A report released by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) reveals that 90 out of the 230 newly-elected Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) in Madhya Pradesh have criminal cases against them. Among these, 34 winning candidates, nearly 15 percent, have declared serious criminal charges against themselves. Out of the 90 MLAs with criminal cases, 51 belong to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and 38 belong to the Indian National Congress.
Comparatively, in the 2018 Assembly polls, 94 MLAs had declared criminal cases against themselves, with 47 facing serious charges. The recent report highlights a slight increase in the number of women legislators in the state Legislative Assembly in 2023, with 27 women candidates winning the elections—six more than in 2018. However, women's representation in the state Assembly remains below the promised 33 percent.
While the BJP had given tickets to 27 women and the Congress to 30, only six women candidates contesting on Congress tickets won. The report also indicates that 89 percent of the newly-elected MLAs in the state are 'crorepatis' (multi-millionaires), with 144 belonging to the BJP and 61 to the Congress. The richest MLA in the state is Chetanya Kasyap from the BJP, with a total wealth exceeding Rs. 296 crores.
In terms of education, 161 winning candidates are graduates or above, 64 have educational qualifications ranging from class 5th pass to class 12th pass, three have diplomas, and two are literate without formal education. The proportion of MLAs with graduation degrees in the state was 44 percent in 2018.
The ADR, a non-profit organization, focuses on disclosing the criminal, financial, and educational backgrounds of candidates contesting elections. The report sheds light on the varied backgrounds of the newly-elected MLAs in Madhya Pradesh, providing insight into the composition of the state Legislative Assembly.
(With Agency Inputs)
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