67 newly elected lawmakers in Odisha Assembly facing criminal charges: Report

Nearly half of the newly elected lawmakers in the Odisha Assembly have criminal charges against them, an 11 percent rise as compared to 2014, according to a report.

In the last election, 52 lawmakers, constituting 35 percent of the total Assembly members, were found to have declared criminal cases against them, said the joint report prepared by Odisha Election Watch (OEW) and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

Ranjan Kumar Mohanty, the state convener of Odisha Election Watch, said 67 legislators in the new House are facing criminal cases as mentioned in their affidavits, 49 of them having serious charges against them, such as kidnapping, murder and attempt-to-murder.

"In the 2014 polls, 52 lawmakers (35 per cent) of the total legislators were found to have been facing criminal cases. This time it is 67 (46 per cent)," he added.

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The report maintained said that the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD has more number of newly elected lawamakers with criminal cases.

At least 46 of 112 BJD lawmakers elected during the just-concluded elections have mentioned criminal cases in the affidavits, 33 of them declaring serious criminal charges.

In the BJP, 14 of the 33 elected legislators have criminal cases, 10 of them encountering serious charges.

Similarly, the affidavits of the newly elected Congress lawmakers show that six of the nine elected to the Assembly have criminal charges against them, the report added. Simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections were held in Odisha last month in four phases. Polling in Patkura Assembly seat was countermanded following the death of a candidate.

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