Bijay Singh Soy/Congress Singhbhum, Bihar Margin: 10,830 votes
He was convicted in a murder case and sentenced to life imprisonment by the additional sessions judge, Chaibasa, in December 1984. He was later acquitted by the high court. He has, however, been charge-sheeted in several other cases—attempt to murder, possessing illegal arms, instigating violence—which are pending trial.
Mohammad Shahabuddin/RJD Siwan, Bihar Margin: 1,20,484 votes
He has a history-sheet running into several pages and span -ning over a decade. He was absconding just before the elections, after his house was raided and arms and ammunition recovered. He faces 16 challans in murder cases and is believed to have been involved in the murder of student leader Chandrashekhar last year—the CBIhas taken it up. In 1990, he successfully contested the Bihar legislative assembly elections as an Independent candidate from Jeerdei. He entered Parliament in 1996 on a JD ticket. His gang spews venom against the CPI(ML)and often clashes with the Left extremists. In 1994, his gang killed four CPI(ML) sympathisers in a shootout. He was named in the murder of Bangra activist Salauddin Ansari as well as CPI(ML)sympathiser Sudama Kushwaha of Jeerdei.
Taslimuddin/RJD Kishenganj, Bihar Margin: 6,488 votes
The erstwhile Union minister of state for home has had at least 16 cases registered against him and has been in jail four times. The Left Front strongly opposed his inclusion in the council of ministers and said it was ironical that a man of his track record should be given the home portfolio. After a police report on his activities was sent from Bihar to the Centre, he was sacked. He started his political career in the 1960s. On one occasion, his property in Araria was attached. In 1996, the secretary of Bihar's Mata Gurjri Memorial Medical College charged the former minister and his associates with trying to extort Rs 5 lakh from the institution, a matter raised in Parliament by Akali Dal MPs.
Laloo Prasad Yadav/RJD Madhepura, Bihar Margin: 51,983 votes
Laloo Yadav is one of the accused in the Rs 750 cror e fodder scam, involving siphoning off of animal husbandr y department funds from the treasury. He was arrested by the CBIwhen the governor sanctioned the CBIchargesheet against him, but obtained bail after a long stint in "jail".
Prabhunath Singh/ Samata Party Maharajganj, Bihar Margin: 2,05,553 votes
He has a historysheet running into 34 cases, although he now claims that he faces charges in only 11". He was recently released on bail after a stint in jail in the murder case of Janata Dal MLA Ashok Singh.
Shakuni Chaudhry/Samata Khagaria, Bihar Margin: 83,187 votes
He was named in the murder of six people, including the then Congress candidate from the Tarapore assembly segment, Sachidanand Singh, during counting on March 29, '95. He went underground until he obtained bail. He has since been challaned in the case. In 1996, nine people were killed in Nawada in Munger district and he was named as the key conspirator. He took anticipatory bail. The case is still under investigation. He contested the assembly elections in 1990 on a Congress ticket and in 1995 on a Samata ticket.
Anand Mohan/RJP Sheohar, Bihar Margin: 93,171 votes
His history-sheet runs into 35 cases, many of them of murder and illegal possession of arms. He was named in the murder of district magistrate G. Krishnaiah. The trial continues. He launched the Bihar People's Party only to merge it with the Samata Party which he quit in 1997 after a tiff with party supremo Nitish Kumar. He then joined Shankersinh Vaghela's Rashtriya Janata Party and aligned himself with his former enemy, Laloo Yadav.
C.K. Jaffer Sharief/Congress Bangalore (North), Karnataka Margin:72,447 votes
The former union minister is accused of owning property disproportionate to his known sources of income and the case is being heard by a spe -cial court in Bangalore. He was raided in January 1997 by the CBI—eight teams raided 13 of his premises and unearthed immoveable property worth Rs 1.64 crore. A chargesheet was filed on September 4, 1997.
Anant Kumar Hegde/BJP Canara, Karnataka Margin: 87,047 votes
He has 15 cases against him—murder, attempted murder, rioting and instigating violence—and has been chargesheeted in several.
Devendra Bahadur Rai/BJP Sultanpur, UP Margin: 64,448 votes
The CBI has filed a chargesheet against him in the Babri Masjid demolition case. He has filed an appeal for quashing the said proceedings which are pending before the Allahabad High Court.
Bhanu Pratap Verma/BJP Jalaun, UP Margin: 45,640 votes
He has a long police recor d and faces several cases, including one of murder and attempt to murder.
Ashok Singh/BJP Rae Bareli, UP Margin: 40,722 votes
This UP tough has been chargesheeted in a murder case but faces several other cases including illegal possession of arms, rioting and provoking violence.
