Prez poll: Criminal cases against 31% electors

Claiming that there was an urgent need for electoral reforms in the country, Association of Democratic Reforms(ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW) said that as many as 1,448 or 31 per cent out of total 4,896 MLAs and MPs who will be voting in the presidential elections have declared criminal cases against them.

The ADR and NEW analysed the recent poll affidavits submitted to the Election Commission of India of 772 MPs out of a total of 776 MPs and 4,063 MLAs out of a total of 4,120 MLAs who form the electoral college for electing the president.

According to the analysis, as many as 641 MPs and MLAs have declared serious criminal cases like rape, murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, robbery, extortion, etc. against themselves. As many as 141 MPs and MLAs have declared murder cases against themselves, six MLAs and MPs have declared rape cases, 352 MLAs and MPs have declared attempt to murder charges against themselves. As many as 145 have declared theft charges against themselves, 90 have declared charges of kidnapping and 75 declared dacoity charges against themselves.

According to the analysis, as many as 3,35,089 votes out of total 10,98,882 votes will be cast by these tainted MPs/MLAs.

Among state Assemblies, based on the number of tainted MLAs, the maximum number of tainted electors are from Uttar Pradesh which has 189 MLAs out of total 403 MLAs who have declared criminal cases against themselves, followed by Maharashtra with 146 out of 287 MLAs who have declared criminal cases against themselves, and Bihar with 139 out of 241 MLAs who have declared criminal cases against themselves.

Uma to attend presidential vote

LUCKNOW: After skipping the entire budget session of the Assembly, BJP MLA Uma Bharti will be present at UP Vidhan Bhawan in Lucknow on July 19 to cast her vote in the presidential election. Being the MLA from Charkhari in Mahoba district, Uma is a member of the electoral college. Her absence from the Assembly was raised by some members during the budget session. Uma had skipped the session as she was reportedly busy with the planning of the BJP's proposed Ganga campaign, which she will lead.

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