NGO on Gujarat polls: Congress has more candidates with criminal cases than BJP, 2002 riot cases "not verifiable"

By A Representative
The Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR), a Delhi-based advocacy group, has said, its analysis suggests that BJP’s 22 (25%) out of 89 candidates and 31 (36%) out of 86 Congress candidates, who will be going to polls in the first phase of Gujarat state assembly elections on December 9, have declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits before the Election Commission (EC).
It further says, 10 (11%) out of 89 candidates of BJP and 20 (23%) out of 86 candidates from Congress have declared serious criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits, adding, there are 21 (24%) out of 89 constituencies in the first phase of Gujarat assembly elections having three or more candidates with declared criminal cases. ADR terms them “red alert constituencies.”
Releasing its report, “Gujarat Assembly Elections 2017 Phase 1 Analysis of Criminal Background, Financial, Education, Gender and other Details of Candidates”, former Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad professor Jagdeep S Chhokar, who heads ADR, however, clarified to media, ADR does not propose to draw the attention to the EC about the sensitivity of these constituencies.
Chhokar said, “Our job is only to analyze facts as filed in affidavits by candidates before the EC, not beyond. It is left for others to decide on whether to take up them up with EC.” Asked whether the ADR has done any investigation on its own, Chhokar said, “We don’t do it.” The report, notably, is also mum about communal sensitivity of individual constituencies.
To a question by Counterview, on whether, when it comes to criminal cases, ADR has looked into which of the candidates had cases pertaining to the 2002 Gujarat communal riots, the top academic replied, “The affidavits mention only IPC cases, and not involvement in communal riots or any other incident, which, say, may have taken place in 1947.”

A disclaimer at the end of the report says, “All information in this report has been taken from the website of EC (http://affidavitarchive.nic.in/). ADR does not add or subtract any information, unless the EC changes the data.” Considering information (non-EC sources) elsewhere available as “unverified”, ADR underlines, “In particular, no unverified information from any other source is used.”
On the monetary status of the candidates, ADR says, among the major parties 76 (85%) out of 89 candidates from BJP, and 60 (70%) out of 86 candidates from Congress have declared assets worth more than Rs 1 crore. It adds, the average assets per candidate for 89 BJP candidates is Rs 10.7 crore”, and for 86 Congress candidates, it is Rs 8.46 crore.
The richest candidate, the report says, is Congress’ Intranil Rajguru, who is fighting against Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani from Rajkot West, and has assets are to the tune of Rs 143 crore. He is followed by Saurabh Patel of the BJP, fighting from Botad, with total assets worth Rs 123 crore, and Dhanjibhai Patel (Makson), BJP, who is fighting from Wadhwan, having assets worth Rs 113 crore. “Interestingly, the candidates with high assets also have declared high liabilities”, Chhokar said.
In all, ADR, in association with Gujarat Election Watch, has analyzed self-sworn affidavits of 923 out of 977 candidates, who are contesting in the first phase of Gujarat Assembly elections to be held on December 9, 2017. “There are 54 candidates who have not been analyzed as the affidavits of these candidates were either badly scanned or the complete affidavits were not available on the Election Commission website”, the report said.

Comments

Academics urge Azim Premji University to drop FIR against Student Reading Circle

By A Representative A group of academics and civil society members has issued an open letter to the leadership of Azim Premji University expressing concern over the filing of a police complaint that led to an FIR against a student-run reading circle following a recent incident of violence on campus. The signatories state that they hold the university in high regard for its commitment to constitutional values, critical inquiry and ethical public engagement, and argue that it is precisely because of this reputation that the present development is troubling.

Was Netaji forced to alter face, die in obscurity in USSR in 1975? Was he so meek?

By Rajiv Shah This should sound almost hilarious. Not only did Subhas Chandra Bose not die in a plane crash in Taipei, nor was he the mysterious Gumnami Baba who reportedly passed away on 16 September 1985 in Ayodhya, but we are now told that he actually died in 1975—date unknown—“in oblivion” somewhere in the former Soviet Union. Which city? Moscow? No one seems to know.

UAPA action against Telangana activist: Criminalising legitimate democratic activity?

By A Representative The National Investigation Agency's Hyderabad branch has issued notices to more than ten individuals in Telangana in connection with FIR No. RC-04/2025. Those served include activists, former student leaders, civil rights advocates, poets, writers, retired schoolteachers, and local leaders associated with the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Indian National Congress.

Asbestos contamination in children’s products highlights global oversight gaps

By A Representative A commentary published by the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS) has drawn attention to the challenges governments face in responding effectively to global public-health risks. In an article written by Laurie Kazan-Allen and published on March 5, 2026, the author examines how the discovery of asbestos contamination in children’s play products has raised questions about regulatory oversight and international product safety. The article opens by reflecting on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that governments in several countries were slow to respond to early warning signs of the crisis. Referring to the experience of the United Kingdom, the author writes that delays in implementing protective measures contributed to “232,112 recorded deaths and over a million people suffering from long Covid.” The commentary uses this example to illustrate what it describes as the dangers of underestimating emerging threats. Attention then turns...

Aligning too closely with U.S., allies, India’s silence on IRIS Dena raises troubling questions

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The reported sinking of the Iranian ship IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka raises troubling questions about international norms and the credibility of the so-called rule-based order. If indeed the vessel was attacked by the American Navy while returning from a joint exercise in Visakhapatnam, it would represent a serious breach of trust and a violation of the principles that govern such cooperative engagements. Warships participating in these exercises are generally not armed for combat; they are meant to symbolize solidarity and friendship. The incident, therefore, is not only shocking but also deeply ironic.

The kitchen as prison: A feminist elegy for domestic slavery

By Garima Srivastava* Kumar Ambuj stands as one of the most incisive voices in contemporary Hindi poetry. His work, stripped of ornamentation, speaks directly to the lived realities of India’s marginalized—women, the rural poor, and those crushed under invisible forms of violence. His celebrated poem “Women Who Cook” (Khānā Banātī Striyāṃ) is not merely about food preparation; it is a searing indictment of patriarchal domestic structures that reduce women’s existence to endless, unpaid labour.

India’s foreign policy at crossroads: Cost of silence in the face of aggression

By Venkatesh Narayanan, Sandeep Pandey The widely anticipated yet unprovoked attack on Iran on March 1 by the United States and Israel has drawn sharp criticism from several quarters around the world. Reports indicate that the strikes have resulted in significant civilian casualties, including 165 elementary school girls, 20 female volleyball players, and many other civilians.

India’s green energy push faces talent crunch amidst record growth at 16% CAGR

By Jag Jivan* A new study by a top consulting firm has found that India’s cleantech sector is entering a decisive growth phase, with strong policy backing, record capacity additions and surging investor interest, but facing mounting pressure on talent supply and rising compensation costs .

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Search This Blog