Lok Sabha Polls Phase 1: Almost Three In 10 Candidates Are Crorepatis

The first phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections due to be held on April 19 will see a contest where 28% or roughly three in every 10 candidates in the fray have declared assets of at least Rs 1 crore, according to analysis done by the non-profit Association for Democratic Reforms.

Out of the 1,618 candidates, 450 are 'crorepatis'. Among them, 193 candidates have wealth of Rs 5 crore and above, while 139 are worth Rs 2 crore to Rs 5 crore.

Among the major parties, four out of four candidates from the Rashtriya Janata Dal, 35 out of 36 candidates from All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, 21 out of 22 candidates from Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, 69 out of 77 candidates from Bharatiya Janata Party, 49 out of 56 candidates from the Congress, four out of five candidates from Trinamool Congress and 18 candidates out of 86 candidates analysed from Bahujan Samaj Party have declared assets worth more than Rs 1 crore.

To be sure, the data is sourced after analysis of the self-sworn affidavits of 1,618 out of 1,625 candidates in the first phase of the parliamentary elections in 21 states by the ADR and The National Election Watch.

Nakul Nath, the lone Congress MP from Madhya Pradesh who has been renominated from Chhindwara by his party, is the richest candidate in the first phase with assets of Rs 717 crore. This includes Rs 668 crore in movable assets.

Nath is followed by AIADMK's Ashok Kumar, contesting from Tamil Nadu's Erode, worth Rs 662 crore. Sivaganga BJP candidate Dhevanathan Yadav T has assets of Rs 304 crore.

The average asset per candidate contesting in the April 19 election is Rs 4.51 crore.

Among major parties, the average assets per candidate for 36 AIADMK candidates is Rs 35.61 crore, while for 22 DMK candidates it is Rs 31.22 crore.

Meanwhile, 56 INC candidates have average assets of Rs 27.79 crore, while 77 BJP candidates have average assets worth Rs 22.37 crore.

Four RJD candidates have average assets worth Rs 8.93 crore, while seven SP candidates have average assets worth Rs 6.67 crore, and five TMC candidates have average assets of Rs 3.72 crore.

The data released further shows that 252 (16%) out of 1,618 candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves—161 have serious criminal cases against themselves and 15 are convicts, the ADR report said.

"All major parties contesting in Lok Sabha Elections Phase 1 have given tickets from 13% to 100% candidates who have declared criminal cases against themselves," the organisation said, noting the directions of the Supreme Court to curb criminalisation of politics have had no effect on parties in selection of candidates.

India will vote in seven phases to select its next government between April 19 and June 1, and the results will be announced on June 4. Nearly 97 crore Indians will be eligible to vote in this year's Lok Sabha elections, according to the EC.

• Arunachal Pradesh (2/2)

• Assam (5/14)

• Bihar (4/40)

• Chhattisgarh (1/11)

• Madhya Pradesh (6/29)

• Maharashtra (5/48)

• Manipur (2/2)

• Meghalaya (2/2)

• Mizoram (1/1)

• Nagaland (1/1)

• Rajasthan (12/25)

• Sikkim (1/1)

• Tamil Nadu (39/39)

• Tripura (1/2)

• Uttar Pradesh (8/80)

• Uttarakhand (5/5)

• West Bengal (3/42)

• Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1/1)

• Jammu and Kashmir (1/5)

• Lakshadweep (1/1)

• Puducherry (1/1)