PNS|Hyderabad
Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have emerged as the top states with the highest proportion of sitting women MPs and MLAs with criminal backgrounds, according to a recent analysis of 512 women legislators across the country.
Of the 12 women representatives from Telangana, eight (67%) have declared criminal cases, and five (42%) have declared serious criminal cases, making the state one of the worst performers on this front.
Andhra Pradesh follows closely, with 14 (58%) of its 24 women legislators facing criminal charges and nine (38%) involved in serious criminal cases.
This trend is reflected in the national picture as well, where out of 512 sitting women MPs and MLAs, 143 (28%) have criminal cases and 78 (15%) face serious charges such as attempt to murder and even murder.
As per the ADR report, among political parties, the TDP and AAP have the highest percentages of women MPs and MLAs with criminal records, that is, 65% and 69% respectively. Serious charges are also alarmingly high in these parties, with 45% of TDP and 31% of AAP’s women legislators facing grave charges. Andhra Pradesh also leads with the highest average assets for women MPs/MLAs at Rs 74.22 crore. Across the country, the average wealth per woman legislator is Rs 20.34 crore, and the total wealth of the 512 analysed comes to Rs 10,417 crore. Notably, 17 women MPs/MLAs are billionaires.
Out of the total 512 women MPs/MLAs, 71% are graduates or above, 24% have studied between Class V and XII, and only 12 are diploma holders. Youth representation (25 to 40 years) is at 22% among women, a much better figure compared to just 10% among male legislators.
