Choose your neta: Criminals, crorepatis, they are all there

Hyderabad, April 8: Voters in the state have a wide variety of candidates to choose from. Doctors, lawyers, people accused in criminal cases, millionaires and illiterates, everyone is trying their luck in the first phase of polls.

According to details revealed by the National Election Watch (NEW) 11 per cent of the total candidates contesting from 22 parliamentary constituencies in phase I have a criminal background. However, only one of them has been convicted.
Moreover, 64 candidates (20 per cent of the 315) in fray are crorepatis. While 34 per cent of the candidates are below 40 years age, 60 candidates have not specified their educational qualification.
The Telugu Desam candidate from Khammam, Mr Nama Nageswara Rao heads the list of richest contestants in phase I with a net worth close to Rs 174 crore.
About 82 per cent of the candidates fielded by the Congress own assets worth more than Rs 1 crore.
Five of the 11 Telugu Desam candidates face criminal charges and more than 50 per cent of the affidavits to not reveal the complete information that a voter needs to know about their candidates.
Close to 50 per cent of the candidates are graduates or hold higher qualifications.
As many as 35 national, regional, recognised and small parties are contesting phase I Lok Sabha polls in AP. Out of 315 candidates, 136 are Independents (Ind).

w Criminal charges
The candidates with criminal cases booked against them:
Asaduddin Owaisi (MIM, Hyderabad); M. Shiva Kumar (PR, Zaheerabad); K. Yadagiri Reddy (BJP, Mahbubnagar); M.A. Quddus Ghori (Ind, Hyderabad); K.S. Rao (CPI, Mahbubabad); B. Jhansi (Congress, Vizianagaram); Renuka Chowdhury (Congress, Khammam); A.P. Jitender Reddy (TD, Chevella); S. Gopal Singh (Akhil Bharatiya Jan Sangh, Hyderabad); Zahid Ali Khan (TD, Hyderabad); D. Sambaiah (TD, Warangal); N. Narsimhaiah (CPM, Bhongir); M.B. Rao (BSP, Malkajgiri); D. Satyanarayana (PR, Nagarkurnool); Shaik Mader Saheb (Trilinga Praja Pragathi Party, Khammam); D. Srinivas (TRS, Peddapalle); Ramesh Rathod (TD, Adilabad); K. Appala Naidu (TD, Vizianagaram); M.A. Sattar (Ind, Hyderabad); P. Karuna (PR, Nalgonda); A. Venkateshwarlu (Ind, Khammam); K. Bhojraj (Ind, Malkajgiri); Yalamanchili Prasad (Ind, Visakhapatnam); Vittal Rao D. (Congress, Mahbubnagar); Baddam Bal Reddy (BJP, Chevella), S. Ramulu (Ind, Bhongir), D. Sarala Devi (MCPI, S.S. Srivastav, Chevella); Sarve Satyanarayana (Congress, Malkajgiri); L. Rathaiah (Lok Satta, Malkajgiri); K. Chandrasekhar Rao (TRS, Mahbubnagar); Ch Janga Reddy (BJP, Karimnagar); Allu Aravind (PR, Anakapalle); Syed Yousuf Ali (TRS, Zaheerabad) and; Rajaiah Siricilla (Congress, Warangal).

w Rich list
The total assets of the richest candidates:
N. Nageswara Rao (TD, Khammam, over Rs 173.75 crore); Dr G. Vivekanand (Congress, Peddapalle, Rs 72.95 crore); Narendranath Chaganla (Congress, Medak, Rs 56.22 crore); K. Gyaneshwar (Mana Party, Chevella, Rs 45.51 crore); Allu Aravind (PR, Anakapalle, Rs 45.21 crore); Renuka Chowdhury (Congress, Khammam, Rs 38.15 crore); T. Devender Goud (PR, Malkajgiri, Rs 35.22 crore); M. Vijayashanti (TRS, Medak, Rs 27.10 crore); A.P. Jithender Reddy (TD, Chevella, Rs 26.76 crore); S.S. Rambhotla (TD, Secunderabad, Rs 22.74 crore), D. Purandareswari (Congress, Visakhapatnam, Rs 20.26 crore); K. Rajgopal Reddy (Congress, Bhongir, Rs 19.47 crore); P. Vinay Kumar (PR, Nizamabad, Rs 18.23 crore); L. Rathaiah (Lok Satta, Malkajgiri, Rs 15.54 crore); N.G. Gandham (Ind, Anakapalle, Rs 14.81 crore); M.V.S. Murthy (TD, Visakhapatnam, Rs 13.30 crore), Madhu Yashki Goud (Congress, Nizamabad, Rs 11.91 crore); N. Suryaprakasa Rao (TD, Anakapalle, Rs 10.76 crore); Balraj Goud (Mana Party, Mahbubnagar, Rs 9.77 crore); Zahid Ali Khan (TD, Hyderabad, Rs 9.61 crore); Sabbam Hari (Congress, Anakapalle, Rs 8.50 crore); Bandaru Dattatreya (BJP, Secunderabad, Rs 7.38 crore); P. Sanyasi Raju (BJP, Vizianagaram, Rs 6.39 crore); D.T. Naik (PR, Mahbubabad, Rs 6.27 crore); and D. Vittal Rao (Congress, Mahbubnagar, Rs 6 crore).

Six of the crorepati candidates have not disclosed their PAN numbers:
K. Gyaneshwar (Mana Party); K. Ganapathi Rao (PR); M. Jeremaih (Independent); Dr Manda Jagannath (Congress); D.V. Subba Rao (BJP); and V. Rajender Rao (PR).