Bharatiya Janata Party has topped in fielding nine candidates with criminal records, including some with serious charges, while Congress has fielded four such candidates for the Lok Sabha elections.
As per candidates' affidavits submitted along with their nomination forms, besides these two major parties, the Nationalist Congess Party (NCP) and the Janata Dal United (JDU) too have fielded candidates facing severe criminal charges, while an AAP candidate faces a case of defamation.
Three Congress candidates out of the 26 in the state, are yet to file their nomination papers.
BJP's list includes former deputy prime minister L K Advani from Gandhinagar seat, C R Patil from Navsari, Devji Fatepura from Surendranagar, Vitthal Radadiya from Porbandar, Rajesh Chudasma from Junagadh, Prabhatsinh Chauhan from Panchamhal, Naran Kachhadiya from Amreli, Prabhu Vasava from Bardoli and Dilip Patel from Anand.
Vitthal Radadiya, who switched over to the BJP in 2012, has the largest number of criminal cases against him including rioting, criminal assault, damage to public property, criminal intimidation and death threats.
In ten of these cases, FIRs have been lodged by the police, though all of those cases are pending at present.
NCP's candidate from Porbandar seat Kandhal Jadeja, follows his rival Vitthal Radadiya of the BJP, with nine FIRs against him. Kandhal, son of the deceased 'Godmother' Santok Jadeja, has been charged in cases of severe crime including smuggling of arms under TADA, criminal assault with intention of murder, kidnapping as well as extortion.
JDU's Kishor Vasava, son of MLA Chhotu Vasava, has also been named in nine FIRs under the Arms Act, besides assault and criminal intimidation.
