New Delhi, Feb. 16 -- Nearly one in four winning candidates in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) 2026 polls have declared criminal cases against themselves, while close to four-fifths are crorepatis, according to an analysis by Election Watchdog, Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

The ADR, which studied affidavits of all 227 winning candidates, said 54 winners, or 24 per cent, have declared criminal cases, while 29 candidates, or 13 per cent, face serious criminal charges. The data was compiled by Maharashtra Election Watch, based on candidates' self-sworn affidavits filed during the civic polls.

Party-wise analysis showed that 33 per cent of the winners from the BJP have declared criminal cases, followed by 24 per cen...