Goa's 1/3rd candidates 'criminal', 1 illiterate
PTI, PANAJI | 03 April 2014 21:43 IST
Nearly one-third of the total candidates in fray for the two Lok Sabha seats in Goa have criminal records, with three of them having serious charges against them, an election watchdog said today.
Of the 19 candidates who have filed their nomination papers for the Goa Lok Sabha elections, 32 per cent of them have criminal cases against them, NGO Association of Democratic Reforms has said after analysing the affidavits.
"Out of 19 candidates, six have declared in their affidavit that they have criminal cases against them," ADR chief coordinator Bhaskar Assoldekar told mediapersons here today.
The records indicate that three candidates have multiple counts of serious offences, including that of an independent candidate contesting in North Goa who has four cases against him.
Former Congressman-turned-Trinamool Congress Party leader Churchill Alemao and tribal leader Govind Gawade, both contesting from South Goa, have three cases each against them.
Among the 19 candidates, seven are 'crorepatis' as per their affidavits, Assoldekar said, adding that the assets declared are largely undervalued.
Narvekar has declared assets worth Rs 18 crore and Alemao has worth Rs 14 crore.
Few of the candidates had their assets transferred to a trust three months before the election so that it cannot be counted in their wealth, the ADR said.
Interestingly, one of the candidates, Balkrishna Salgaoncar in the educational qualification column, while filing the form, has said he is illiterate.
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