Delhi elections 2020: Fewer aspiring MLAs have gone to college

NEW DELHI: The candidates fielded by the three major political parties for the February 8 polls may be richer in terms of wealth compared with the 2015 assembly elections, but they are certainly poorer when it comes to education. In 2015, as many as 48 of the 70 candidates fielded by AAP had a graduation degree or higher. This time, the number of such candidates has come down to 39.Also, 31 AAP candidates were graduates and 17 had a Master’s degree in the previous election. This time, there are 20 graduate candidates and 19 post-graduates.
Similarly, the number of BJP candidates who are graduates or have a higher qualification has come down from 47 to 39. In 2015, there were 28 graduates among BJP candidates, apart from 14 who had a post-graduation degree. Five were PhD holders. This time, there are 27 graduates and 12 Master’s degree holders among the candidates fielded by BJP and its allies LJP and JD(U).
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Congress, however, has bucked the trend. The number of its candidates and those of its ally, Rashtriya Janata Dal, who are graduates or higher, is 45 against 39 in 2015. They include 26 graduates, 19 with a Master’s degree and four PhD holders. In 2015, Congress had fielded 28 graduates, nine PG degree holders and two who had PhD.



On the other hand, the number of AAP candidates who have studied up to Class X or less has gone up from eight to 12. The number of XIIth pass candidates has gone up from 13 to 19. In case of BJP, the number of candidates who have studied up to Class Xth or less has gone down from 18 in 2015 to 11. But number of Class XIIth pass candidates has gone up from four to 18. In case of Congress, the number has gone down from 20 to nine in the former case and is up from 11 to 15 in the latter.
The information provided by candidates in their affidavits throws up some interesting facts. Humanities appears to be the stream of choice for most hopefuls. As many as 45 have a Bachelor of Arts degree. While most have opted for a “Pass” course, those who have done “Honours” have largely gone for political science.
Commerce is the second most preferred stream with 13 candidates having a Bachelor of Commerce degree, followed by just six candidates who are science graduates and have done BSc. Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and AAP chief spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj have engineering backgrounds.
Law is another favourite subject. There are seven who have done Bachelor of Law (LLB) and four Master of Law (LLM). Nine candidates pursued graduation or post-graduation in different streams, but later went on to earn an LLB degree too. Among those who have a Master’s degree, most (20) have pursued humanities, followed by nine with a Master of Business Administration degree. Six candidates have completed MSc and three others MCom. Four PhD holders are in the fray this time compared with seven in 2015. There are also six doctors, including three with a Master of Surgery degree.
The title of the most qualified candidate may go to Naresh Kumar (58) of Congress. Kumar, an advocate by profession and contesting for the Mundka seat, completed his graduation and Master’s from Meerut University in 1987. In 1991, he did his LLB from Delhi University and later pursued PhD in sociology from Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, in 2003. Kumar also holds a diploma in pharmacy and a postgraduate diploma in journalism.
Interestingly, while the three richest candidates are not graduates and two are not even Class Xth pass, two of the poorest candidates have done Master’s.
AAP’s Dharampal Lakra, (61), the richest candidate with assets worth over Rs 292 crore, has trained as a diesel mechanic from ITI Pusa, Delhi. Pramila Tokas, AAP candidate from RK Puram is the second richest candidate with assets worth Rs 80.8 crore and has passed Class XII. The third richest candidate with assets worth Rs 80 crore is Class VII pass. On the other hand, Rocky Tuseed, the Congress candidate from Rajinder Nagar is the poorest with assets worth Rs 55,574 and has done Master’s. Rakhi Bidlan, AAP candidate from Mangolpuri, is the third poorest with assets worth Rs 76,421 and has done Master’s in mass communication.