Haryana polls: 67 MLAs' average assets more than doubled

Chandigarh, Oct 8: Growth of average assets of 67 MLAs contesting elections in Haryana Assembly has been close to double since the last election five years ago.

Haryana Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has come to this conclusion after analysing affidavits of 1,343 candidates contesting in the Haryana State Assembly Elections. 67 re-contesting MLAs in the 2009 Assembly elections have been analysed for the coming polls on October 15, the NGO said at a press conference here today.

The average assets of these 67 re-contesting MLAs in 2009 was Rs 7.30 crore, the ADR points, adding that the average assets of the MLAs as declared in their affidavits in 2014 is Rs 18.71 crore.

The average asset growth of re-contesting MLAs is Rs 11.41 crore. The percentage average asset growth of re-contesting MLAs is 156 per cent, the ADR points.

The highest increase in assets is of Savitri Jindal of Congress from Hisar constituency who has declared maximum increase in total assets with an increase of Rs 69.59 crore from Rs 43.68 crore in 2009 to Rs 113.27 crore in 2014.

Total assets of Sukhbir Kataria, an Independent candidate from Gurgaon constituency, have increased by Rs 65.92 crore, from Rs 38.34 crore in 2009 to Rs 104.26 crore in 2014 followed by Venod Sharma of Haryana Jan Chetna Party (V) from Ambala City constituency whose total assets have risen by Rs 65.73 crore, from Rs 87.40 crore in 2009 to Rs 153.14 crore in 2014 and Kuldeep Bishnoi of Haryana Janhit Congress (BL) from Adampur constituency has shown an asset increase of Rs 62.81 crore from Rs 17.30 crore to Rs 80.12 crore.

As per party-wise asset comparison of re-contesting MLAs, 38 re-contesting MLAs of Congress have shown a percentage increase in average assets of 185 per cent, 19 INLD MLAs with 207 per cent increase in average assets, 4 BJP MLAs with 211 per cent average asset increase, I MLA from Haryana Janhit Congress (BL) with asset increase of 363 per cent.

1 MLA from Haryana Lokhit Party with 82 per cent asset increase, 1 BSP MLA with 98 per cent asset increase, 1 Haryana Jan Chetna Party (V) MLA with 75 per cent asset increase and 2 Independent MLAs with 149 per cent average asset increase.

Out of the 1,343 candidates analysed, 563 (42 per cent) are crorepatis. This shows an increase in the number and percentage of crorepatis from the previous Haryana Assembly elections in 2009 where out of 1,186 candidates analysed, 380 (32 per cent) were crorepatis.

Out of 1,343 candidates analysed, 122 candidates declared assets worth more than Rs 10 crore. The number of high asset candidates have increased from the previous Haryana Assembly elections in 2009 wherein 41 candidates had declared assets worth more than Rs 10 crore.

9 candidates have declared assets worth more than Rs 100 crore. These candidates are Ravi Chauhan (independent) from Mahendergarh with Rs 212 crore, Shakti Rani of Haryana Jan Chetna Party (V) with Rs 166 crore, her husband Venod Sharma with Rs 153 crore, Gopal Kanda of Haryana Lokhit Party with Rs 114 crore, Savitri Jinda of Congress with Rs 113 crore.

Crorepati candidates are 81 (90 per cent) out of 90 candidates in Congress, 77 (86 per cent) out of 90 candidates in BJP, 72 (82 per cent) out of 88 candidates in INLD, 37 (57 per cent) out of 65 candidates in Haryana Janhit Congress (BL), 25 (33 per cent) out of 75 candidates from Haryana Lokhit Party and 184 (31 per cent) out of 597 Independent candidates have declared assets worth more than Rs 1 crore.

The average assets per candidate contesting in the Haryana 2014 Assembly elections is Rs 4.54 crores, the ADR points. The average assets per candidate in the previous Haryana Assembly elections was Rs 2.05 crore. Among the major parties, the average assets per candidate for 90 INC candidates is Rs 11.38 crore, 90 BJP candidates have average assets of Rs 9.80 crore, 88 INLD candidates have average assets worth of Rs 11.41 crore and 65 Haryana Janhit Congress (BL) candidates have average assets of Rs 6.12 crore.

Meanwhile, 37 candidates have declared that they are illiterate. 756 (56 per cent) candidates (not including candidates who are illiterate) have declared that have an education qualification of 12th pass or below while 525 (39 per cent) candidates have declared having an educational qualification of graduate or above. 917 (68 per cent) candidates have declared their age to be between 25 to 50 years while 380 (28 per cent) candidates have declared their age to be between 51 to 70 years and 16 (1 per cent) candidates have declared their age to be above 71 years.

PTI