Over 900 candidates out of the 15,827 contesting the first phase of the local bodies polls in Maharashtra are ‘crorepatis’, stated an Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Maharashtra Election Watch report. ADR and the Maharashtra Election Watch analysed the self-sworn affidavits of the 9,495 candidates contesting the municipal council polls, 639 candidates fighting the polls for the posts of presidents of municipal councils and 623 contesting the nagar panchayats polls.

In the first phase, a total of 164 municipal councils and 3,706 nagar panchayat seats will go to the polls on Sunday. A total of 15,827 candidates are in the fray. The analysis shows that 927 candidates in the fray for the three elections are multi-millionaires. The 9,495 candidates for the municipal council polls are from 19 districts — Solapur, Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, Nandurbar, Dhule, Jalgaon, Jalna, Parbhani, Hingoli, Beed, Osmanabad, Yavatmal, Akola, Washim, Amravati, Buldhana, Wardha and Chandrapur.

The analysis of affidavits of the candidates covers all the prominent divisions of Maharashtra — Pune, Nashik, Nagpur Aurangabad and Amravati. As per the details of the candidates in the 19 districts analysed by ADR, the average worth of assets per candidate is more than Rs 36 lakh.

Out of the 9,495 candidates, 743 (8 per cent) are ‘crorepatis’. The candidate with the highest declared total assets, worth Rs 46 crore, is Madhubala Dilipsinh Bhosale, who is contesting as the councillor candidate for Phaltan municipal council.

As many as 397 candidates have declared zero assets in the 19 districts, the ADR report said. There are 1,186 candidates who have declared assets worth below Rs 50,000 (excluding those declaring zero assets). Jugalkishor Rampalji Lohiya, fighting the Parali-Vaijnath municipal council seat, has the highest liabilities of Rs 14 crore.