Shazia Ilmi of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has emerged the richest among all the candidates contesting for the Ghaziabad seat, according to the analysis of candidates' affidavits by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), an NGO working for political and electoral reforms. 

With total assets in excess of Rs 30 crore in her name, Ilmi is better off than Congress's filmstar-turned-politician candidate Raj Babbar who is worth Rs 19 crore. 

Sudhan Rawat of the Samajwadi Party, who has interests in real estate and brick kiln businesses, is worth Rs 18 crore and is the third richest of the 15 candidates vying for the seat. 

In comparison, the assets of the BJP candidate, former army chief General (Retd) V K Singh, are a modest Rs 4.11 crore. Singh, who has a doctorate degree to his credit, is the most educated of the candidates but also has the most number of pending criminal cases, with two cases against him. 

Ironically, in a city known in the NCR region for its rising crime statistics, two-thirds of the candidates do not have any criminal cases against them. Other than Singh, only Raj Babbar, Shazia Ilmi and two other independent candidates have a criminal case each pending against them. 

Ilmi is also the only female candidate contesting the polls in Ghaziabad. The youngest contestant is 28-year-old Keshav Choudhary, an independent. Raj Babbar, who is 63, is the oldest.