A total of 163 (68 percent) out of the 241 winners in the Bihar Assembly polls have declared criminal cases against themselves in the poll affidavits, reported IANS. In phase one of the election alone, 73 percent of RJD candidates and 72 percent of BJP candidates had criminal charges against them.
However, this problem of alleged criminals leading a state isn’t there for Bihar alone
According to a TOI report from earlier this year, an analysis by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) shows that, in the past 15 years, there has been a steady rise in the country in the share of Members of Parliament with criminal cases against them.
Therefore, it is possible that the neta ji from your constituency - yes, the one you turn to for leadership and governance - could have just as easily been in jail.
(Kaafi Real is a series of cartoons on The Quint. You can check out all our other Kaafi Real cartoons here.)
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