VARANASI: BJP's Narendra Modi is more qualified than the candidates of other political parties in Varanasi. Congress nominee Ajay Rai is on the top of the crime meter.

According to the records complied by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) on the basis of affidavits of candidates submitted during last assembly elections (2012 and 2013), Rai has eight criminal cases against him, while there is no criminal case against Modi. On the crime front, AAP candidate Arvind Kejriwal and Samajwadi Party candidate Kailash Chaurasia have four cases each against them and Vijay Prakash Jaiswal of Bahujan Samaj Party has one case.

Joshi is a post-graduate from Gujarat University, Ahmedabad. AAP candidate is a BTech in mechanical engineering from IIT Kharagpur. Congress candidate is a graduate from Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapit while BSP candidate is 10th pass. The SP candidate has passed class VIII.

Rai (2012 assembly election) has three charges related to attempt to murder (IPC Section-307). He also faces charges under different sections of IPC including 504, 506, 147, 323, 148, 149, 332, 353, 452, 188, 341, 143, 342, 225, 435, 427, and 120B. Kejriwal (2013 election), who has four cases against him, faces charges under IPC Sections 332, 34, 148, 149, 186, 188, 353, 147, 151, 152, 500, 153, 501, and 499. Charges were also framed against him under sections 499 and 500 of IPC. SP candidate has four cases against him. He faces charges under IPC sections 353, 188, 323, 504, 149, 332 and 143 while BSP's Jaiswal faces charges under IPC sections 147, 353, 506, 224 and 511.