Kolkata, April 11 (IANS) A total of 49 candidates out of 253 contesting the 54 assembly constituencies in the first phase of West Bengal polls April 18 have criminal cases pending against them, 27 of them charged with serious offences like murder and extortion, according to an election watchdog Monday.

 
 The self-declared affidavits of the candidates revealed that of the 49 candidates with criminal backgrounds, 10 are from the Congress, eight each from the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and three each from the Trinamool Congress and the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM), said the West Bengal Election Watch (WBEW).
 
 WBEW state coordinator Biplab Halim also told media persons here that 143 candidates have declared that they have never filed income tax returns.
 
 "As many as 92 of the 253 candidates have not given their PAN details. Moreover, Left Front partner Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) nominee Janab Abdur Rahim Boxi has never filed any income tax despite having a property worth over Rs.1 crore."
 
 "Likewise, CPI-M candidate K.B. Wattar has property worth over Rs.67 lakh but has never filed an income tax return and even does not have a PAN card," said Halim.
 
 WBEW is a civil society initiative working on making voters aware of their rights and helping them to make an informed choice, while casting their votes.
 
 It also revealed that a Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) contestant is illiterate, while five other candidates are barely literate.
 
 Eighty candidates have passed classes 8-10. Only 33 of the total candidates have post-graduate degrees, while three nominees have not disclosed their educational qualifications in the affidavits.
 
 "All our requests to the political parties to give nominations to clean candidates went in vain," said Halim.
 
 WBEW appealed to the voters to choose honest candidates.
 
 A toll free number (1-800-110-440) has been set up, from where the voters can get detailed information on the candidates and they can also send text SMS to 56070 mentioning his/her constituency or pin code to get the same.