Criminalization of Indian Politics, reason, effect and analyzing action taken by State

Indian politics is widely connected with candidates who have criminal charges on them. According to the Association of democratic reforms, 43% of newly elected Lok Sabha MPs have criminal records. BJP has 116 MPs winning candidate who faces criminal charges against them and Congress consists of 29 MPs. Criminal charges include includes Money laundering, robbery, crime against women, corruption, electoral malpractice, use of muscle power, caste, religion and violence. Four union ministers and 35 ministers of state assemblies have declared criminal charges of dacoity, Murder and cause of serious injuries.

The criminalization of politics can be attributed to various factors such as money power, muscle power, caste, religious factors, weak party structure, and lack of awareness among voters. Indian legal system faces challenges in delivering justice on time, which leads to an increase in criminal charges. This allows politicians to contest elections with pending criminal charges and hold public offices till they are not convicted.

A significant section of voters particularly women in rural India due to the digital divide lacks information such as newspapers, television and digital media. This leads to a lack of awareness among voters about criminal charges against the candidate and makes them unintentionally vote against their self-interest. Indian society is very diverse and deeply separated based on caste and religious identities. Candidates exploit voters based on their identities and promise special treatment and promise to fulfil their benefit. Identity politics overshoes the importance of their criminal records in the eyes of voters.

Using money and muscle power during an election narrows down the voter's choice to elect a suitable leader and violates the ethos of free and fair elections which is considered as the bedrock of democracy. When lawbreakers become lawmakers it affects governance, increases lack of transparency and affects the efficacy of the democratic process in the country.  A corrupt system leads to an increase in the circulation of Black money and increases corruption in society, affecting the functioning of the bureaucracy. Communal politics introduces a culture of communalism and violence in society which affects social harmony and set bad examples for youths to follow and reduces people's belief in democratic values. Huge investment in the election by the candidate is the major cause of increasing corruption in India, criminal activities help in generating the money which is used in elections.

For the prevention of the criminalization of politics, the election commission of India has mandated the disclosure of criminal records of candidates contesting the election before the nomination. Under Section 8(1) of the Representation of People's Act, a candidate who has been convicted or sentenced for 2 years or more will be disqualified from the contesting elections. The government have established a fast-track court for fast trials of criminal cases against politicians.

ECI has also launched a flagship program “Systematic Voter's Education and electoral participation (SVEEP) "to educate, inform and motivate voters to take decisions and participate in elections to make Indian democracy transparent and meaningful. Any concerned citizen of India can file a public interest litigation and gather information about the candidate and expenditure of a particular political party on election campaigns.

The criminalization of politics is a problem which poses a threat to the democratic process and weakens democracy. It is a very complex issue which needs a multi-dimensional approach to solve for example candidates with charges of heinous crimes should be barred from contesting the elections, the state should start funding the election campaign to reduce the use of black money and macule power and create a level playing field for every candidate. The focus of the election campaign should be based on people's problems rather than caste and religion and Democratic values should be maintained within the party lines.