All 119 MLAs in new Assembly are crorepathis, claims FGG

Hyderabad: Forum for Good Governance, president M Padmanabha Reddy on Monday said they have analysed the criminal antecedents and financial status of the newly elected MLAs. “In our analysis, we found 83 elected MLAs have cases against them. But all the cases are not related to crime. There are cases pertaining to Telangana agitation and some routine election code violations. Many cases pertaining to agitation are withdrawn, but still some cases where agitation caused damage to property, especially railway property is still remaining”, he said.

The final analysis is as follows: Number of MLAs having cases against them 80; MLAs having cases pertaining to Telangana agitation and code violation 64; MLAs having criminal cases 64. He said in the outgoing Assembly, 65 MLAs had cases against them. In the new Assembly 80 MLAs have cases. It appears election after election the number of MLAs having criminal cases in increasing. In spite of Supreme Court directions that political parties should not give tickets to persons with criminal antecedents, the political parties are taking winnability as criteria. He said 64 MLAs from Congress have 50 cases, 39 MLAs from BRS have 19 cases, 8 MLAs from BJP have seven cases and seven MLAs from MIM have four.

Padmanabha Reddy said in Telangana State purchasing the votes is rampant, depending upon the party and candidate the price of the vote ranges anything from Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 besides liquor and other gifts. “Elections in Telangana have become so costly that intelligentsia and ordinary middle class people cannot dare contesting the elections.

Forum for Good Governance analyzed the financial status of elected MLAs, party-wise details. Total MLAs are 119. MLAs with properties below Rs 50 crore are 90; MLAs with property of Rs 50 to 100 crore are 16; MLAs with property over Rs 100 crore are six.