Out of major parties, RJD (60 per cent), BJP (56 per cent), and CPI(M) (100 per cent) have the highest proportion of candidates facing serious criminal charges.
Jan Suraaj Party (43 per cent) and INC (52 per cent) also show a significant number of candidates with serious criminal cases
Bihar Election: One-Third of Phase I Candidates Face Criminal Charges
The ADR and Bihar Election Watch analysis found 423 candidates with criminal cases, of which 354 face serious charges.
Summary
In Bihar, 86 candidates have attempt to murder cases against them, with 42 candidates having cases of crime against women slapped on them. The tally makes 27 per cent candidates in the first phase with charges of serious criminal cases lodged against them.
The data, analysed by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Bihar Election Watch, revealed that 75 per cent constituencies have three or more candidates with declared criminal cases, marking 91 out of 121 constituencies as red alert constituencies.
1,303 out of 1,314 candidates contesting in Phase I of the Bihar Assembly Elections 2025 have been analysed. Out of the 1,303 candidates, 423 have declared criminal cases against themselves, while 354 face serious criminal charges.
The analysis further reveals that 33 candidates have declared cases related to murder, including two accused in rape cases.
Among major political parties:
Jan Suraaj Party: 50 out of 114 candidates
BSP: 18 out of 89 candidates
RJD: 53 out of 70 candidates
JD(U): 22 out of 57 candidates
BJP: 31 out of 48 candidates
AAP: 12 out of 44 candidates
INC: 15 out of 23 candidates
CPI(ML)(L): 13 out of 14 candidates
Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas): 7 out of 13 candidates
CPI: 5 out of 5 candidates
CPI(M): 3 out of 3 candidates
Party-wise Candidates with Serious Criminal Cases
Among major political parties, 49 of the 114 candidates from the Jan Suraaj Party, 16 of 89 from the BSP, and 42 of 70 from the RJD have declared serious criminal cases in their affidavits.
From the JD(U), 15 of 57 candidates face serious charges, while in the BJP, 27 of 48 candidates do. The AAP has 9 of 44 candidates, and the INC has 12 of 23 candidates with serious cases.
Among Left and regional parties, 9 of 14 candidates from the CPI(ML)(L), 5 of 13 from the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), 4 of 5 from the CPI, and all 3 candidates from the CPI(M) have declared serious criminal cases.
The report also mentions party wise number of candidates with declared cases related to murder, attempt to murder and crime against women.
The 243-seat Bihar Assembly will vote in two phases on November 6 and 11. Campaigning has intensified, with Home Minister Amit Shah and Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi set to hold multiple rallies on Wednesday (October 29) for the NDA and INDIA bloc respectively.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the NDA campaign in Samastipur last week. While the INDIA bloc has named Tejashwi Yadav as its chief ministerial candidate, the NDA has yet to announce its choice. At a rally on October 24, Modi stopped short of confirming a name but said the alliance, “under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar”, would surpass previous electoral records.
The results are out on November 14.
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