The recently elected members of the 16th Legislative Assembly of the state have seen a rise in the number of elected representatives facing criminal charges. As per the affidavits submitted to the election department by state candidates, approximately 31 per cent of the total 199 legislators, amounting to 61 members, have criminal cases registered against them. Notably, out of these cases, 44 legislators have submitted affidavits related to serious criminal charges, constituting 22 per cent of the total. This data sheds light on the prevalence of legal issues among the newly elected representatives in the state assembly.
An interesting observation reveals that in the 15th Legislative Assembly, criminal cases were filed against a total of 46 legislators, constituting around 23 per cent. Correspondingly, serious criminal cases were registered against 28 candidates, making up approximately 14 per cent. According to data obtained from the election department, the current figures indicate an increase of about 9 per cent in the number of legislators facing accusations in criminal cases compared to the previous assembly. This data underscores a shift in the legal landscape among elected representatives in the state assembly.
This survey is grounded in the comprehensive analysis undertaken by the Association for Democratic Reforms and Rajasthan Election Watch. The findings reveal that among the 115 legislators of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), 35 have criminal cases registered against them. Similarly, out of the Congress’s 69 legislators, 20 are facing criminal charges, and among the independents, 3 out of the 8 legislators have such cases against them. This data provides a nuanced understanding of the legal landscape among elected representatives from different political affiliations.
Cases against the BJP legislators
Among the newly elected BJP legislators, Madan Dilawar has 14 cases, Kirori Lal Meena has 12, Bheraram has 4, Kailash Chand Verma has 2, Kanwar Lal has 5, Jethanand Vyas has 4, Jaydeep Bihani has 3, Jitendra Kumar Gothwal has 2, Harlal Saharan has 1, Gopichand Meena has 5, Amrit Lal Meena has 1, Uday Lal Dangi has 8, Sanjay Sharma has 3, Surendra Singh Rathore has 1, Jogeshwar Garg has 1, Balamukund Acharya has 2, Gopal Sharma has 2 cases. Similarly, cases have been registered against Heeralal Nagar, Lalaram Bairwa, Shatrughan Gautam, Vikram Singh Jakhar, Shailesh Singh, Kali Charan Saraf, Uday Lal Bhadana, Kesararam Choudhary, Chhagan Singh Rajpurohit, Anshuman Singh Bhati, Jabbar Singh Khara, Bahadur Singh, Jawahar Singh, Baba Balkanath, Bhajan Lal Sharma, Kanhaiyalal, and Shobha Chauhan.
Accused Congress legislators are
In Congress, Ashok Chandna has 3 cases, Ashok Gehlot 4, Shobharani Kushwah 4, Juber Khan 4, Suresh Gurjar 2, Ramkesh 1, Ghanshyam 1, Ramnivas Gawdiya 5, Mukesh Bhakar 4, Kantiprasad 3, Ganesh Ghoghra 3, Abhimanyu Poonia 5, and Manish Yadav has 3 cases. Vikas Chaudhary, Ramila Khadiya, Rohit Bohra, Rafiq Khan, Lalit Yadav, and Motiram each have one case registered.
Cases registered against legislators of other parties
The Bharatiya Adivasi Party has 2 cases against Umesh Meena and one against Rajkumar Roth. Similarly, one case has been registered against Hanuman Beniwal of the RLP. In independents, Ravindra Singh Bhati has 6 cases, Ganesh Raj Bansal has 3, and Ritu Banawat has 1 case registered.
The data, sourced from affidavits submitted to the election department, indicates that approximately 31% of the 199 legislators have criminal cases against them, with 22% facing serious charges. A comparison with the previous assembly highlights a significant uptick of about 9% in the number of legislators entangled in legal issues. As the new assembly takes shape, the prevalence of legal challenges among its members becomes a critical aspect deserving attention and scrutiny.
