The Bihar elections second phase shows 43% of the candidates are crorepatis. This highlights how wealth continues to shape politics in the state. Out of 1,302 candidates, 1,297 affidavits were analyzed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Bihar Election Watch.
About 32% of the candidates face criminal cases, and 26% have serious ones like murder or attempted murder. A total of 193 candidates are charged with murder, 79 with attempted murder, and 52 with crimes against women. Three of them face rape charges.
Nearly half of the candidates, 48%, are graduates or have higher education. In this phase, 122 constituencies across 20 districts are going to the polls, and 10% (133) of the candidates are women.
The majority of candidates are aged between 25 and 60 years. 34% are in the 25–40 group, and 52% are between 41–60. The number of crorepati candidates in Bihar elections continues to rise, showing the strong link between money and politics.
