Mizoram is one of five states holding an Assembly election in November (File).
Only seven, or four per cent, of the 174 candidates contesting the 2023 Mizoram Assembly poll have declared criminal cases against themselves in the mandatory self-sworn affidavits, the Association for Democratic Reform said in its report on MLA hopefuls in Tuesday's election.
All seven have been named in "serious" criminal cases. In the 2018 election there were 20 MLA hopefuls, of whom nine faced criminal charges. Of these nine, four faced "serious" cases.
According to the ADR report, the majority of candidates facing criminal charges have been fielded by "unrecognised" parties - local or regional political outfits. These have fielded 40 candidates across the state and four of these have admitted to criminal cases - all "serious" - against themselves.
National-level parties have fielded 67 candidates and two have declared "serious" criminal cases, while state-level parties have fielded 40 and only one has declared a "serious" criminal case.
There are 27 independent candidates in this Mizoram election and none have admitted to criminal cases, serious or otherwise, against themselves.
The party with the most number of candidates facing criminal charges is the Zoram People's Movement with four, or 10 per cent of its 40 MLA hopefuls.
The BJP, which has 23 candidates, has two, followed by one from the ruling Mizo National Front, which will also contest all 40 seats in the state Assembly.
The MNF of Chief Minister Zoramthanga is also part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.
READ | From Fighting For Mizo Nation To Chief Minister - Zoramthanga's Journey
None of the Congress' 40 candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves.
In the 2018 poll, three Congress leaders acknowledged such cases, as did three from the MNF, two from the BJP and an independent candidate.
What Are "Serious" Criminal Cases?
The ADR report states the criteria for this include crimes for which the maximum possible punishment is five years or more; offences related to murder, kidnap or rape; and crimes against women. Also included are non-bailable offences, electoral offences, and those related to corruption.
In March 2020 the Election Commission, after a Supreme Court order on this topic, made it mandatory for all political parties (at centre and state) to share with the public detailed information about any candidate with pending criminal cases. In addition, parties also had to explain why they had chosen candidates "with criminal antecedents" and why others could not be chosen.
These details were to be published in one local and one national newspaper, as well as the concerned party's social media platforms, and submit a compliance report to the poll panel.
Wealthiest Mizoram MLA Candidates
As an aside, national-level parties have the most 'crorepatis' among their MLA hopefuls with 43, followed by 36 from state-level parties and 29 from the "unrecognised" outfits.
Only six of the 27 independent candidates have declared themselves 'crorepatis'.
This means 114 of the total candidates in this election, or a staggering 66 per cent, are 'crorepatis'.
The average wealth of candidates in the Mizoram election is Rs 4.9 crore.
Mizoram votes for a new government in a single phase on November 7. Results are due December 3, with those from Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, and Rajasthan.