Though it has been in existence for only three years, the MNS has nearly outdone its more established rivals as far as criminal records of Assembly poll candidates are concerned. In Mumbai and Thane, every second contestant has cases registered against him or her, a citizens' group has found.

Of the 49 MNS candidates across Mumbai and Thane, 25 have admitted in their affidavits that they have cases pending. That makes it second only to the Shiv Sena, with 25 of 38 candidates having such cases against them.

A list compiled by Agni and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), based on the affidavits filed by every candidate, reveals another pattern, that of which party has how many wealthy candidates. Assets declared by the candidates show that the richest 12 from all parties are all BJP candidates, and they have fielded only 15.

“All the established parties, the Congress, the NCP, the Shiv Sena, the BJP and now also the MNS, have pitted candidates whose assets on an average range between Rs 5 and 9 crore. There is a definite rise in the assets declared since the last Assembly elections in 2004. But the sources remain unknown as those are not disclosed,” said Dr Ajit Ranade of ADR, whose PIL before the Apex court brought in a major change in the filing of nominations and made affidavits compulsory since 2004.

Over 29 per cent of the total candidates refrained from furnishing their PAN card details. “One can understand the trend in the rural belt, where agriculture is the primary source of income for most candidates, but in Mumbai this can't be a reason. Only some independent candidates have furnished details, while candidates of parties like the NCP and Congress have left the column blank,” said Sharad Kumar of Agni.

... contd.