55 MLAs in MP have criminal cases against them

BHOPAL: Criminal cases are registered against 55 MLAs, including some ministers, out of the 219 members in Madhya Pradesh Assembly, according to a survey.

Of these 55, 28 are from ruling BJP, 21 are from opposition Congress and three from the Bahujan Samaj Party.

The survey was conducted by the Madhya Pradesh unit of the NGO National Election Watch which scanned affidavits filed by 219 legislators in November 2008 election. Nine other MLAs had filed incomplete affidavits while two seats were vacant.

Citing the data, the NGO urged all political parties in Madhya Pradesh not to give tickets to persons facing criminal charges for the November 25 assembly election in the state.

It analysed affidavits filed by 2,965 candidates who had contested assembly elections in November 2008 and found that criminal cases had been registered against 445 -- approximately 15 per cent of the nominees.

The Congress had 69 out of 216 nominees facing criminal charges, the BJP 48 out of 217 and the BSP 41 out of 207.

The ministers against whom criminal cases are registered include Kailash Vijaywargia, Babulal Gaur, Ajay Vishnoi and Uma Shankar Gupta, it said.