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).

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.

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.

​Lost and found: On the 2026 Assembly elections

The analysis covered 8,848 contesting candidates across the five elections.

Party-wise split

The BJP did not provide details for eight out of 302 candidates with criminal cases, while the Congress failed to do so for 13 out of 202 contestants. In contrast, the Trinamool Congress furnished details for all 116 candidates — 113 in West Bengal and three in Assam.

The Vijay-led TVK did not disclose details for 29 out of 103 candidates in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, while the DMK failed to disclose details for 22 out of 78 candidates.

State metrics

Puducherry recorded the poorest compliance level. Only 12 of the 39 candidates with criminal cases disclosed their details.

In Tamil Nadu, 72 candidates failed to provide details, accounting for 15% of candidates with criminal cases. In West Bengal, reasons were unavailable for 55 candidates, while Kerala and Assam recorded 27 and 10 such candidates respectively.

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.

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.