All political parties have claimed that they have no connections with cartels but have given tickets to them. According to Congress leader V.S. Ugrappa, “We are free of the real estate and mining mafia. Some people who do business in these areas are contesting the elections that is all”.

Here is a sampling of businessmen who have made their money do the job for them in the Karnataka polls:

• G. Prasad Reddy, 55, BJP candidate for the newly created BTM Layout constituency in Bangalore City, is worth a whopping Rs 313 crore. The first-time contestant claims to have made sufficient money and is now keen to prove himself in politics. Hailing from a landholding family, Prasad Reddy who studied till the tenth standard struck gold with the realty boom. He now owns hundreds of properties and 14 cars, including two 2007 model BMWs and a 2008 Bentley.

• D. Kupendra Reddy, 47, the Congress candidate for the Bommanahalli constituency in Bangalore, is worth Rs 180 crore. An undergraduate, Kupendra Reddy also hails from a landholding family and is debutant in politics. He is best known in Bangalore as the head of a company that sold a software park valued at Rs 136 crore to the family of former PM H.D. Devegowda. He was among several persons raided by the Income Tax department last year.

• Anil H. Lad, 38, Congress candidate for the Bellary City constituency, is worth Rs 178 crore. The mining baron who was a BJP MLA in the last assembly is the owner of a Bell Helicopter. Among the cars he drives are a Bentley, Audi and a Volkswagen. Three cars he owns were burnt down allegedly by a mining rival from the BJP.

• M. Krishnappa, 56, Congress candidate for the Vijayanagar constituency in Bangalore, has unsuccessfully contested elections in the past. He is valued at Rs 94 crore. The science graduate has the nickname ‘Layout’ Krishnappa for holding land enough, over 100 acres, to create entire layouts in Bangalore. The pride of Krishnappa’s garage is a Mercedes Benz.

• H.R. Gaviappa, 54, the Congress candidate from Vijaynagar in Bellary district, is worth Rs 89 crore. A mine owner hailing from a family with political history, Gaviappa was elected in the 2004 polls as an Independent.

•n E. Krishnappa, 50, the Janata Dal(S) candidate from Yelahanka is worth Rs 44 crore. Krishnappa, who has had taxmen visiting him in recent times, owns properties around the new Bangalore airport and is a political first timer.

•n N.S. Nandish Reddy, 37, the BJP candidate for the K.R. Puram constituency in Bangalore, hails from a family of landlords and is worth Rs 38 crore. Nandish Reddy says he wants to improve the infrastructure in Bangalore. He owns five cars including a Mercedes Benz.

•n D U Mallikarjuna, 42, the BJP candidate from Shanthinagar in Bangalore is a commerce graduate and real estate player who is now worth Rs 31 crores.

•n K S Sameeulla, 45, an Independent candidate from the Jayanagar constituency, is worth only around Rs 4 lakh, according to his own declarations. In 2007, in an alleged underworld attack on his office in Bangalore, two people were killed in a shootout. There have been allegations of links between Sameeulla and a Karachi based don that has been denied by him.

•n Gottigere Manjunath, the JD(S) candidate from Bangalore South is worth a couple of crores. A close aide of H.D. Kumaraswamy, he was raided by the income tax department last year.