'Criminal charges against 9 percent MCD poll nominees'

New Delhi, April 10 (IANS) Tweenty-three percent of the candidates in the April 15 municipal elections here are millionaires while nearly nine percent have criminal charges against them, think tank National Election Watch said Tuesday.

Of the 2,400 affidavits filed by the candidates for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi poll, the think tank has analysed 1,485.

Jai Singh from the Bahujan Samaj Party has the most number of five criminal cases against him.

"Out of the 1,485 candidates analysed, 139 (nine percent) have criminal cases against them. The BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) fielded 39 (out of 211) candidates with criminal charges, while the Congress has 28 (nominees with criminal charges) out of 207 candidates," said Anil Bairwal, national coordinator of think tank Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

The ADR and the National Election Watch brought out the findings together.

Of the 139 candidates with declared criminal cases, 43 have declared serious criminal cases such as murder, kidnapping, robbery and extortion, they said.

"A total of 342 candidates, out of the 1,485 analysed were crorepatis (millionaires)," Bairwal added.

Satvinder Kaur Sirsa, a BJP candidate from Punjabi Bagh ward, declared assets of Rs.112 crore. Sirsa was followed by Karuna Bhalla of the BJP with assets of Rs.50.63 crore.

Close to 10 million voters are eligible to cast their ballots for the polls in 272 wards.