Twenty-six per cent of the 167 candidates in the fray for the seventh phase of Lok Sabha elections in UP have criminal records.
This was disclosed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and UP Election Watch at a media conference here on Thursday.
Don-turned-politico Atique Ahmed, contesting as an Independent from Varanasi, tops the list of candidates with shady past with 59 cases while BSP candidate Atul Kumar Rai, contesting from Ghosi, has 13 cases. Rai is on the lam after being charged with rape of a woman. Congress candidate from Varanasi Ajay Rai too has eight cases registered against him.
BJP’s Pankaj Choudhury, contesting from Maharajganj, is the richest candidate with assets of Rs 37 crore while Congress candidate from Kushinagar, RPN Singh, has assets worth over Rs 29 crore. Atique Ahmed with assets worth over Rs 25 crore trails closely.