Madhya Pradesh: 25% Congress MLAs, 14% from BJP face serious criminal charges

Of the 230 MLAs elected to the Madhya Pradesh Assembly in the recently-concluded elections, as many as 94 have criminal cases against them while 47 of them have declared serious criminal cases, including murder, attempt to murder and crime against women.

According to the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR), while six of the MLAs have declared cases related to attempt to murder, one MLA is facing charges of murder. The MLA facing murder case is Sukhdev Panse, who won from Multai constituency on a Congress ticket.

Apart from this, three MLAs have declared cases related to crime against women such as Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty (IPC Section-354) and Husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty (IPC Section-498A).

Out of 114 MLAs from the Congress party, 56 (49%) have declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits filed before the elections. Among 109 BJP MLAs, 34 (31%) face criminal charges. Two BSP MLAs and one Samajwadi Party MLA also declared criminal cases in their affidavits. One out of four Independent MLAs have declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits.

Facing serious criminal charges in the 230-member Assembly are 28 (25%) from Congress party, 15 (14%) from the BJP, two from the BSP, one (100%) from the Samajwadi Party SP and one (25%)  out of four Independent MLAs.

Apart from MLAs facing criminal charges, there's a large chunk of the newly-elected members in Madhya Pradesh Assembly who are crorepatis. Out of the 230 MLAs, 187 (81%) are crorepatis. After the 2013 Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, 161 (70%) MLAs were crorepatis.

Among these, 91 (84%) out of 109 MLAs from the BJP, 90 (79%) out of 114 MLAs from the Congress party, one (50%) out of two MLAs from the BSP, one (100%) MLA from the Samajwadi Party and four (100%) independent MLAs have declared assets valued more than Rs 1 crore.