Just nine out of 209 candidates (four per cent) contesting in the November 28 Mizoram Assembly polls have declared criminal cases against themselves. Out of the nine, just four or two per cent candidates have serious criminal cases.
Two Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) candidates, three candidates from Congress and Mizo National Front each and one Independent have declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits, said a report released by election watchdog Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) on Thursday.
While the figures are up from 2013 Mizoram Assembly Elections where only two per cent had declared criminal cases and one per cent with serious criminal cases, the state still has one of the lowest candidates with criminal backgrounds.
A total of 116 candidates, more than half of the 209 persons contesting in the polls, are crorepatis.
The Mizo National Front (MNF) leads the list with 35, followed by the Congress with 33 and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with 17 such candidates.
The average of assets of candidates contesting in the polls are Rs 3.11 crores. In 2013 Mizoram Assembly Elections, average assets per candidate for 142 candidates was Rs. 2.31 crores.
MNF`s Lalrinenga Sailo contesting from Hachhek in Mamit district is the richest candidate with assets more than Rs 100 crore. Sailo, who switched over from the Congress a month ago, declared that his total assets ballooned by a whopping 797 per cent in the past five years.
On the education front, 142 candidates are graduates or above, 60 are school dropouts and one an illiterate.
Only 18 or merely nine per cent of the candidates are female.
Mizoram's 40-member Assembly will go to polls on November 28. Results will be declared on December 11.
