Mumbai: An analysis of affidavits of 115 out of the 116 candidates fighting from seven Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra for the first phase reveals that 10 candidates are facing serious criminal charges. The analysis was carried out by the Maharashtra Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). According to a release by the group, 18 candidates in all have criminal cases against their names.

Out of the 115 candidates, 33 are crorepatis, with BJP’s Sunil Baburao Mendhe (Bhandara-Gondiya) being the richest with assets totalling Rs 62 cr. The average assets of 115 candidates stood at Rs 2.35 cr, the release said. The seven seats which will go to polls in the first phase on April 11 are Wardha, Ramtek, Nagpur, Bhandara Gondiya, Gadchiroli-Chimur, Chandrapur and Yavatmal-Washim.