36 candidates of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), contesting in the upcoming Delhi Assembly election, have declared criminal cases against them. (Photo: PTI)

As many as 36 candidates of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), contesting in the upcoming Delhi Assembly election, have declared criminal cases against them, according to the report by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). This accounts for 51 per cent of AAP's total candidates contesting in the Delhi Assembly poll.

Among other major parties, 17 of the 67 candidates of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), 13 out of 66 of the Congress, 10 out of Bahujan Samaj Party's total 66 candidates and two out of Nationalist Congress Party's total five candidates, contesting in the upcoming poll have declared criminal cases against them in their affidavits.

In total, out of the 672 candidates, of all parties combined, 133 or nearly 20 per cent have declared criminal cases against them. In 2015, the Delhi Assembly Election saw 673 candidates in fray out and out of them, 114 or 17 per cent had declared criminal cases against them.

Out of 672 candidates who are in fray for the upcoming Delhi Assembly election, 210 are from national parties, 90 are from state parties, 224 are from registered unrecognized parties and 148 candidates are contesting independently.

According to the ADR report, 95 political parties are contesting the election this year, whereas, in the 2015 Delhi Assembly poll, 71 political parties were in the fray.