Telangana: 80 newly-elected MLAs have criminal cases against them

Hyderabad, Dec 4 (IANS) As many as 80 newly-elected MLAs in Telangana have criminal cases against them, including 16 legislators who have cases pertaining to Telangana agitation and violation of Model Code of Conduct.

According to the Forum for Good Governance, an NGO, in the outgoing Assembly, 65 MLAs had criminal cases against them. The number has now increased to 80.

Fifty out of the 64 newly-elected MLAs of Congress have cases against them, which comes to 78 per cent of ruling party MLAs.

The NGO said that 19 out of 39 MLAs of BRS (48 per cent) have cases against them. The percentage is highest at 87 per cent for the BJP as seven of its eight MLAs have criminal cases against them.

Four of the seven MLAs of MIM (57 per cent) also have cases against them.

The NGO said it appears that election after election, the number of MLAs having criminal cases is increasing.

“Inspite of the Supreme Court direction that political parties should not give tickets to persons with criminal antecedents, the parties are taking winnability as the criteria,” said M. Padmanabha Reddy, President, Forum for Good Governance.

Last month, the NGO had analysed the criminal antecedents of the candidates and found that 226 nominees belonging to four major political parties have criminal cases against them.

A committee had analysed the affidavits filed by the candidates and prepared a report.

Out of the 118 candidates of the Congress, 84 had criminal cases against them.

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) chief A. Revanth Reddy tops the list with 89 cases. Vedma Bhojju from Khanapur (ST) constituency has 52 cases, while Kokkirala Premsagar Rao from Mancherial has 32 cases against him. All these candidates have been elected.

There are 89 cases against BJP MLA T. Raja Singh, who has been re-elected from Goshamahal. He is notorious for delivering hate speeches and has been booked many times for hurting religious sentiments of other communities.

BRS leader Gangula Kamalakar, who has been re-elected from Karimnagar, has 10 cases. There are nine cases against outgoing Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, who has been re-elected from Gajwel.

BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao, who has been re-elected from Siricilla, has eight cases against him.

MIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi has six cases against him, while three others have one case each against them.