18 May,2009 08:47 AM IST | | Prawesh Lama
The fondness for criminals is on the rise among political parties. And the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), which is no different despite its tall claims of being a party with a difference tops the list.
Though the BJP has lost the poll battle, it has bagged the crown for having the maximum number of MPs with criminal background.
According to National Election Watch (NEW), as many as 150 newly elected MPs of the 15th Lok Sabha have criminal cases pending against them.
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It has maximum number of MPs having criminal cases with 42 MPs, of which 17 have serious criminal cases against them.
It is closely followed by the Congress with 41 MPs having criminal cases against them. Twelve Congress MPs have serious charges against them.
The party is closely followed by the winning Congressu00a0 with around 41 MPs having criminal cases, out of which 12 MPs have serious charges against them.
As compared to the previous Lok Sabha elections, the number of criminal MPs in this election has increased to over 17.2 per cent.
In the 2004 elections there were 128 MPs with criminal records. However, this time we have as many as 150 newly elected MPs of the 15th Lok Sabha with criminal cases pending against them.
Crorepati netas
The number of crore-patis in the 15th Lok Sabha has nearly doubled as compared to the 2004 data.
In the 2004 elections, the number of crore-patis was just 154, however, this time the number is 300.
Fact file
Uttar Pradesh has the maximum number of MPs with criminal backgrounds. 31 MPs from the state have criminal cases against them, out of which 22 are involved in serious crimes.
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Uttar Pradesh is closely followed by Maharashtra which has 23 MPs withu00a0 criminal cases, out of which nine have been booked for serious offences.
