NEW DELHI: As India votes in the second phase of the
Lok Sabha elections
, over 1,200 candidates are in the fray for 88 constituencies from 13 states and Union territories across the country.
Several
prominent
candidates are also contesting the elections in a hope to secure a seat in the Lok Sabha, including Rahul Gandhi, incumbent Union minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar, Shashi Tharoor, BJP's Tejasvi Surya, Arun Govil, Karnataka chief minister and JDS's HD Kumaraswamy.
The self-attested affidavits submitted to the Election Commission showcases candidates coming from different socio-economical background.
5 richest candidates
- Karnataka Congress leader Venkataramane Gowda, widely known as 'Star Chandru', is the wealthiest candidate in the phase 2 polling, as per an analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and the National Election Watch.
- Contesting against HD Kumaraswamy, Mr. Gowda has declared assets amounting to Rs 622 crore.
- Following closely is incumbent Karnataka Congress MP DK Suresh, holding the second position with assets valued at Rs 593 crore. Seeking re-election from Bangalore Rural, Mr. Suresh, the younger brother of Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar, discloses assets including Rs 16.61 crore in bank deposits, agriculture land at 21 locations worth Rs 32.76 crore, non-agricultural land at 27 places worth Rs 210.47 crore, nine commercial buildings worth Rs 211.91 crore, and three residential buildings valued at Rs 27.13 crore.
- BJP MP Hema Malini, contesting from Mathura, ranks as the third wealthiest with assets worth Rs278 crore. Madhya Pradesh Congress leader Sanjay Sharma follows as the fourth richest, having assets worth Rs232 crore. Former Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy secures the fifth position with total assets approximately valued at Rs217.21 crore.
- Meanwhile, Laxman Nagorao Patil, running as an Independent candidate in the Lok Sabha elections from Maharashtra's Nanded, holds the title for the lowest assets among contestants in the second phase. In his election affidavit, he disclosed assets valued at Rs 500.
- Following him is Rajeswari KR, an independent candidate from Kasaragod in Kerala, with assets worth Rs 1,000. Pruthvisamrat Mukindrao Dipwansh, contesting as an independent from Amravati (SC), ranks third on the list with total assets of Rs 1,400. Shahnaz Bano, leader of the Dalit Kranti Dal and contesting from Jodhpur in Rajasthan, has declared assets worth Rs 2,000.
- VP Kochumon, fielded by the Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) from Kottayam in Kerala, holds the fifth position with assets valued at Rs2,230.
- Among the six candidates with zero assets are Prakash RA Jain, Ramamurthy M, and Raja Reddy from Karnataka, while three more candidates with zero assets hail from Maharashtra--Kishor Bhimrao Labade, Nagesh Sambhaji Gaikwad, and Dnyaneshwar Raosaheb Kapate.
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