Aizawl, Nov 05: In the upcoming Mizoram Assembly Elections, a troubling revelation has emerged as seven candidates contesting for seats in the state have declared criminal and serious criminal cases against themselves.
The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Mizoram Election Watch have conducted an analysis of the self-sworn affidavits submitted by all 174 candidates participating in the elections. Out of these candidates, 67 are representing national parties, 40 are from state parties, 40 belong to registered unrecognized parties, and 27 are contesting independently.
The report highlights that the number of candidates declaring criminal cases against themselves has risen, with seven candidates in the current election compared to nine (4%) out of 209 candidates in the 2018 Mizoram Assembly Elections.
Alarmingly, all seven of the current candidates who have declared criminal cases have also declared serious criminal cases against themselves. In the 2018 elections, four (2%) candidates had declared serious criminal cases.
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A breakdown of the data shows that four out of 40 candidates analyzed from the Zoram People’s Movement, two out of 23 candidates from the BJP, and one out of 40 candidates from the Mizo National Front (MNF) have declared criminal cases against themselves.
Additionally, four out of 40 candidates from the Zoram People’s Movement, two out of 23 BJP candidates, and one out of 40 MNF candidates have declared serious criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits.
The increase in the number of candidates with criminal cases and the presence of serious criminal cases on their records is a matter of concern for the upcoming Mizoram Assembly Elections.
Voters and election authorities will undoubtedly scrutinize the backgrounds and legal histories of the candidates closely as they make their choices in the polls, which are a critical part of maintaining the integrity of the democratic process.
