Rajasthan Elections: 31% Winning MLAs Have Criminal Record,  85% Are Crorepatis, Says Report

In the Rajasthan assembly elections 2023, out of the 199 winning MLAs, 61(31%) winning candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves in the election affidavit, and around 44 (22%) winning candidates have serious criminal cases against themselves, according to a report jointly prepared by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW).

On the contrary in 2018, 46 (23%) MLAs had declared criminal cases against themselves, whereas 28 (14%) MLAs had declared serious criminal cases against themselves.

The report further states that one candidate who got elected has declared a case related to murder (IPC Section-302), seven winning candidates have declared cases of attempt to murder (IPC Section-307) and six out of 199 winning candidates have declared cases related to crimes against women.

Further explaining the data, party-wise, 35 (30%) out of 115 MLAs from BJP, 20 (29%) out of 69 winning candidates from INC, two out of three winning candidates from Bharat Adivasi Party, one winning candidate from Rashtriya Loktantrik Party and three out of eight Independent winning candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits.

Party-wise Winning Candidates with Serious Criminal Cases

Twenty-four  (21%) out of 115 winning candidates from BJP, 16 (23%) out of 69 winning candidates from INC, 1(33%) out of 3 winning candidates from Bharat Adivasi Party, 1(100%) winner candidate from Rashtriya Loktantrik Party and 2 (25%) out of 8 Independent winning candidates have declared serious criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits.

165 out of 199 candidates are crorepatis

Out of the 199 winning candidates analysed, 169 (85%) are Crorepatis, which is around six percent more as compared to 2018, says the report.

Party-wise Crorepati winning candidates: 101 (88%) out of 115 from BJP, 58(84%) out of 69 from INC, 1 (50%) out of 2 from BSP, 1 (33%) out of 3 from Bharat Adivasi Party, 1 (100%) from RLD and 7 (88%) out of 8 Independent winning candidates have declared assets worth more than Rs. 1 crore.

While analysing the assets of the winning 199 candidates, the report reveals that the average assets per candidate in the Rajasthan Assembly Elections 2023 is Rs 7.78 Crores. In the Rajasthan Assembly Elections 2018, the average of assets was around Rs 7.39 crore.

"The average assets per winning candidate for 115 BJP winning candidates is Rs 7.09 Crores, 69 INC winning candidates is Rs 8.65 Crores, 2 BSP winning candidates is Rs 6.77 Crores, 1 RLD winner candidate is Rs 3.89 Crores, 1 Rashtriya Loktantrik Party winner candidate is Rs 80.67 Lakhs, 3 Bharat Adivasi Party winning candidates is Rs 45.82 Lakhs and 8 Independent winning candidates have average assets worth Rs 14.60 Crores", reads the report.

In the Rajasthan assembly elections 2023, the education qualification of around 52 winning candidates is 5th pass and 12th pass, while 137 (69%) winning candidates have declared having an educational qualification of graduate and above. Moreover, six winning candidates are Diploma Holders and 4 winning candidates are just literate.

Age details of winning candidates: 67 (34%) winning candidates have declared their age to be between 25 and 50 years while 130 (65%) winning candidates have declared their age to be between 51 and 80 years. 2 winning candidates have declared they are more than 80 years old.

Out of the 199 winning candidates analysed, 20 (10%) winning candidates are women. In 2018, out of 199 MLAs, 23 (12%) MLAs were women.

Congress party in Rajasthan had given tickets to 28 women candidates (14 per cent), whereas the BJP has fielded 20 female candidates (10 per cent) of the total 200 assembly seats. In the 2018 assembly polls, the Congress gave tickets to 27 women candidates, whereas the BJP fielded 23 women out of its 200 candidates.

In the 200-seat Rajasthan assembly, 199 went to polls on November 25. Due to the demise of one INC candidate, Gurmeet Singh Kooner from Karanpur constituency, the election to this constituency was adjourned. The BJP won the elections with a comfortable majority of 115 seats and is set to form the government. The Congress party fell short by a good 46 seats in its battle against the Bharatiya Janata Party and secured 69 seats.