Gangacharan Rajput/BJP Hamirpur, UP Margin: 18,137 votes
He is listed as a history-sheeter in police records. His history-sheet no. is 46 B, dist. Jalaun. A former student leader with a reputation for hooliganism, he got into trouble with the BJP high command when he refused to toe the party line on the women's reservation bill.
Mitrasen
Yadav/Samajwadi Party Faizabad, UP Margin: 7,737 votes
A Left-leaning activist, he was convicted in a murder case of 1966 and awarded a life sentence but was later acquitted. He continues to face challans in a number of cases, including murder, attempt to murder and rioting. He triumphed over a formidable rival—the BJP-backed Bajrang Dal's Vinay Katiyar.
Rizwan Zaheer/SP Balrampur, UP Margin: 57,259 votes
He faces at least five cases of murder and has been booked several times under the Arms Act and under IPC 307 (attempt to murder).
Arif Mohammed Khan/BSP Bahraich, UP Margin: 38,376 votes
He has been chargesheeted by the CBI in the hawala case for allegedly receiving Rs 7,49,86,000 from hawala dealer S.K. Jain and his associ -ates. The trial is pending—RC no 1(A)/95 (Anti-corruption Unit VI) under sections 7 and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Balram Jakhar/Congress Bikaner, Rajasthan Margin: 1,90,625 votes
He has been chargesheeted by the CBI in the hawala case for allegedly receiving Rs 83 lakh between March 1988 and April 1991 from hawala dealer S.K. Jain and his associates. The trial is pending—RC no.
1(A)/95 (Anti-corruption Unit IV) under section 120(b) of the IPC and sections 7, 12, 13 and 13-1(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988.
Bhajan Lal/Congress Karnal, Haryana Margin: 52,061 votes
He is accused of having paid bribes to JMM MPs to save P.V. Narasimha Rao's government in 1993 by enabling it to survive a no-confidence motion. Charges have been framed. All the JMM accused have filed a petition before the constitutional bench of the supreme court contending that MPs do not fall under the purview of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988.
Mani Kumar Subba/Congress Tezpur, Assam Margin: 1,30,349 votes
While no FIRs in India wer e traceable, he has been convicted of murder in Nepal. A sit -ting MLA in the Assam assembly—now an MP—he is alleged to be a Nepalese citizen, whose name is Maniraj Limbu. His citizenship was contested by an election officer in Sikkim way back in 1985 and he was not allowed to contest the poll then. Moreover, he was sentenced to life imprisonment under Section 13 of the Nepal Penal Code on September 1, 1971, for the murder of his sister. Jailed in Eelam jail of Eastern Nepal, Limbu alias Subba spent about 18 months in prison before escaping on May 8, 1973. A notice was issued to that effect on the same day by the sarpanch of Jila Karagar. He has been living in India ever since—first in Sikkim and then in Tinsukia district of Assam, where he is a lottery dealer.
V. Sathiamoorthy/ AIADMK Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu Margin: 24,092 votes
He is charged with possessing property disproportionate to his source of income.Documents seized during raids at his residence in Chennai and his village near Ramanathapuram revealed purchase of over 35 properties.
Sedapatti R. Muthiah/AIADMK Periakulam, Tamil Nadu Margin: 70,665 votes
He is charged with possessing property "disproportionate to his known sources of income." A case under section 13(2) read with section 13(1)(e) of the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered.
Investigations by the Directorate of Vigilance and the Anti-Corruption bureau are on.
Madhukar Sarpotdar/ Shiv Sena Bombay Northwest, Maharashtra Margin: 25,732 votes
He is one of the key conspira -tors named in connection with the 1993 Bombay riots. He has been twice arrested and detained under the National Security Act (NSA). He's facing a judicial chargesheet.
Murli Manohar Joshi/BJP Allahabad, UP Margin: 43,515 votes
Swami Sachidanand Sakshi alias Sakshiji Maharaj/BJP Farukkabad, UP Margin: 32,211 votes
L.K. Advani/BJP Gandhinagar, Gujarat Margin: 1,82,841 votes
The CBI has filed a chargesheet against them in the Babri Masjid demolition case. They have filed an appeal for quashing the proceedings which are pending before the Allahabad High Court.
Vijayaraje Scindia/BJP Guna, Madhya Pradesh Margin: 1,02,998 votes
Uma Bharati/BJP Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh Margin: 1,03,947 votes
These two BJP leaders are charged with abetting the demolition of the Babri Masjid. While Vijayaraje was chargesheeted by the CBI on January 10, 1996, charges against Uma Bharati are yet to be framed.
