186 candidates for Odisha’s 2nd phase Assembly polls face criminal charges

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141 crorepatis in Odisha


Bhubaneswar: Out of the total 747 candidates in the fray for the second phase
elections in 77 Assembly constituencies in Odisha due on April 17, as many as
186 candidates have declared that they have declared criminal cases against
them. Of them, 144 candidates have declared serious criminal charges against
them including murder, rape, kidnapping and crime against women.
This was revealed in the report published by
the Odisha Election Watch (OEW) and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR)
here at a press conference.
Congress tops the list with 39 candidates
having criminal charges against them followed by 34 of the BJP, 25 of the
ruling BJD and nine of the Aam Admi Party (AAP).
While Aama Odisha Sukinda candidate Rabindranath
Jarika tops the list with highest number of 38 criminal cases slapped against
him Congress Pipili nominee Judhistir Samantaray and Braja Kishore Pradhan from
Talcher constituency share the second position with 27 criminal cases each
pending against them while Sanatan Mahakud, Independent candidate from Champua
constituency comes third with 10 cases.
While murder and attempt to murder cases are
pending against 21 candidates while cases related to crimes against women against
20 and cases related to assault or criminal force against woman with intent to
outrage her modesty (under Section 345 IPC) are pending against 14 candidates.
Three candidates have declared cases related
to the husband or relative of the husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty
(IPC Section-498A).
The analysis revealed that Satyabrata Panda
of BJP from Ghasipura constituency has declared charges of rape, along with
charges related to causing miscarriage without woman’s consent (IPC
Section-313), and kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman for marriage (IPC
Section-366).
In the red alert constituencies category,
there are 32 constituencies that have at least three candidates with declared
criminal cases. Balasore constituency has the maximum number
of 7 candidates with criminal cases.

Notably, out of 744 candidates analysed in
the report, only 63 (8%) are women.
The report further revealed that there are as
many as 141 crorepatis, including 43 from the BJD, 43 from the BJD, 34 from the
Congress and 17 from BJP.
Former Congress leader and now an Independent
candidate in the Champua Assembly constituency in Keonjhar district Sanatan
Mahakud is the richest candidate with assets worth Rs 69.63 crore followed by
Rs 65.91 crore of Sunjoy Hans of Aam Odisha Party from Bhubaneswar Ekamra and
Rs 21.54 crore of Lala Manoj Kumar Ray of Congress from Nayagarh. 
The OEW analysis is on based entirely on the
information furnished by candidates in their affidavits. OEW’s Ranjan Mohanty
and Sahadev Sahoo among many addressed the press conference.

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