Patna: Sixty-eight per cent of the newly elected Bihar MLAs have pending criminal charges, with 51 per cent of them having declared serious cases against themselves, including rape and murder, according to a report released by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).
According to data analysed by ADR, about 68 per cent of MLAs ā 163 in all ā stand accused of criminal acts, which is 10 per cent more than the ratio in the outgoing assembly.
The ADR has analysed 241 of the 243 MLAs because the affidavits submitted by two of them to the Election Commission are unclear.
Out of the 163 MLAs with criminal charges, 123, or half the total MLAs, have been booked for serious offences ā 19 have been charged for murder under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code, while 31 MLAs are accused of attempt to murder, and eight have cases against them relating to crime against women.
Winning candidates who had declared serious criminal cases, including murder, kidnapping and crimes against women, also increased to 123 or 51% from 98 or 40% in the 2015 Assembly polls.