The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) is a non-partisan, apolitical non-profit organization (NGO) based in India, dedicated to electoral and political reforms for over 25 years.
The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) was established in 1999 by a group of professors from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad. Its founders include Trilochan Sastry, Jagdeep S. Chhokar, Ajit Ranade, and others.
Its vision is "A vibrant Indian democracy built on empowered citizens, free and fair elections, electoral reforms, and accountable political parties."
In 1999, Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed by them with Delhi High Court asking for [or requesting] the disclosure of the criminal, financial and educational background of the candidates contesting elections.
Based on this, the Supreme Court in 2002, and subsequently in 2003, made it mandatory for all candidates contesting elections to disclose criminal, financial and educational background prior to the polls by filing an affidavit with the Election Commission.
Despite the changes, the political landscape remains bleak. Between 2009 and 2024, there was a 124% rise in MPs with declared serious criminal cases and a staggering 650% increase in MPs with declared cases of crimes against women. In the 2024 Lok Sabha Election, candidates with declared criminal cases had a 15.3% chance of winning, compared to just 4.4% for candidates with clean backgrounds.
Election Watch is the flagship program of ADR. Since 2002, National Election Watch (NEW) and ADR have been conducting Election Watches across the country. As part of this program, affidavits of candidates contesting elections are minutely examined and citizens are provided with information about their background details to help them make an informed choice.
The Election Watch has so far collated data of over 1,82,108 candidates which can be accessed from www.myneta.info.
Donation to ADR is exempt under 80G(5) of the I.T. Act,1961 vide order DIN AAAAA2503PF2021101 dated 04-07-2024 valid till 31-03-2026 i.e. AY 2026-27.