THE ELECTORAL CREDENTIALS QUESTION: BENGAL LEADS INDIA IN LAWMAKERS DECLARING CASES INVOLVING CRIMES AGAINST WOMEN
October 24, 2026
West Bengal has emerged as the state with the highest number of sitting Members of Parliament and legislators who have declared cases related to crimes against women in their election affidavits, according to an analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). The findings have renewed scrutiny of the criminal cases declared by elected representatives and raised questions about the standards political parties apply when selecting candidates.
The ADR analysis examined the declarations of 772 sitting MPs and 4,109 sitting MLAs across the country. It found that 187 lawmakers had declared cases related to crimes against women. West Bengal accounted for the highest number, with 69 sitting MPs and MLAs, followed by Andhra Pradesh with 22 and Odisha with 17.
The report also examined the distribution of lawmakers with such declared cases across political parties. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had the highest number, with 106 sitting MPs and MLAs, followed by the Indian National Congress with 20 and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) with 18. However, when the figures were compared with the overall strength of each party in Parliament and state legislatures, the proportions differed. The TDP recorded the highest proportion at 11.6 per cent, followed by the BJP at 4.9 per cent and the Congress at 2.6 per cent.
The analysis further identified 14 sitting lawmakers who had declared cases related to rape, including offences involving the repeated rape of the same woman. Of these, two were sitting Lok Sabha MPs and 12 were MLAs. The BJP and Congress had four lawmakers each who had declared rape-related cases. The report also identified one MLA each from the TDP, Democratic Trinamool Congress, Biju Janata Dal, National People's Party, Bharat Adivasi Party and All India Secular Front.
The findings are based on disclosures made by lawmakers in their election affidavits. The existence of a declared criminal case does not, by itself, establish guilt or indicate that a person has been convicted. The figures instead draw attention to cases recorded in the declarations submitted by elected representatives and the need for voters to distinguish between allegations, pending proceedings and judicial findings.
ADR has called for stronger measures to address the presence of candidates with criminal backgrounds in electoral politics. Its recommendations include barring candidates with criminal antecedents from contesting elections, permanently disqualifying those convicted of heinous offences such as rape, and preventing people with serious criminal backgrounds—particularly cases involving crimes against women—from being appointed ministers.
The organisation has also urged the authorities to impose substantial financial penalties on political parties that fail to comply with Supreme Court directions on publishing candidates' criminal antecedents and the reasons for selecting them. It has called for those responsible for ensuring compliance within political parties to be held accountable.
The findings place renewed emphasis on transparency in candidate selection and the responsibility of political parties to explain their choices to voters. West Bengal's position at the top of the state-wise tally makes the report particularly significant for the state, while the national figures raise broader questions about accountability and the standards expected of elected representatives.
The central issue highlighted by the analysis is the need for voters to have clear information about candidates' declared criminal cases and for political parties to demonstrate that their nomination decisions meet standards of public responsibility. The report does not determine the guilt of the lawmakers named in individual declarations, but it calls for greater scrutiny of criminal antecedents in India's democratic process.
