In a startling revelation ahead of the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections in UP, the Uttar Pradesh Election Watch and the Association for Democratic Reforms have disclosed that 23 per cent of the candidates have criminal cases against them, while 36 per cent are crorepatis. The comprehensive analysis scrutinised the affidavits of all 162 candidates contesting from 14 constituencies, including Sultanpur, Pratapgarh, Phulpur, Allahabad, Ambedkar Nagar, Shravasti, Dumariyaganj, Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Lalganj (SC), Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Machhlishahr (SC) and Bhadohi, which go to polls in the sixth phase. According to the findings, 38 out of 162 candidates (23 per cent) have declared criminal cases, with 21 per cent facing serious criminal charges. Party-wise, the Samajwadi Party leads with the highest number of candidates with criminal cases – nine out of 12 candidates (75 per cent). It is followed by the Bharatiya Janata Party with six out of 14 candidates (43 per cent) and the Bahujan Samaj Party with four out of 14 candidates (29 per cent) having criminal cases. SPs 75 per cent candidates face serious charges followed by BSPs 29 per cent and BJPs 21 per cent. Among the candidates, Babu Singh Kushwaha (SP, Jaunpur) has 25 criminal cases, Ram Bhuwal Nishad (SP, Sultanpur) has eight criminal cases and Moinuddin Ahmed Khan (BSP, Shravasti) has 10 criminal cases In terms of wealth, 59 out of 162 candidates (36 per cent) are crorepatis. Out of them, BJPs all 14 candidates are crorepatis, followed by SPs 11 and BSPs nine. Maneka Gandhi (BJP, Sultanpur) is the richest among the candidates with property worth Rs 97 crore, followed by Praveen Patel (BSP, Phulpur) Rs 64 crore and Shivpal Singh Patel (SP, Pratapgarh) Rs 46 crore Conversely, some candidates declare considerably lesser assets, with Ram Kumar Yadav of SUCI (C) disclosing assets worth only Rs 1,686, Subash, an independent candidate, with assets amounting to Rs 10,000 and Urmila of Samaj Parivartan Party declaring assets worth Rs 34,000. The educational qualifications of the candidates also paint an interesting picture, with 65 per cent holding graduation or higher degrees, and 31 per cent having qualifications ranging from 5th to 12th grade. Only a small fraction, 10 per cent of the candidates, are women. This analysis underscores the evolving landscape of politics in Uttar Pradesh, raising pertinent questions about the nexus between money, power and electoral representation. As chief convener of UP Election Watch ADR, Sanjay Singh, aptly points out, the increasing dominance of financially powerful candidates may pose challenges for the entry of honest and dedicated individuals into political arenas.

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