Of 690 MLAs elected in UP, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa, 27.8% (192) have a criminal record
There has been a decrease in the number of members of legislative assembly (MLAs) with criminal records in Uttar Pradesh (UP), Punjab and Goa of the five states that elected new state governments, according to our analysis of data compiled by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), an advocacy.
Of 690 MLAs elected in UP, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa, 27.8% (192) have a criminal record, while 20% (140) face serious criminal charges, such as murder, kidnapping and extortion, the data show.
While the number of MLAs with criminal records declined in three of five states, the number of MLAs with serious criminal charges increased in all states, except Manipur.
The Bharatiya Janata Party swept UP with a record 312 of 403 seats, and the Congress emerged as the single largest party in three of five states.
As many as 1,000 candidates contesting the elections in the five states had criminal charges against them and 850 candidates had serious criminal charges, as IndiaSpend reported in March 2017.
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