The 61 candidates out of the 408 candidates analyzed with self declared pending criminal cases against them are contesting the Punjab 2012 Assembly Elections. The elections are due to be held on January 30. Out of these 61 candidates, 22 candidates have declared serious pending criminal cases such as murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, robbery etc against them.

 

All major parties including Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal have given tickets to candidates with pending criminal cases, as per revelations of the report compiled by Punjab Election Watch (PEW) and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). The INC has 23 out of 116 (20%), SAD has 18 out of 93 (19%), BSP has 9 out of 61 (15%), PPP has 7 out of 89 (8%)candidates analyzed with pending criminal cases.

 

With the state’s debt mounting, it is interesting that 65 per cent candidates contesting the Punjab assembly elections are crorepatis. A total of 266 candidates out of 408 analyzed, 65% are crorepati contesting Punjab assembly elections which is 25 per cent more as compared to the Assembly Elections of 2007. In 2007 assembly elections, a total of 184 candidates out of 462 analyzed (40%) were crorepati. Besides this, there are only 7 per cent women candidates contesting the assembly elections in Punjab, said Jaskirat Singh, coordinator Punjab Election watch.

 

Out of 408 candidates analyzed for Punjab Assembly Elections 2012, only 29 (7%) candidates are women; the number of women candidates for INC is 10 out of 116 (9%), for SAD it is 10 out of 83 (12%),for PPP it is 4 out of 89 (4%), for BSP it is 2 out of 61(3%) and for BJP it is 2 out of 21 (10%).