Bhubaneswar: As many as 23% of candidates contesting in the last phase of Lok Sabha elections in Odisha have criminal cases against them.
This was revealed in the report of Odisha Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) which analysed the self-sworn affidavits of all 66 candidates who are contesting in 6 constituencies in the last phase of LS elections in the state scheduled on June 1.
Out of 66 candidates analysed, 15 candidates (23%) have criminal cases against them, while 10 (15%) candidates have serious criminal cases against them and one candidate has cases related to crime against women.
Of the three major parties, BJP has maximum 4 (67%) candidates with criminal cases and 3 (50%) with serious criminal cases. It is followed by Congress with 3 (60%) candidates with criminal cases and 1 (20%) with serious criminal cases. The ruling BJD has 2 (33%) candidates with criminal cases and 2 (33%) with serious criminal cases.
The last phase of elections will be held in 6 Lok Sabha seats including Balasore, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Kendrapada and Mayurbhanj. While Balasore has 11 candidates in fray, Bhadrak has 8, Jagatsinghpur 11, Jajpur 13, Kendrapada 10 and Mayurbhanj 10.