PUDUCHERRY: Twenty-four candidates among 183 contesting the Assembly elections have declared pending criminal charges against them in their affidavits filed along with their nominations.

Five among them have declared cases registered under the Indian Penal Code, the data released by Puducherry Election Watch (PEW), a non-governmental organisation, revealed here on Wednesday.

Addressing a press conference, members of PEW, which was part of a national campaign that consisted over 1,200 other NGOs, said that all major parties, including the Congress, the All India N.R. Congress, the DMK and the AIADMK had fielded persons with criminal background.

Assets

They said that among the candidates of the Congress and the DMK in Puducherry, 76 per cent and 80 per cent respectively had assets worth over Rs. 1 crore.

They also said that there were only six women contesting elections this time.