Lok Sabha Polls: 390 Crorepatis In Fray In 2nd Phase: Who Is The Richest?

In the second phase of Lok Sabha polls, out of 1198 candidates vying for seats, 390 are crorepatis, constituting approximately 33 percent of the total contenders, the data by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) shows.

Breaking it down by party affiliation, all five candidates from JD(U), all four from AITC, Shivsena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), and SP, as well as three out of three from Shiv Sena, fall under the crorepati category. Moreover, 93 percent (64 out of 69) of BJP candidates, 91 percent (62 out of 68) of Congress candidates, 67 percent (12 out of 18) of CPI(M) candidates, and 40 percent (2 out of 5) of CPI candidates possess assets exceeding Rs. 1 crore.

On average, each candidate in this phase possesses assets worth Rs 5.17 crore. Delving into party-wise averages, Congress candidates lead with an average asset value of Rs 39.70 crore per candidate, followed by BJP with Rs 24.68 crore per candidate.

SP candidates hold an average asset value of Rs 17.34 crore, while Shivsena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) candidates boast an average of Rs 12.81 crore. Shiv Sena and AITC candidates hold average assets of Rs. 7.54 crores and Rs. 4.16 crores respectively. JD(U) candidates possess assets averaging Rs 3.31 crore, while CPI(M) and CPI candidates have averages of Rs 2.29 crore and Rs 78.44 lakh respectively.

The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch have scrutinized the self-sworn affidavits of 1192 out of 1198 candidates participating in Phase II of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 across 12 states. Unfortunately, six candidates, five of whom hail from Kerala, were excluded from the analysis due to the unavailability of properly scanned reports at the time of compiling the report.

Who Is The Richest?

According to the report, Venkataramane Gowda, the Congress candidate from Mandya in Karnataka, emerges as the wealthiest contender in the Lok Sabha second phase elections.

DK Suresh, Congress candidate and brother of Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, is contesting from the Bangalore Rural constituency. Suresh has disclosed assets totaling over Rs 593 crore.

Actress-turned-politician Hema Malini, the BJP candidate from Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, possesses assets exceeding Rs 278 crore.

Candidates With Lowest Assets

According to the report, there are 6 candidates who have declared zero assets. Laxman Nagorao Patil, Congress' candidate from Nanded, Maharashtra, has the lowest assets among the declared contestants, with movable assets worth Rs. 500. Following him is Rajeswari KR, Congress' candidate from Kasargod, Kerala, who has declared Rs 1000 in movable assets. Pruthvisamrat Mukindrao Dipwansh, Congress candidate from Amravati, Maharashtra, has declared Rs. 1400 in movable assets.