The first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections features a significant number of candidates with serious criminal charges. Affidavits reveal that 27% of the 1,314 individuals competing for 121 seats are accused of grave offenses, including murder and rape.
In total, 423 candidates have declared criminal cases. Among these, 354 face charges for serious crimes. The number of candidates accused of murder stands at 33, with 86 facing attempted murder charges. Crimes against women are also a concern, with 42 candidates linked to such offenses, and two specifically reporting rape allegations.
The analysis shows a varied distribution across political affiliations. Every CPI (Maxist) candidate in the first phase has serious criminal charges against them. CPI and CPI (Marxist-Leninist) also report high percentages at 80% and 64% respectively. For major national parties, RJD has 60% of its candidates facing serious accusations, followed by BJP (56%) and Congress (52%).
Regarding any criminal case declaration, RJD candidates lead at 76%, with BJP and Congress at 65% each. CPI and CPI (M) have 100% of their candidates with criminal cases. JD(U) shows 39%, AAP 27%, and BSP 20%.
Financially, 40% of the candidates are crorepatis, possessing assets exceeding Rs 1 crore, and their average wealth is Rs 3.26 crore. While educational qualifications are diverse, women represent only 9% of the candidates in this phase.