With the final phase of the 7-part Lok Sabha elections in 2024 approaching, the fate of over eight thousand candidates vying for 543 seats hangs in the balance. India Today’s Data Intelligence Unit has analyzed the profiles and trends of candidates from past general elections, revealing significant shifts in the composition of those running for office.
Data from the non-profit Association For Democratic Reforms indicates a marked increase in the wealth of candidates, with one in three now classified as a crorepati. Concurrently, there has been a rise in the number of candidates with criminal records, with one in five declaring criminal cases against them. However, a positive trend is the incremental rise in women’s participation, which has slightly improved over the past four elections.
Breaking the Glass Ceiling:
Women’s participation in the Lok Sabha polls has steadily increased by one percent with each election. Nearly 800 women are contesting in the 2024 elections, constituting almost ten percent of the candidates. This is a slight increase from the nine percent in 2019, and the eight and seven percent in 2014 and 2009, respectively. This year, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded 69 women candidates, more than in 2019, whereas Congress has nominated 41 women candidates, down from 54 in 2019. The Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Janata Dal have both fielded over 20 percent women candidates, a significant increase from 2019.
Rising Influence of Muscle Power:
The influence of muscle power in politics is evident in the rising number of candidates with criminal cases from 2009 to 2024. The percentage of candidates with criminal cases has increased from 15 percent in 2009 to 20 percent in 2024. Candidates accused of serious crimes, including murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, rape, and crimes against women, have also risen from eight percent in 2009 to 14 percent in 2024.
The number of constituencies with three or more candidates having criminal cases, termed “Red Constituencies” by the ADR, has also grown. In 2009, about 36 percent of constituencies were classified as red, which has increased to nearly 53 percent in 2024. This means that in 2024, every second constituency has three or more candidates with criminal cases.
Party-wise data reveals that both Congress and BJP have given tickets to over 40 percent of tainted candidates in 2024, up from 27 percent in 2009. The proportion of candidates declaring serious cases has doubled between 2009 and 2024.
Increase in Wealthy Candidates:
The percentage of crorepati candidates has almost doubled in the last 15 years. In 2009, only 16 percent of the candidates were crorepatis, which increased to 27 percent in 2014, and further to 31 percent in 2024. Candidates with assets worth Rs 5 crore and above have also increased from 11 percent in 2019 to 12.4 percent in 2024.
The BJP fielded the highest number of crorepati candidates in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, with 403 out of its 440 candidates. The percentage of BJP candidates with assets over Rs 1 crore has risen sharply from 41.8 percent in 2009 to 91.6 percent in 2024. Similarly, Congress has seen an increase in crorepati candidates from 63 percent in 2009 to 89 percent in 2024.
Average Assets of Candidates Tripled:
The average assets of candidates have seen a staggering 463 percent increase from Rs 1.1 crore in 2009 to Rs 6.23 crore in 2024. For the BJP, the average asset of a candidate was Rs 13.4 crore in 2019, which has surged seventeen times to Rs 41.3 crore in 2024. In contrast, Congress candidates’ average assets grew from Rs 19.9 crore in 2019 to Rs 24.7 crore in 2024.
This analysis highlights the changing dynamics of Indian general elections, marked by increasing wealth among candidates, a rise in criminal backgrounds, and a gradual improvement in women’s participation.
