The share of candidates with criminal cases increased by four percentage points between 2009 and 2019 elections, from 15% to 19%, while the share of crorepati candidates increased by 13 percentage points, from 16% to 29%. To be sure, not all candidates have criminal cases of serious nature against them. Out of 1500 candidates with declared criminal cases, 1070 (13% of all candidates) have criminal cases of serious nature against them. Among the candidates with criminal cases, the share of those with serious criminal cases has also increased over time. The median of the assets of BJP candidates is Rs 4 crore, compared to the Congress candidates’ Rs 4.9 crore.

Source: Hindustan Times May 14, 2019 03:22 UTC