New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party's Jamnagar Lok Sabha candidate Poonamben Maadam is the richest in the poll fray in Gujarat, with assets of Rs 147 crore, according to the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). At the other end of the list is Bahujan Samaj Party's Rekha Chaudhari, contesting from Bardoli (Scheduled Tribe) seat, who has declared assets of just Rs 2,000.
Of the 266 candidates contesting from 26 Lok Sabha seats in the state, 68 are 'crorepatis' (a crore is Rs 10 million), accounting for 26% of the total, the ADR said on Monday, as reported by PTI. Mukesh Dalal, the BJP candidate who won unopposed from Surat, has assets of more than Rs 17 crore, said ADR, an apolitical non-profit organisation working on electoral and political reforms.
Maadam, who is seeking re-election from Jamnagar, has seen her declared assets rise from Rs 42.7 crore in 2019 to Rs 147 crore in 2024. These comprise movable assets of Rs 60 crore and immovable property to the tune of Rs 87 crore. These assets are owned by Maadam herself as well as her spouse, and members of the Hindu Undivided Family (HUF).
Among the Union ministers contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Gujarat, Parshottam Rupala has declared assets of more than Rs 17 crore. Of this, movable assets comprise Rs 11.5 crore and immovable, Rs 5.9 crore, ADR reported. Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya has declared assets to the tune of over Rs 7 crore – Rs 3 crore movable and Rs 4.95 crore immovable.
BJP Vs Congress
Gujarat BJP president CR Patil, who is seeking re-election from Navsari, has declared assets of over Rs 39 crore. Among Congress candidates, Bharat Makwana from Ahmedabad (West), a seat reserved for Scheduled Castes, is the richest with assets of over Rs 25 crore. The BJP leads with 24 'crorepati' candidates, followed by 21 from the Congress, and four belonging to the Bahujan Samaj Party, according to ADR.
The average assets of BJP candidates stand at over Rs 15 crore, while the figure is Rs 6 crore for the Congress. Of the 15 richest candidates in Gujarat, eight are from the BJP and seven from Congress. Details shared by ADR say that 19 out of the 266 candidates are women. Sixteen of the total candidates are in the age group of 25-30, while 61 are in the 31-40 segment, 88 between 41 and 50 years, 60 in the 51-60 bracket, 35 between 61 and 70, and six above 70.
Five of the 266 candidates hold doctorates, while seven are illiterate. Thirty-two are graduates, 18 are postgraduates, and 14 hold diplomas, ADR reported.