Anurag Sharma, Nilesh Bhagwan Sambare and Piyush Goyal are the top three candidates with the highest assets in phase five of the Lok Sabha polls 2024, according to a report by political think tank ADR. Anurag Sharma, who is contesting on the BJP ticket from Jhansi in UP, owns movable assets worth ₹95.2 crore and immovable assets worth ₹116.8 crore, which totals ₹212 crore, the data analysed from the candidates' affidavits submitted to the Election Commission of India (ECI) shows.
Nilesh Bhagwan Sambare, an independent candidate from Bhiwandi in Maharashtra owns total assets worth ₹116 crore including ₹32.7 crore moveable and ₹83.3 crore immovable assets. BJP candidate and Union minister Piyush Goyal, who is contesting from Mumbai North in Maharashtra, has total assets of ₹110 crore, comprising ₹89.8 crore movable and ₹21 crore immovable.
Other candidates in the top 10 rich list are Suresh Gopinath Mhatre Alias Balya Mama (NCP-Sharadchandra Pawar) (₹107 crore); Krishna Nand Tripathi, Congress (₹70 crore); Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo, BJP (₹67 crore); Ravindra Dattaram Waikar, Shiv Sena (₹54 crore); Kapil Moreshwar Patil, BJP (₹49 crore); Karan Bhushan Singh, BJP (₹49 crore); and Sanjay Mafatlal Morakhia, IND (₹48 crore).
Mohammad Sultan Ganaie (₹67), Mukesh Kumar (₹700) and Surajit Hembram (₹5,427) have the lowest assets, excluding those with zero assets, as per the ECI data. All of them are independent candidates.
In terms of liabilities, the NCP-Sharad Pawar candidate from Bhiwandi, Suresh Gopinath Mhatre has the highest liabilities at ₹75 crore. Sanjay Mafatlal Morakhia, an independent candidate from Mumbai North, has liabilities worth ₹39 crore. Karan Bhushan Singh of BJP, who is contesting from Uttar Pradesh's Kaiserganj, has liabilities worth ₹22 crore.
The top three candidates with the highest income as declared in the ITR are Anurag Sharma of BJP from Jhansi (UP) at ₹13 crore, Rohini Acharya of RJD from Saran (Bihar) at ₹6 crore, and Kalyan Banerjee of AITC from Sreerampur (West Bengal) at ₹4 crore. Of the total 695 candidates contesting polls in phase 5, 682 have filled their PAN while 13 haven't declared their PAN. The education analysis of the candidates shows 9 with a doctorate, 127 post-graduates, 64 graduate professionals and 149 graduates. Five MP candidates are illiterates, 20 literate, 21 fifth pass, 64 class 8 pass, 97 10th pass and 111 Class 12 pass. Those within the age group of 41-50 are the highest in number at 221, followed by 31-40 at 171 and 51-60 at 163. Of the total 695 candidates contesting polls, the majority 613 are males while just 82 are females.
Polling for the 5th phase of the 2024 General Elections will be conducted on May 20, 2024, across 49 constituencies in 8 states. Of the total 695 candidates contesting polls, 159 (23%) have been named in criminal cases and 122(18%) candidates are with serious criminal cases. There are a total of 227 (33%) crorepati candidates contesting polls, with ₹3.56 crore average assets per candidate.
