NEW DELHI: Money power is ruling the municipal polls in Delhi as a report has found that total 697 or 30 per cent of the 2,315 candidates in the Delhi municipal election are crorepatis.
The National Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) have analysed the affidavits of 2,315 out of the total 2,537 candidates from 18 political parties who are contesting the MCD polls.
The report has also said that seven per cent of the total candidates have criminal cases against them.
Congress is ahead among all the major political parties as 163 or 64 per cent of the 256 candidates fielded by the Congress are crorepatis. The saffron party which has fielded all new candidates this time to counter the two-term of anti-incumbency has 141 (54 per cent) crorepatis of the 260 nominees. Similarly, AAP has 104 (42 per cent) crorepatis out of 250 candidates.
Besides, nine candidates (24 per cent) of the 38 from the NCP are crorepatis, while 41 nominees (22 per cent) of the 191 from the BSP and 1 (8 per cent) out of 12 candidates of the CPI have declared assets worth more than Rs 1 crore.
As per the report, the average assets per candidate contesting in MCD polls is Rs 1.61 crore. Political partywise, the average assets per candidate for the BJP is Rs 2.89 crore, Congress Rs 4.36 crore, AAP Rs 1.65 crore, BSP Rs 89.59 lakh and the NCP Rs 92.38 lakh.
The report said that of the 2,315 candidates analysed, 173 (7 per cent) have declared criminal cases against themselves, while 116 (5 per cent) have serious criminal registered against themselves.
26 candidates from the BJP, 35 from the Congress, 21 from the AAP, 13 from the BSP, 3 from the NCP, 1 from the CPI (M) and 1 from the CPI have declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits. As per the report, 13 from the BJP, 22 from the Congress, 15 from AAP, 10 from the BSP, 2 from NCP have serious criminal cases against them.
Triangular political fight among BJP, Congress and AAP is expected in this municipal polls scheduled for April 23.