15% of candidates for Punjab polls face criminal charges

About 15% of the candidates for the coming polls in Punjab have criminal cases registered against them, according to an analysis by election watchdog Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

A closer look at numbers suggests that there are 77 candidates accused of serious crimes — ranging from electoral offences to those against women and those under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Among the 77,



four candidates have murder cases against them, 11 face cases related to attempt to murder.

Party-wise, Congress leads the pack, with over 12% of its candidates facing criminal charges. It is closely followed by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) at 11%, and the Shiromani Akali Dal (11%). Nine per cent of the candidates of the Apna Punjab Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party face similar charges.