21 Lok Sabha candidates in Haryana face criminal charges

The Lok Sabha election in Haryana will witness contests among candidates with varied background as a number of them have criminal records and others ranging from multimillionaires to school dropouts.

The Lok Sabha election in Haryana will witness contests among candidates with varied background as a number of them have criminal records and others ranging from multimillionaires to school dropouts.

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At least 21 candidates have criminal cases against them, 61 are crorepatis and 28 are school dropouts while one is illiterate, a report by Association for Democratic Reforms said.

Indian National Lok Dal has fielded three candidates with criminal backgrounds, the highest by any party. Haryana Janhit Congress and Congress has fielded two candidates each with such backgrounds.

Lok Janshakti Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and Bhartiya Bahujan party have also fielded one candidate with criminal background, the report said.

In the state having 10 Lok Sabha seats, 210 contestants are in the fray out of whom about 61 have declared their assets worth over Rs one crore, it said.

Among the millionaire candidates, 17 are independent, while by nine are from BSP and eight each from Haryana Janhit Congress and Congress party.

The report said that there are five crorepati candidates in Indian National Lok Dal and four in BJP. The report was prepared after perusing affidavits of 205 candidates submitted to the Election Commission.