90 out of 230 newly-elected MLAs in MP have criminal cases: ADR report

Bhopal, Dec 7: As many as 90 out of the 230 newly-elected MLAs in Madhya Pradesh have criminal cases against them, according to a report released by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

According to the report, 34 winning candidates out of 230, which is nearly 15 per cent, in the state have declared serious criminal cases against themselves.

Of these 90 MLAs having criminal cases, 51 belong to the BJP and 38 belong to the Congress.

In the 2018 Assembly polls, 94 MLAs had declared criminal cases against themselves, with 47 facing serious charges, the report said.

The report further noted that the number of women legislators in the state Legislative Assembly increased slightly in 2023.

In 2023, 27 women candidates won the assembly elections -- six more than the 2018 tally.

In the 2018 Assembly polls, out of 230 MLAs, 21 MLAs, around nine per cent, were women. In 2013, a total of 30 women members were elected to the Assembly, the report said.

Although the number of women MLAs in the state is a bit higher than that of the last polls, the women's representation in the state Assembly remained far behind the promised 33 per cent.

The incumbent BJP had given tickets to 27 women, and Congress to 30. Of the 57 women candidates, 47 per cent won.

BJP fared better as 21 of its candidates emerged victorious, a big jump from 2018 when only 14 of its 27 women candidates had won. Only six women candidates, who contested the election on Congress tickets, could manage to win the elections this time.

Also, female voter turnout rose by two per cent in the 2023 Assembly polls compared to 2018, when 74 per cent of women stepped out to exercise their franchise.

The report further revealed that 205 newly-elected MLAs in the state (89 per cent) are 'crorepati'. Of these crorepati MLAs, 144 belong to the BJP while 61 are from the Congress.

The number of crorepati MLAs in the state has increased in comparison to that of the last Assembly polls when 187 MLAs were crorepatis.

BJP MLA from Ratlam city constituency in Ratlam district, Chetanya Kasyap is the richest MLA in the state whose total wealth is over Rs. 296 crores. Similarly, a BJP MLA from Vijayraghavgarh assembly seat in Katni district, Sanjay Satyendra Pathak is the second richest MLA having a wealth of over Rs. 242 crores followed by Congress MLA Kamal Nath who has a total wealth of over Rs. 134 crores, the report said.

Besides, 161 winning candidates are graduates or above educational qualifications. Similarly, 64 candidates have declared their educational qualification to be between class 5th pass and class 12th pass, while three winning candidates are diploma holders and two are just literate, the report added.

The proportion of MLAs with graduation degrees in the state was 44 per cent in 2018.

ADR is a non-profit organisation which discloses the criminal, financial, and educational background of the candidates contesting elections.