Ranchi, Nov 14 (PTI) A total of 127 crorepati candidates are contesting in the second phase of Jharkhand Assembly elections, with Aquil Akhtar of Samajwadi Party emerging as the wealthiest, declaring assets exceeding Rs 400 crore, according to a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) released on Thursday.

The Jharkhand Election Watch and ADR analysed the self-sworn affidavits of 522 out of 528 candidates in 38 constituencies for the second phase of the elections, scheduled for November 20.

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Of the 522 candidates, 127 (24 per cent) are crorepatis, while 148 (28 per cent) have declared criminal cases against themselves, the report said.

"The role of money power in our elections is evident from the fact that all major political parties field wealthy candidates," the report stated.

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Aquil Akhtar, contesting from Pakur on a Samajwadi Party ticket, is the wealthiest candidate in the second phase, declaring movable assets of Rs 99.51 lakh and immovable assets worth Rs 402 crore.

He is followed by Niranjan Rai, an independent candidate from Dhanwar, with assets worth around Rs 137 crore, and Mohammad Danish of the Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) from Dhanwar, who has assets totaling around Rs 32 crore.

On the other hand, Jharkhand People's Party (JPP) candidate Elian Hansdak, contesting from Maheshpur (ST) constituency, has declared zero assets, while independent candidate Rajeshwar Mahto from Silli has reported assets of Rs 100, and another independent candidate, Jitender Oraon from Khijir, has declared assets worth around Rs 2,500.

In terms of education, 247 (47 per cent) candidates have declared their qualifications as between 5th and 12th standard, 234 (45 per cent) are graduates or hold higher degrees, 6 hold diplomas, 34 are just literate, and 1 candidate is illiterate, the report added.

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