32% of new legislators in AP have serious criminal cases

New Delhi: As many as 151 of the 174 newly-elected MLAs in the Andhra Pradesh Pradesh Assembly have declared criminal cases against them, with 55 or 32 per cent reporting "serious" criminal cases in their affidavits, according to the Andhra Pradesh Election Watch (APEW) and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

Moreover, eight MLAs have been convicted, added the report.

YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) MLA Ramakrishna Reddy Pinnelli has declared a case related to murder while 10 other MLAs have declared cases related to attempt to murder.

Six MLAs have declared cases related to crime against women such as assault or criminal force against women with intent to outrage her modesty, word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of women.

The report said seven MLAs have declared cases related to kidnapping.

Among major parties, 50 (33 per cent) of the 150 MLAs analysed from YSRCP, four (17 per cent) of the 23 from Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and one from Jana Sena Party (JSP) have declared "serious" criminal cases in their affidavits.

The APEW and ADR have analysed the self-sworn affidavits of 174 of the 175 MLAs in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly: 160 men and 14 women.

YSRCP MLA Karanam Dharmari from Chodavaram constituency was not analysed due to the unavailability of his complete and properly scanned affidavit on the Election Commission's website, the report said.

Of the 174 MLAs, 163 (94 per cent) are crorepatis, as per the report.

It said a total of 140 (93 per cent) of the 150 MLAs analysed from YSRCP, 22 (96 per cent) of 23 from TDP and one from JSP have declared assets worth more than Rs 1 crore.

The average asset per MLA is Rs 27.87 crore. The average asset per MLA for 150 YSRCP candidates is Rs 22.41 crore while it is Rs 64.61 crore for 23 TDP candidates.

N Chandrababu Naidu of TDP from Kuppam constituency is among the top three MLAs with highest declared assets, said the report. Naidu declared Rs 668 crore worth of assets in his affidavit.

He is followed by Y S Jaganmohan Reddy (Rs 510 crore) of YSRCP from Pulivendla constituency and Nandamuri Balakrishna (Rs 274 crore) of TDP from Hindupur constituency.