Why Do Voters Support Unethical and Corrupt Politicians? Voters won't support a candidate with criminal charges against them—or will they? No, not always. In India, one-third of the MPs chosen in 2014 had an active criminal prosecution against them. Author Milan Vaishnav discusses the attractiveness of a strongman who can "get things done," even if it involves breaking the law with Ros Taylor in his new book about the relationship between crime and democracy in India. He also wonders if some US voters have similar tendencies. You might think criminal records would prevent political candidates from doing well in the polls. Wajid khan describes But as evidenced by your research, this is only sometimes the case.

1. Why Do Voters Support
Unethical and Corrupt
Politicians?

2. Voters won't support a candidate with criminal charges
against them—or will they? No, not always. In India, one-
third of the MPs chosen in 2014 had an active criminal
prosecution against them. Author Milan Vaishnav
discusses the attractiveness of a strongman who can
"get things done," even if it involves breaking the law
with Ros Taylor in his new book about the relationship
between crime and democracy in India. He also wonders
if some US voters have similar tendencies.

3. You might think criminal records would prevent political
candidates from doing well in the polls. Wajid khan
describes But as evidenced by your research, this is only
sometimes the case.

4. ALMOST ONE-THIRD OF INDIA'S 2014 ELECTED MPS
HAD AT LEAST ONE ACTIVE CRIMINAL CASE. WHICH
CRIME(S) WERE THEY ACCUSED OF?
34 percent of the 543 MPs chosen in 2014 had an active
criminal case against them at the time of their election.
However, it is crucial to read this statistic with caution
because many of these cases include minor charges that
could be connected to a politician's day job or election-
related maneuvers. Numerous cases involve libel,
unauthorized assembly, or disrespecting public officials.

5. However, even if we disregard these incidents as trivial
or politically motivated, 21% of MPs dealt with
significant incidents. These cases involve accusations
that, if proven true, would result in harsh prison
sentences. Here, we're referring to alleged attempted
murder, physical harm to government employees, or
theft.
Three of the top five offenses that parliamentary
candidates are accused of the most frequently (based
on statistics from the last three national election cycles)
are crimes against the "human body." The seriousness of

6. re These Allegations Common Knowledge Among Voters?
According to conventional opinion in the larger field of
political economy, voter ignorance is a significant reason
why dishonest or corrupt candidates win elections.
fter all, in contemporary India, poverty and illiteracy are
still pervasive. India has a thriving media, but its
distribution still needs to grow, particularly in remote or
ural areas. Since 2003, candidates must publicly declare
their criminal histories, financial situation, and
educational background. One could counter that most
people need easy access to this information. Despite the

7. Why Do They Choose To Ignore Them?
The fundamental claim I make in the book is that voters
support candidates with criminal histories for tactical
reasons. Politicians can utilize their crime as a signal of
their legitimacy when defending constituents' interests
in environments where two conditions—weak or
unevenly implemented the rule of law and highly salient
social divisions—are present.
To put it another way, when social unrest is rampant,
and the legitimacy of the state is low, many voters can
seek safety under the rule of a strongman who can make