Bhubaneswar, May 24: At least 88 MLA candidates of Phase IV election scheduled on June 1 in Odisha are facing serious criminal charges out of the 394 nominees for 42 constituencies.
Of the 394 candidates analysed, 96 (24%) have declared criminal cases against themselves while 88 (22%) have declared serious criminal cases against themselves, according to a report released by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).
As many as 17 candidates have cases related to attempted murder (IPC Section 307) while 20 nominees have cases related to crime against women. Out of 20 candidates 2 candidates have declared charges related to rape (IPC Section-370), the report said.
Among the major parties, 28 BJP candidates, 13 nominees of BJD and 11 from Congress have declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits.
A total of 42 seats are red alert constituencies. The Red alert constituencies are those where three or more contesting candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves, the ADR concluded.
