It has long been a matter of common perception in India that the declining moral calibre of politicians has been accompanied by the rising clout of criminals. The connection between them was noted two decades ago by the then union home secretary, NN Vohra, who said in a report that “the nexus between criminal gangs, police, bureaucracy and politicians” had led to a situation where the anti-social elements could carry on their “activities with impunity”.

As is known, politicians used the musclepower of crooks in the earlier years to win elections by intimidating voters. Then, the mafia dons realised that instead of helping others to win, they could enter the legislatures themselves. This choice of destination has led to a situation where 162 of the present-day 543 MPs and 1,258 of the 4,032 MLAs, face serious criminal charges. The numbers are much higher, nearly 30 percent, if the non-serious charges are taken into account.