As many as 253 (14 per cent) candidates in the fray in Gujarat assembly polls have declared criminal cases against them, with three candidates facing charges related to murder, 17 related to attempt to murder, and four related to rape, an ADR-Gujarat Election Watch report said on Monday. Non-profit Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) along with Gujarat Election Watch has prepared a report by analysing information furnished by 1,815 of the 1,828 candidates. In 2012 Gujarat elections, out of 1,283 candidates analysed, 222 (17 per cent) had declared criminal cases against themselves, the report said.

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