In the analysis of 90 winning candidates from the 2023 Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections, a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Chhattisgarh Election Watch revealed that 17 of the winners have declared criminal cases against themselves. This accounts for about 19% of the total winning candidates, a decrease from the 2018 figures where 24 MLAs had criminal cases against them.
Out of these, only six winning candidates have declared serious criminal cases against themselves, a lower count compared to 2018 when 13 MLAs had serious criminal charges.
Breaking down the statistics, the report highlighted that 12 out of the 54 winning candidates from BJP and five out of the 35 from Congress declared criminal cases in their affidavits. Similarly, four BJP candidates and two Congress candidates declared serious criminal cases in their affidavits.
The report also delved into the financial aspects of the winning candidates, noting that 72 out of the 90 winners are crorepatis. This marks an increase from 2018 when 68 MLAs fell into the same category. The average assets per winning candidate in the 2023 elections were Rs 5.25 crore, a notable decrease from Rs 11.63 crore in 2018.
Further details revealed that 43 out of the 54 BJP winners and 29 out of the 35 Congress winners possess assets worth more than Rs 1 crore. The wealthiest candidates included BJP's Bhawna Bohra with assets worth Rs 33.86 crore, followed by former Chief Minister and Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel with Rs 33.38 crore, and BJP's Bilaspur MLA Amar Agarwal with Rs 27 crore.
Education-wise, 33 winning candidates hold educational qualifications ranging from fifth pass to 12th pass, while 54 have declared being graduates or above. Additionally, there are two Diploma holders and one candidate who is literate but not formally educated.
In terms of age, 44 winners fall between 25 and 50 years old, while 46 are between 51 and 80 years old. There are also 19 women among the winning candidates.
The report also highlighted the presence of 24 re-elected MLAs, noting a growth of 41% in the average assets of re-elected MLAs between 2018 and 2023.
The BJP secured 54 seats while the Congress won 35 in the Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections held in two phases on November 7 and November 20.
(With Agency Inputs)
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