Major political parties, including the BJP, Congress and AAP, failed to comply with the mandatory Format C7 disclosures explaining the selection of 191 candidates with criminal backgrounds in the 2026 Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry, according to an analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).
The report analysed Form C7 disclosures of 3,539 candidates from 51 major political parties across the five elections. Of the 1,405 candidates who declared criminal cases in their affidavits, parties provided Form C7 disclosures for only 1,214 candidates. Reasons for the remaining 191 candidates were either not published or not available.
In Puducherry, the BJP, AIADMK, Pattali Makkal Katchi and TVK did not provide Form C7 disclosures for any candidate with criminal cases. In West Bengal, the Indian Secular Front failed to disclose details for all 18 such candidates, while Tamil Nadu’s Tamizhaga Vaazhvurimai Katchi did not furnish details for 28 of its 54 candidates with criminal cases.
Form C7, mandated by the Supreme Court, requires political parties to disclose the reasons for selecting candidates with pending criminal cases and explain why alternatives without criminal backgrounds were not chosen.
Even where disclosures were made, political parties largely relied on a common set of justifications for selecting candidates facing criminal charges. Across States, parties frequently described such candidates as popular social workers, grassroots leaders, experienced politicians, or individuals with strong public support and reputations in their constituencies.
