Candidates with Criminal Records, Including Rape Charges, Elected to Lok Sabha

It has been reported that two candidates with rape cases registered against them have won the Lok Sabha elections, the results of which were declared on Tuesday. BJP candidates Saumitra Khan and Madhavaneni Raghunandan Rao have cases registered against them under Section 376 (punishment for rape) of the Indian Penal Code. Khan won from West Bengal’s Bishnupur constituency by 5,567 votes and Rao from Telangana’s Medak by 39,139 votes. In addition to the candidates with rape cases, some candidates with serious criminal charges such as attempt to murder and hate speech have also emerged as winners. The BJP’s Shantanu Thakur, who won from West Bengal’s Bangaon, has charges related to attempt to murder, creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between communities, among others, registered against him. Dulu Mahato, who won on a BJP ticket from Jharkhand’s Dhanbad, has 22 serious cases, including charges related to criminal intimidation and attempt to murder, registered against him. Similarly, the BJP’s West Bengal unit chief Sukanta Majumdar, who retained his Balurghat seat, has 30 serious cases against him. As per the poll rights body Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), 1,643 candidates have criminal cases registered against them. For instance, Kamlesh Paswan, who won from Uttar Pradesh’s Bansgaon constituency on a BJP ticket, has 16 serious cases, including attempt to murder, registered against him. The Samajwadi Party’s Rambhual Nishad, who defeated the BJP’s Maneka Gandhi from Uttar Pradesh’s Sultanpur seat, has 12 serious cases against him. Notably, about 20 percent of the candidates declared criminal cases, which marks an increase from 19 percent in 2019, 17 percent in 2014, and 15 percent in 2009.