A recent analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) reveals that a significant number of Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) in Bihar have declared pending criminal cases against themselves. According to the report, 66% of the 241 MLAs analyzed, or 158 individuals, have disclosed that they are facing criminal charges. This analysis is based on affidavits submitted by the candidates prior to the 2020 Assembly elections and subsequent by-elections.
The ADR report also highlights the severity of the charges against many of these MLAs. A substantial 49% of the sitting MLAs, which amounts to 119 individuals, have declared serious criminal cases. These include charges related to murder (Indian Penal Code Section 302), attempt to murder (IPC Section 307), and crimes against women. Specifically, 16 MLAs have declared cases related to murder, 30 MLAs have declared cases of attempt to murder, and 8 MLAs have declared cases related to crimes against women.
When examining the party-wise distribution of MLAs with criminal cases, the report indicates that out of 83 MLAs from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), 53 (64%) have declared criminal cases. Similarly, 53 (74%) out of 72 MLAs from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) have declared such cases. Among the Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)] MLAs, 21 out of 47 (45%) have declared criminal cases. The Indian National Congress (INC) has 14 out of 17 MLAs (82%) with declared criminal cases.
The financial background of these MLAs was also analyzed in the ADR report. It was found that 80% of the 241 MLAs analyzed are crorepatis, meaning they have assets worth more than ₹1 crore. In terms of party-wise distribution of crorepati MLAs, 72 (87%) out of 83 BJP MLAs, 63 (88%) out of 72 RJD MLAs, and 39 (83%) out of 47 JD(U) MLAs have declared assets valued at more than ₹1 crore. The total assets of the 241 sitting MLAs amount to ₹1,121.61 crore, with the average assets per MLA being ₹4.65 crore.
The report also includes information about the educational qualifications and age of the MLAs. Regarding education, 82 (34%) MLAs have declared their qualifications to be between 5th and 12th standard, while 149 (62%) MLAs have declared having a graduate degree or higher. In terms of age, 119 (49%) MLAs have declared their age to be between 25 and 50 years, while 122 (51%) are between 51 and 80 years. Only 29 (12%) of the 241 MLAs under consideration are women.
It is important to note that the ADR analysis is based on the affidavits submitted by the MLAs prior to the 2020 Assembly elections and the by-elections conducted thereafter. There may be some changes in the number of criminal cases pending against some MLAs as of the current date. The affidavits of two MLAs were not analyzed due to the unavailability of properly scanned and complete documents.
