As Kerala enters the final stretch of the 2026 assembly polls, the recently released ADR report highlights that 38 per cent of candidates contesting the elections have declared criminal cases.
Affidavits of 863 candidates contesting the April 9 elections were analysed in the report. Among the total, 324 candidates have criminal cases, including 201 facing serious charges.
In comparison, during the 2021 elections, 355 out of 928 candidates had criminal cases, with 167 involving serious offences.
The Congress-led UDF has the highest density of candidates with criminal backgrounds, led by 72 INC nominees and 21 IUML candidates. Meanwhile, the LDF and NDA are not far behind, with the CPI(M) and BJP fielding 51 and 59 such candidates, respectively.
Regarding serious charges, 60 Congress candidates lead the list, followed by 39 from the BJP, 21 from CPM, 13 from IUML, and two from CPI.
The report also highlights that 15 candidates are facing cases including sexual harassment, trespassing, and repeated rape. Four candidates have declared murder charges, while 13 face charges of attempted murder.
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State health minister Veena George (Aranmula), BJP senior leader Sobha Surendran (Palakkad), Congress's Mathew Kuzhalnadan (Muvattupuzha), Advocate M. Vincent (Kovalam), BJP candidate P.C. George (Poonjar), and CPI(M)'s T. I. Madhusoodanan (Payyannur) are in the list.
It further notes that Supreme Court guidelines appear to have had only a limited effect on candidate selection, as many nominees still have criminal backgrounds.
