 "J&K polls: 50% phase one candidates crorepatis, PDP contender richest")
Jammu Kashmir Assembly elections: Of the total 219 candidates contesting the first phase of the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, scheduled for September 18, a striking 50 per cent have declared assets exceeding Rs 1 crore, a report compiled by the Association of Democratic Reform (ADR) said on Friday.
The average assets of the phase one candidates stood at Rs 3 crore. There are a total 13 candidates with at least Rs 10 crore worth of assets.
Out of 219 candidates, only nine are women, which makes up just 4 percent of the total.
Party wise crorepatis and average assets
Mehbooba Mufti-led Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has the highest crorepatis: 18 out of 21. The richest candidate in the first phase also belongs to PDP: Abdul Gaffar Sofi, contesting from Anantnag West. In his election affidavit, Sofi declared assets worth over Rs 66 crore. He is followed by PDP’s Imtiaz Ahmed Shan with more than Rs 34 crore in assets.
According to the report, 16 of the 18 candidates from the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) have assets surpassing Rs 1 crore. Out of 16 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates, 11 declared themselves as crorepatis, while eight of nine Congress candidates revealed assets worth over Rs 1 crore. Only one candidate of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) disclosed assets of more than Rs 1 crore. The party fielded a total of seven candidates in the first phase.
Within the parties, the average assets per candidate showed that PDP leads with Rs 7.93 crore. The JKNC follows with an average of Rs 5.87 crore per candidate. BJP candidates average Rs 4.47 crore, while Congress candidates average Rs 4.35 crore. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has a substantially lower average, at Rs 49.33 lakh per candidate.
Criminal record of the phase one candidates
In the first phase, a total of 16 per cent of candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves. Among these, 25 or 11 per cent candidates have disclosed serious criminal cases. Additionally, four candidates have reported cases related to attempted murder. Two candidates have declared cases related to crimes against women, including one case related to rape.
Educational background:
Among the total candidates, 108 or 49 per cent have an educational qualification of graduation or above. Five are diploma holders, while three candidates declared themselves to be illiterate.
19 per cent are aged older than 60
A total of candidates belong to the 25 to 40 years age group, while a total of 108 candidates are between 41 to 60 years. Additionally, 41 candidates or 19 per cent are aged between 61 to 80 years.
Phase one elections will be held in 24 constituencies and subsequent elections will be held on September 25, and October 1, and the counting of votes will be done on October 8.