Shimla: Around 90 per cent of the Congress candidates in Himachal Pradesh assembly polls to be held on Saturday are crorepatis against 82 per cent of the ruling BJP, according to a report.
The AAP, which has fielded candidates on 67 of the total 68 assembly constituencies, has 35, or 52 per cent, crorepati nominees, according to the report by the Association for Democratic Reforms.
The BSP is fighting polls on 53 seats and 25 per cent (or 13) of its candidates are crorepatis while 36 per cent (four) of candidates of CPI(M) are in the rich list. As many as 45 independent candidates are also crorepatis.
Sixty-one Congress candidates and 56 BJP nominees are crorepatis.
In total, 55 per cent (226) of the 412 candidates fighting the 2022 elections are crorepatis in Himachal Pradesh.
Balvir Singh Verma, the BJP candidate from the Chopal constituency in Shimla, tops the list of crorepati candidates with total assets of Rs 128 crore.
Vikramaditya Singh, who is fighting the election from the Shimla Rural seat and is the son of former chief minister Virbhadra Singh, is second with total assets of Rs 101 crore.
R S Bali, the son of late Congress leader G S Bali and fighting polls from the Nagrota seat in Kangar district, is third on the list with total assets of Rs 96.36 crore.
Also, 66 crorepati candidates are facing criminal charges and Rakesh Singha of the CPI(M) from the Theog seat faces the maximum number of criminal cases at 30.
Kuldip Singh Tanwar of the CPI(M) from Kasumapti seat in Shimla district faces 20 criminal cases, while Vikramaditya Singh is facing 11 criminal cases.
