizoram, where between 3 per cent  and 10 per cent  of candidates from major parties have criminal records, and none of the candidates have declared cases related to crimes against women, attempt to murder, and murder.

In Chhattisgarh, out of 1,178 candidates analysed, 126 candidates have declared criminal cases, while 72 have serious cases against them.

Out of 2,534 candidates analysed in Madhya Pradesh, 472 candidates have criminal cases against them, while 291 have declared serious criminal cases. In Rajasthan, the report claimed that out of 1,875 candidates, 326 are facing criminal cases while 236 are facing serious criminal cases.

The report also said that Congress, which fielded 677 candidates, has 268 candidates with criminal cases and 162 with serious criminal cases.

In the case of the BJP, out of the 654 candidates fielded, 224 are facing criminal cases while 129 are facing serious criminal cases. AAP, the report said, which fielded 210 candidates in the elections, has 60 candidates with criminal cases against them, while 40 of its candidates are facing serious criminal cases.

The report also said that out of the 2,117 candidates of the national parties, 656 candidates are facing criminal cases while 404 are facing serious criminal cases against themselves. It said that out of the 537 state parties’ candidates, 154 are facing criminal cases while 100 are facing serious criminal charges. In the case of registered unrecognised parties, out of 2,053 candidates, affidavits of 2,051 candidates were analyzed, out of which 252 are facing criminal cases while 184 are facing serious criminal charges against themselves.

The report also said that out of the 3,347 independent candidates, affidavits of 3,346 candidates were analyzed, and 390 candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves while 271 are facing serious criminal cases.

Of the total candidates of 8,054 contesting in five states, the report said 22 candidates in five states have declared cases related to murder, while 82 have declared cases related to attempted murder, and 107 candidates have declared cases related to crime against women. “Of the 107 candidates, five have declared cases related to rape,” the report said. The report said 12 per cent have declared serious criminal cases while 29 per cent are crorepatis with an average asset worth Rs 3.36 crore, the report added.