Patna:
As all eyes are set on Bihar to see the outcome of the Assembly polls in the state, it is not very surprising to find that a large number of candidates have criminal records. An NGO's survey clearly refutes the claims made by the 'clean' politicians.
''I can say this with pride that the RJD has not given tickets to people with criminal background," says Lalu Prasad Yadav in his trademark style.
However, NGO Election Watch reveals that 33 of the RJD's 118 candidates declared so far have criminal backgrounds. Charges against some of them include murder and attempt to murder.
Ironically, the BJP-JD(U) combine which parades a 'crime free state' agenda at every available opportunity has fared better than the RJD.
Not only has it given tickets to 31 candidates with criminal backgrounds, it has also given tickets to proxy candidates of hardened criminals convicted by courts.
Munna Shukla, JD(U) MLA from Lalganj, was sentenced to life last year for the murder of a Bihar Minister in 1998. So the party has given a ticket to his wife Annu Shukla from the same constituency.
Even the Congress and the LJP, the two other big players in this election, are not far behind. Congress has so far fielded nine candidates with criminal backgrounds and there are 13 from the LJP.
''Look, political parties have their own compulsions. We are not supposed to be pious at the end of the day, are we?" says Shivanand Tiwari.
And that statement by the JD(U) National Spokesperson pretty much confirms our belief.