There are 14 constituencies in phase 2 of 2019 Odisha Assembly elections that have three or more candidates with declared criminal cases and Bharatiya Janata Party candidates have the highest number of criminal cases against them, according to a report by the NGO ADR.

The Odisha Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) analysed affidavits filed by 241 out of 244 candidates contesting in the second phase of the 2019 Odisha Assembly polls. The details of the other three candidates could not be analysed by ADR as their affidavits were either badly scanned or complete affidavits were not uploaded on the Election Commission for India (ECI) website.

It was revealed that 21 out of 35 (35 per cent) Bharatiya Janata Party candidates, 17 out of 32 (53 per cent) Congress candidates and 13 out of 35 (37 per cent) Biju Janata Dal candidates and 4 out of 23 (17 per cent) Bahujan Samaj Party candidates have admitted they have criminal cases against him.

51 per cent of BJP candidates have serious criminal cases against them, while, 31 per cent of Congress candidates have serious cases against them. For BJD the percentage of serious criminal cases against them is 31 per cent, while, 17 per cent of BSP candidates have serious cases against them.

84 out of 241 candidates -- 31 per cent -- contesting in the second phase of 2019 Odisha assembly polls have declared criminal cases against themselves. Meanwhile, 68 (28 per cent) have admitted they have serious criminal cases against themselves.

Red Alert constituencies: There are 14 constituencies in the second phase of 2019 Odisha assembly elections that have three or more candidates with declared criminal cases.

Odisha is one of the four states where voting to the state assembly in will be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections. The first phase for 2019 Odisha Assembly election for 28 Assembly constituencies took place on April 11.

The second phase of Odisha Assembly polls will simultaneously take place on April 18.