Bhubaneswar: In the upcoming third phase of elections in Odisha, 18 out of the 64 candidates (28%) contesting for six Lok Sabha seats have declared criminal cases against themselves, according to an analysis by Odisha Election Watch and the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), based on self-sworn affidavits submitted by the candidates.
The six constituencies—Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, Puri, and Sambalpur—are scheduled to vote on May 25.
The report highlights that 13 of these candidates (20%) have serious criminal cases against them. Additionally, one candidate faces charges related to murder (IPC Section 302), while four candidates are accused of attempted murder (IPC Section 307). Further, four candidates have declared cases related to crime against women.
In the second phase, to be held on 20th May, as many as 87 or 33% of all the candidates in the fray have criminal cases against them. Out of these, 70 ore 26% have serious criminal cases against them.