A latest survey by the Association for Democratic Reforms reveals that 14 criminals and 50 crorepatis will be contesting the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.
The survey states that 59 candidates will be contesting elections to the Upper House this year.
Out of the 14 Rajya Sabha candidates who have declared criminal cases against them, two have serious charges including those of murder, kidnapping and crime against women.
Shiv Sena candidate Dhoot Rajkumar Nandlal from Maharashtra has declared charges of murder, kidnapping and crime against women.
Three (21 per cent) out of 14 candidates fielded by the Congress have declared criminal cases against them while four (36 per cent) out of the 11 candidates from BJP, two (50 per cent) out of four candidates from AIADMK and one candidate each from Janata Dal-United, Communist Party of India-Marxist, Biju Janata Dal, Republican Party of India (Athwale) and Shiv Sena have declared criminal cases in their affidavits.
Meanwhile, out of the 58 candidates whose self-sworn information in their affidavits have been analysed, 50 (86 per cent) are crorepatis.
The average asset of 58 candidates contesting in the Rajya Sabha elections is Rs 44.74 crores.
Among the national parties, the average asset per candidate for Congress is Rs. 42.32 crores, BJP candidates have average assets worth Rs.85.36 crores, Rs.23.02 crores for the Nationalist Congress Party candidates and Rs 21.99 lakhs for the CPM candidates, the report shows.
Also, six independent candidates have average assets of Rs.110.68 crores.
Among the 21 re-contesting candidates whose self-sworn information in their affidavits have been analysed, highest growth in assets was shown by T Subbarami Reddy of the Congress with an increase of Rs. 164.19 crores in six years years followed by Independent Adala Prabhakar Reddy from Andhra Pradesh with an increase in assets of Rs. 67.17 crores in five years.
Ravindra Kishore Sinha of BJP from Bihar has declared highest assets worth Rs.857.11 crores followed by Kakde Sanjay Dattatraya, an independent candidate, from Maharashtra with declared assets worth Rs.425.65 crores and Subbarami Reddy of Congress from Andhra Pradesh with declared assets worth Rs 422.44 crores.
Independent candidate Nathwani Parimal from Jharkhand has declared the highest income of Rs 16.01 crores in the last income tax returns filed for the financial year 2013-2014 followed by Mithun Chakraborty of Trinamool Congress from West Bengal with total income of Rs 10.30 crores and T Subbarami Reddy of Congress from Andhra with declared income of Rs 5.55 crores in his ITR.
