Out of the 30 candidates in the fray for the Lok Sabha elections, six candidates have criminal cases against them as compared to one in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections where only DMDK candidate Assana had criminal cases against him.
According to an analysis of the affidavits done by Puducherry Election Watch under the Association for Democratic Reforms,PMK candidate R K R Anantharaman, DMK candidate A M H Nazeem, Samata Party candidate Marie Uthrianathan and three independent candidates have declared in their affidavits that they have criminal cases. The analysis sheds light on the fact that three candidates have serious criminal charges against them.
Anantharaman has three cases under IPC. The cases pertains to charges of knowingly carrying arms or taking part in any mass drill or training with arms (153AA), imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration (153B), deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs (IPC 295 A) and obscene acts and songs (IPC 294), word gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a women (IPC 509). The cases have been filed in Orleanpet police station. The other cases being filed are on charges relating to being member of unlawfiul assembly(143) and disobedience to order promulgated by public servant (188). In both the cases cognisance has not been taken, while the third case registered has been chargesheeted at the Judicial Magistrate Court (II), Cuddalore and four witness have been examined.
Nazeem is accused in three cases pertaining to charges of disobedience to orders duly promulgated by public servant in Karaikal, Kottucherry and Kalapet.
Samata Party candidate M Marie Uthriyanathan has three cases under IPC. This includes house- breaking at night in order to commit offence (IPC 457), theft in house. Among the independent candidates, P Bakkiaraj is accused in two cases of obscene acts and songs and another for voluntary causing hurt. Senthilkumar has two cases of voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means, obscene acts and song and Dhandapani has a case with regard to property offence.
Six Crorepatis
There are six crorepathi candidates in the fray with three candidates having declared assets over `5 crore.
Topping the list is Narayanasamy with an asset of `9,18 crore followed by R Radhakrishnan of AINRC with `7,77 crore and Dr V Rangarajan of AAP with `5,79 crore. The next being R Viswanathan of CPI with an asset of `2,71 crore, M V Omolingam of AIADMK with asset of `2,64 crore and R K R Anantharaman of PMK with an asset of `2,46 crore. DMK candidate A M H Nazeem has declared an asset of `59,30,000, the least among the candidates.
In terms of liabilities, AIADMK candidate tops the list with `2,16 crore followed by PMK candidate with `1,80 crore, AINRC candidate with `76 lakh, CPI candidate with `60 lakh and Narayanasamy with `42 lakh.
