In UP Polls Phase 3, This Statistic Is Same For BJP, Samajwadi Party

Serious crimes also include cases like kidnapping, murder, crimes against women, corruption, and electoral offences.

The Samajwadi Party and the BJP have fielded almost equal percentages of candidates with "serious criminal cases" against them for the third phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, according to a report.

While 21 of the 55 candidates (36.20 per cent) of the SP have declared serious criminal cases, the number of BJP contestants stood at 20 out of 55 (36.36 per cent), the UP Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) report found.

Overall, 103 (17 per cent) candidates out of the 627 in the fray for the third phase of the assembly elections have declared serious criminal cases in which maximum punishment is five years or more and offences are non-bailable, according to the report.

Among other major political parties, 18 or (31 per cent) of the 59 BSP candidates, 10 (18 per cent) of the 56 Congress candidates and 11 (22 per cent) of the 49 AAP candidates have declared serious criminal cases in their affidavits, it noted.