The number of constituencies with multiple candidates facing criminal cases has risen sharply in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, with 129 seats now classified as “red alert”, a 17 per cent increase from the previous polls, according to a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms.
The report, based on an analysis of 2,920 candidates, found that 683 candidates, or 23 per cent, have declared criminal cases against themselves, while 589 (20 per cent) face serious criminal charges.
“Red alert” constituencies are defined as seats where three or more contesting candidates have declared criminal cases. These now account for 129 of the 294 constituencies (44 per cent), up from 78 seats (27 per cent) in the 2021 Assembly elections.
Among major parties, the Bharatiya Janata Party has the highest proportion of candidates with declared criminal cases — 208 out of 293 (71 per cent). The Trinamool Congress has 112 such candidates (39 per cent), while the Indian National Congress has 76 (26 per cent) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has 94 (47 per cent).
In terms of serious criminal cases, 188 BJP candidates (64 per cent) have declared such charges, followed by 90 (31 per cent) from TMC, 78 (39 per cent) from CPI(M), and 63 (22 per cent) from Congress.
The report also noted that 192 candidates have declared cases related to crimes against women, including eight accused in rape-related cases. Additionally, 35 candidates have declared murder cases and 185 have cases of attempt to murder.
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Wealth and crorepati candidates rise
The analysis highlights a rise in wealthy candidates as well. A total of 629 candidates (22 per cent) have declared assets worth more than ₹1 crore, up from 18 per cent in 2021.
Among major parties, 72 per cent of TMC candidates are crorepatis, followed by 49 per cent of BJP candidates and 29 per cent each from Congress and CPI(M).
The average assets per candidate have also increased to ₹1.27 crore from ₹91.69 lakh in the previous Assembly elections. TMC candidates have the highest average assets at ₹5.39 crore, followed by BJP candidates at ₹2.91 crore.
Women remain underrepresented, with only 385 candidates (13 per cent) in the fray, a marginal rise from 11 per cent in 2021.
In terms of education, nearly half of the candidates (49 per cent) are graduates or above, while 46 per cent have qualifications between Class 5 and 12.
The age profile shows that 54 per cent of candidates are between 41 and 60 years, while 29 per cent fall in the 25–40 age group.
The findings underline persistent concerns over the criminalisation of politics and the growing influence of wealth in electoral contests in one of India’s most politically significant states.
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