At least 17 per cent of the candidates contesting the second phase of the Manipur Assembly elections (Manipur Assembly Elections 2022) have criminal cases registered against them. While 57 per cent are millionaires. This has been reported in a new report by the Association for Democratic Reforms. Manipur Election Watch and ADR have analysed the affidavits of all the 92 candidates who are going to contest 22 seats in the second phase of assembly elections on March 5. Only two women candidates are contesting in this phase.

According to the report, 16 (17 per cent) of the 92 candidates have declared criminal cases against them. While 14 candidates (15%) have declared serious criminal cases against them. According to the report, among all the political parties, JD(U) has the highest number of criminal cases with 4 candidates (out of a total of 10) in the fray. Out of the 18 candidates analysed from Congress, 4 are contesting.

Of the 11 candidates analysed from the National People's Party (NPP), two are in the fray. Out of the total 22 candidates of the Bharatiya Janata Party, only two candidates have criminal cases registered against them. According to the report, four candidates each from JD(U) and Congress and one each from NPP and BJP have declared serious criminal cases against them. At least three candidates are involved in crimes against women. One of them has been booked in a rape case (Section 376 of the IPC). The other candidates have been booked for an "attempt to murder" (Section 307 of the IPC). Two of the 22 constituencies are 'Red Alert' constituencies, which means that three or more of the contesting candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves.