19 per cent of the candidates in 7th phase of Lok Sabha polls face criminal cases

Guntur: A P Election Watch state coordinator P C Sai Babu said that seventh and last phase Lok Sabha elections are to be held on May 19 in 59 constituencies in eight states.

In a statement issued here on Monday, he said that out of the total 918 candidates contesting in the seventh phase of Lok Sabha elections, 19 per cent candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves and out of them, 17 per cent candidates have declared that they are facing serious criminal cases.

Among the major political parties, 42 per cent of BJP candidates, 31 per cent of Congress candidates, 21 per cent of AAP candidates and 15 per cent of BSP candidates have declared criminal cases against them.

He said that 31 per cent of the total contesting candidates in seventh phase are crorepatis and 84 per cent of BJP, 89 per cent of Congress candidates have more than one crore worth of assets. Twenty eight per cent of BSP candidates and 64 per cent of AAP candidates are crorepatis, he said.

Sai Babu further said that 48 per cent of seventh phase candidates are graduates and 44 per cent have declared education qualifications to be between 5th and 12th standards; and added that 29 percent candidates have declared to be just literate and 24 pc candidates are illiterate and 48 per cent have declared their age to be between 51 to 80 years and forty per cent candidates have declared their age to be below 50 years.

He added that eleven per cent of seventh phase contestants are females.