The shadow of criminal allegations looms large over Bihar's newly elected assembly, with more than half of the winning candidates declaring criminal cases against themselves according to a comprehensive analysis of election affidavits.
Alarming Statistics from Bihar Polls
A detailed report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Bihar Election Watch has revealed that 130 out of 243 winning candidates in the 2025 Bihar assembly elections have declared criminal cases in their sworn affidavits. Even more concerning, 102 candidates face serious criminal charges, indicating a persistent problem in the state's political landscape.
The situation shows marginal improvement from the 2020 elections, where 123 candidates had declared serious criminal cases. However, the current numbers remain disturbingly high, raising questions about the quality of political representation in one of India's most crucial states.
Party-wise Breakdown of Criminal Cases
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which emerged as the single-largest party with 89 seats, leads this dubious tally with 54 of its winning candidates declaring criminal cases. Among these, 43 face serious criminal charges. The party also has the highest number of candidates with declared murder and attempt to murder cases.
The Janata Dal (United), with 85 winning candidates, follows with 31 candidates having criminal cases, including 23 with serious charges. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), despite winning only 25 seats, has 18 candidates with criminal cases, with 14 facing serious charges.
Other parties showing concerning numbers include the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), where 11 out of 19 winners have criminal cases, and the Congress party, where all 6 winning candidates have declared criminal backgrounds.
Shocking Details of Serious Crimes
The ADR report contains particularly alarming data about the nature of crimes faced by the elected representatives. Six winning candidates have declared that they face charges related to murder under IPC Section 302, while nine candidates face attempt to murder charges.
Additionally, several candidates have declared cases related to crimes against women, though the exact numbers vary across political parties. The persistence of such serious allegations among elected officials continues to be a major concern for democratic accountability and public safety.
The complete breakdown shows that criminalization of politics remains a significant challenge in Bihar, despite various judicial interventions and public awareness campaigns about the importance of clean candidates.
Election Results and Political Implications
The ruling NDA coalition secured a commanding position with 202 seats out of 243, achieving a three-fourths majority in the state assembly. This marks the second time the NDA has crossed the 200-mark in Bihar assembly polls, previously achieving this feat in the 2010 elections with 206 seats.
The BJP led the victory march with 89 seats, followed closely by JD(U) with 85 seats. Other NDA allies including Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) with 19 seats, Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) with 5 seats, and Rashtriya Lok Morcha with 4 seats contributed to the massive majority.
The opposition Mahagathbandhan, comprising RJD with 25 seats, Communist parties with 3 seats, and other smaller parties, suffered significant setbacks. Jan Suraaj, which had anticipated an impressive debut after an extensive campaign by founder Prashant Kishor, failed to win any seats.
As Bihar prepares for the new government formation, the high incidence of criminal cases among elected representatives raises important questions about governance quality and the selection criteria for political candidates across party lines.
