Of the 863 candidates contesting in the upcoming Assam Assembly elections, 324, or 38% of them, have declared criminal cases against themselves, the non-governmental organisation Association for Democratic Reforms has said in a report.

In the 2021 Assembly elections, 355 of 928 candidates, or 38%, had reported similar cases.

A total of 201 candidates, or 23%, have declared serious criminal cases against themselves this time, as compared to 18%, in 2021.

Among the major parties, the highest proportion of candidates with declared criminal cases is from the Congress, with 72 of 85 candidates, or 85%. This is followed by the Indian Union Muslim League, with 21 of 25 candidates, or 84%, and the Communist Party of India (Marxist), with 51 of 77 candidates, or 66%.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has fielded 59 of 93 candidates, or 63%, with declared criminal cases, while the Communist Party of India has 13 of 24 candidates, or 54%.

Five of 12 candidates, or 42%, from Kerala Congress (Mani) and six of eight candidates, or 75%, from Kerala Congress have declared such cases.

One candidate each from the Nationalist Congress Party, Kerala Congress (B) and Kerala Congress (Jacob) has declared criminal cases.

Among serious criminal cases, the Congress has the highest share, with 60 of 85 candidates, or 71%, followed by the Bharatiya Janata Party with 39 of 93 candidates, or 42%. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has 21 of 77 candidates, or 27%, and the Indian Union Muslim League has 13 of 25 candidates, or 52%.

The Communist Party of India has two of 24 candidates, or 8%, with serious criminal cases, while Kerala Congress (Mani) has two of 12 candidates, or 17%, and Kerala Congress has four of eight candidates, or 50%. One candidate from the Nationalist Congress Party has also declared as serious criminal case.

The sole candidates from Kerala Congress (B) and Kerala Congress (Jacob) have declared serious criminal cases.

Fifteen candidates have declared cases related to crimes against women. Of these, one candidate has declared a case related to a section pertaining to repeated rape on the same woman.

Four candidates have declared cases related to murder, while thirteen candidates have declared cases related to attempt to murder.

The data suggests that directions issued by the Supreme Court in February 2020 have had a limited impact on candidate selection, the Association for Democratic Reforms said in its report.

The court had asked political parties to publicly justify why candidates with criminal backgrounds were chosen over those without such records.

“During the recent two state Assembly elections held in 2025, it was observed that political parties gave unfounded and baseless reasons like popularity of the person, does good social work, cases are politically motivated.” the organisation said. “These are not sound and cogent reasons for fielding candidates with tainted backgrounds.”

It added: “This data clearly shows that political parties have no interest in reforming the electoral system and our democracy will continue to suffer at the hands of lawbreakers who become lawmakers.”

Increase in candidates with assets over Rs 1 crore

As many as 39% of candidates contesting the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections have declared assets worth more than Rs 1 crore, said the report.

Of the 863 candidates analysed, 339 fall in this category. In 2021, 249 of 928 candidates, or 27%, had declared assets exceeding Rs 1 crore.

Among major parties, the highest share is from Kerala Congress, where all eight candidates have declared assets above Rs 1 crore. This is followed by Kerala Congress (Mani) at 92% and the Indian Union Muslim League at 84%.

The Congress has 61 of 85 candidates, or 72%, in this category, while the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has 52 of 77 candidates, or 68%. The Bharatiya Janata Party has 52 of 93 candidates, or 56%, and the Communist Party of India has 12 of 24 candidates, or 50%.

Two of three candidates from the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) have declared assets worth more than Rs 1 crore. The sole candidates from Kerala Congress (B) and Kerala Congress (Jacob) have also declared assets in this range.

The average assets per candidate in the 2026 elections are Rs 2.78 crore, up from Rs 1.69 crore in 2021.