Bengal election: 58% of newly elected MLAs face serious criminal cases, shows study

Around 58% of the newly elected MLAs in West Bengal have declared serious criminal cases against themselves, the non-governmental organisation Association for Democratic Reforms said in a study on Tuesday.

In the Assembly election results declared on Monday, the Bharatiya Janata Party defeated the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress in the, ending its 15-year rule in the state. The Hindutva party won 207 seats in the 294-member Assembly.

The study found that 170 legislators had declared serious criminal cases, up from 113 in 2021.

Overall, 190 MLAs, or 65% of those analysed, declared criminal cases, compared with 49% in the previous Assembly.

The organisation defines serious criminal offences as those carrying a maximum punishment of five years or more, non-bailable offences, or cases involving loss to the public exchequer. This category includes offences such as assault, murder, kidnapping, rape, crimes against women and offences mentioned in the Representation of the People Act. It also includes offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The study said that 14 winning candidates had declared cases related to murder, while 54 faced charges of attempted murder. Sixty-three winning candidates declared cases related to crimes against women, including two candidates who disclosed rape charges.

The organisation analysed the affidavits of 292 out of 293 winning candidates in the 2026 Assembly elections.

The state Assembly...

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