Summary of this article
11 of 30 constituencies have three or more candidates with criminal cases; 66 of 291 candidates face charges, including 38 with serious cases—up from 2021.
Among major parties, up to 50 per cent of candidates have declared criminal cases, with several also facing serious charges, particularly in the DMK and All India N.R. Congress.
Supreme Court of India guidelines on candidate selection see little impact, with ADR saying parties continue to give tickets to candidates with criminal backgrounds.
In the 2026 Puducherry Assembly elections, 11 out of 30 constituencies have three or more candidates with declared criminal cases. Three candidates have declared cases related to crimes against women, while two candidates have reported cases related to murder.
Overall, of the 291 candidates analysed by Association for Democratic Reforms, 66 have declared criminal cases, up from 54 out of 323 in 2021. Among them, 38 candidates face serious criminal cases, compared to 28 in the previous election.
Among major parties, 3 out of 21 candidates from the INC (14 per cent), 4 out of 16 from the All India N.R. Congress, 50 per cent from the DMK, and 5 out of 10 from the BJP have declared criminal cases in their affidavits.
2 out of 21 candidates from the INC have serious criminal cases. Similarly, 3 out of 16 from the All India N.R. Congress (19 per cent), and 5 out of 12 from the DMK (42 per cent) have declared serious criminal cases.
By party category:
National parties:
9 out of 33 analysed candidates have criminal cases; 2 have serious cases.
State parties:
12 out of 62 analysed candidates have criminal cases; 10 have serious cases.
Registered unrecognised parties:
26 out of 79 analysed candidates have criminal cases — the highest share; 15 have serious cases.
Independents:
19 out of 117 candidates have criminal cases; 11 have serious cases.
Candidates from registered unrecognised parties have the highest proportion of criminal cases, while independents have the lowest. However, serious criminal cases are relatively high among state parties as well.
The directions of the Supreme Court of India appear to have had little impact on candidate selection in the 2026 Puducherry Assembly elections, with parties continuing to field around 23 per cent candidates with criminal cases. Across major parties, between 14 per cent to 50 per cent of candidates have declared such cases.
In its February 13, 2020 directions, the court had asked parties to justify selecting candidates with criminal backgrounds and explain why individuals without such records were not chosen. These reasons were meant to be based on qualifications, achievements and merit. However, in recent state elections, parties have often cited vague grounds such as popularity, social work or claims that cases are politically motivated—reasons widely seen as inadequate, ADR mentioned.
“This data clearly shows that political parties have no interest in reforming the electoral system and our democracy will continue to suffer at the hands of lawbreakers who become lawmakers,” the report stated.
The ADR and Puducherry Election Watch have analysed the self-sworn affidavits of 291 out of 294 candidates, who are contesting in the Puducherry 2026 Assembly Elections. Out of 294 contesting candidates, 34 are from National parties, 63 are from State parties, 80 are from registered unrecognized parties and 117 candidates are contesting Independently.
