About eight per cent of the candidates-- analysed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Maharashtra Election Watch (MEW)-- who are contesting the third phase of elections to the Municipal Council and Nagar Panchayats in four districts of Maharashtra, are crorepatis.

Local bodies elections will be held for 342 seats in Aurangabad, Nanded, Bhandara and Gadchiroli districts on Sunday.

Screening of self-sworn affidavits of 1,142 candidates have shown that 90 of them are crorepatis. As many as 1,623 candidates are contesting in the third phase of elections for securing seats in 20 municipal councils and two Nagar Panchayats across the state.

Due to unavailability of some affidavits, the ADR could not analyse candidates contesting for the Municipal Councils of Vaijapur, Gangapur in Aurangabad district; and Kandhar in Nanded district. Candidates contesting for the Nagar Panchayats of Ardhapur and Mahoor in Nanded district have also been left out in the study.

The average assets per candidate analysed for this election is Rs 31.97 lakh.

The candidate with highest declared total assets is Ganesh Jaikisan Fafat, who is contesting from the Desaiganj municipal council in Gadchiroli. He owns assets worth more than Rs 6 crore. There are 264 candidates who have declared assets below Rs 2 lakh.

Fafat also has the highest declared liabilities to the tune of Rs 1.55 crores.

Out of total 1,142 analysed candidates, 578 (51%) are men whereas 564 (49%) are women.

ADR and MEW have also analysed the self-sworn affidavits of 86 candidates contesting for Municipal Councils' President post in the third phase.

President elections are being conducted directly in all 20 Municipal Councils.

According to a statement from ADR, out of the 86 screened candidates, 27 (31%) are crorepatis.

The average assets per candidate analysed for this election is Rs 95 lakh plus.

The candidate with highest declared total assets is Yogita Pramod Pipare, who is contesting from the Gadchiroli and owns assets worth Rs 7 crore plus. There is only one candidate- Ashok Gangaram Tokalwar who has declared a zero asset.

There are 11 candidates who have declared assets below Rs 2 lakh.

The candidate with highest declared total liabilities is Archana Bhaskar Dange, who is contesting from the Desaiganj Municipal Council in Gadchiroli, having liabilities of over Rs 1 crore.