Mumbai: A new report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has revealed that one-third of the candidates contesting the Maharashtra Assembly elections have criminal cases against them. Out of the 4,136 candidates in the fray, a total of 1,199 candidates face various criminal charges.

The report highlights that political parties fielding candidates with criminal records include some of the major players in the state. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has the highest proportion of candidates with criminal backgrounds, with 148 of its candidates—68 per cent—facing criminal charges. Similarly, the Shiv Sena (UBT) follows closely, with 66 per cent of its candidates involved in criminal cases. Other parties such as Congress, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) have 52 per cent and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP also has 59 per cent.

The data further reveals that 50 candidates are facing charges related to crimes against women. Disturbingly, six candidates are charged with murder, while 39 others face charges of attempted murder.

Crorepatis dominate the election race, Parag Shah tops as the wealthiest

Among the candidates, 829 candidates are declared as "crorepatis" (those with assets exceeding Rs 1 crore). Among them, Parag Shah, contesting from Ghatkopar East, stands out as the wealthiest candidate, with a net worth of Rs 3,383 crore. He is followed by Prashant Thakur from Panvel, with assets worth Rs 475 crore, and Mangal Prabhat Lodha from Malabar Hill, whose net worth is Rs 447 crore. All three are from the BJP.

If classified from a party perspective, the BJP again leads in terms of wealth, with 97 per cent of its candidates being crorepatis. The Uddhav faction of Shiv Sena is a close second, with 95 per cent of its candidates falling into the "crorepati" category.