Vijayawada: The YSRC has the third highest number of lawmakers who face cases related to crime against women. The YSRC has seven such elected representatives, according to election watchdog Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).
The BJP tops the list with 21 followed by the Congress with 16. The number of Lok Sabha members with cases related to crimes against wom-en has increased from two in 2009 to 19 in 2019, it also said.
Three MPs and four MLAs of the YSRC are facing such charges. The main AP Opposition party, the Telugu Desam, has one MLA facing such a charge. The ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) in Telangana state has one MP and three MLAs charged with committing crimes against women.
The ADR data is based on an analysis of the affidavits submitted by MPs and MLAs of political parties across the country.
ADR and National Election Watch have analysed 4,822 out of 4,896 election affidavits of current MPs and MLAs. It analysed 759 out of 776 affidavits of MPs, and 4063 out of 4120 affidavits of MLAs from all states and Union Territories in the last five years (2014- 2019).
ADR has considered various sections of the Indian Penal Code that cover crimes against women.
The YSRC had fielded nine candidates with declared cases of crime against women.
YSRC MP from Hindupur Kuruva Gorantla Madhav faces one charge of rape, two charges of criminal intimidation and another charge related to murder.
YSRC’s Rajahmundry MP Margani Bharath faces a charge of cruelty to his wife.
He was booked under the Dowry Prohibition Act and the Domestic Violence Act, 2005.
Then there is Viziana-garam MP Bellana Chan-drasekhar who is charged with assaulting or using criminal force against a woman with the intent of outraging her modesty.
YSRC’s Dharmavaraam MLA Kethireddy Venkat-rami Reddy is facing a charge of “word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman”.
YSRC’s Macharla MLA Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy, Tadipatri MLA Kethireddy Pedda Reddy and Thambalapalle MLA Peddireddy Dwarakanath Reddy face one charge each of assault or criminal force to woman with the intent to outrage her modesty
The Telugu Desam fielded three candidates char-ged with committing a crime against women in the just concluded elections, but only Chirala MLA Karanam Balaram won.
Mr Balaram faces one charge related to ‘word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman’.
The TRS fielded six candidates charged with cri-mes against women. Of them, Khammam MP Nama Nageswara Rao faces a charge of assault or criminal force to woman with the intent to outrage her modesty.
TRS supremo and Telan-gana state Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s nephew, minister T. Harish Rao, who represents Siddipet constituency, faces the same charge as Mr Nageshwar Rao. Mahbubabad MLA Banoth Shankar has been charged with assault or using criminal force against a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty, and Nal-gonda MLA Kancharla Bhupal Reddy faces two charges of the same nature.
Candidates with a criminal background should be barred from contesting elections.
