Himachal Pradesh Assembly Elections 2017: Candidates With Criminal Cases

Shimla: More than 50 candidates contesting the Himachal Pradesh assembly elections have criminal cases pending against them, with the highest number belonging to the Bharatiya Janta Party.

According to a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms, 61 candidates have declared criminal cases against them. Of these, 31 have been charged with serious crimes.

While BJP has given tickets to 23 candidates with pending criminal cases, CPI(M) has 10 candidates with cases declared against them. There are six Congress candidates with criminal charges. Sixteen independent candidates also have criminal cases pending.

Ram Kumar, a Congress candidate from the Doon constituency is the only one with a charge related to murder against his name, while two candidates have cases related to attempt to murder against them.

Himachal Pradesh will go to elections on November 9, with the polls expected to be a two-way battle between the incumbent Congress government and the BJP. Congress announced veteran Virbhadra Singh as their chief ministerial candidate, while BJP recently announced that Prem Kumar Dhumal will lead the party in Himachal Pradesh.

Virbhadra Singh is a six-time chief minister in Himachal Pradesh, while Prem Kumar Dhumal has held the post twice. The two have taken turns at the helm of the state from 1993. Virbhadra Singh will be fighting for the Arki seat, after giving the ticket for the Shimla rural seat to his son Vikramaditya Singh, who will be contesting the election for the first time.

The election result will be announced on December 18.