Half of the total 38 contesting candidates, who’ll be trying their luck in 2014 lok Sabha polls in Himachal Pradesh, have not even reached college. Nineteen out of total 38 candidates have education up to Class XII, which includes two illiterate candidates, four who have studied up to the primary level, while nine of them have completed their matric, and just four surpassed the senior secondary level.
Among the rest, four are graduates, and another four are the graduate professionals. Six have done the postgraduate, while two of them have done their doctorate. If the data regarding candidate’s education level, collected and analysed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR)-National Election Watch, was not enough, the analysis of their criminal background indicated that the candidates have criminal cases also.
Sixteen per cent of the total candidates, that is six, are facing “serious” criminal charges against them including criminal intimidation, forgery, among others. Among these, Hamirpur MP and the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJP’s youth wing) president Anurag Thakur is topping the list who is facing four “serious” charges under Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Thakur, son of former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, is facing 10 cases with four serious charges against him — including two related to cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property (Section 420), one related to voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty (Section 332), and one related to criminal breach of trust (Section 406).
CPI(M)’s candidate from Shimla constituency, Jagat Ram, is facing four cases including the charges of criminal intimidation (Section 506), and one related to voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty (Section 332).