With Assets Worth Rs 259 Crore, BJP's Karnail Singh Richest Candidate In Delhi Polls Fray: ADR

BJP candidates lead with assets of Rs 22.90 crore on average, followed by Congress with Rs 14.41 crore, and AAP with Rs 11.70 crore.

New Delhi:BJP candidate from Shakur Bati constituency Karnail Singh is the richest candidate among the 699 in the fray for the Delhi Assembly Election, with assets of Rs 259 crore, according to poll rights body ADR. Three candidates have declared zero assets.

The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has in a report revealed the disparity in the financial backgrounds of the candidates. Compared to the 2020 election in the national capital, the number of candidates analysed has risen from 672 to 699.

Five candidates are billionaires, declaring assets exceeding Rs 100 crore. Additionally, 23 candidates or three per cent have declared assets above Rs 50 crore, a marginal increase from two per cent in the 2020 election. A substantial 31.76 per cent or 222 candidates reported assets below Rs 10 lakh.

The five wealthiest candidates are Karnail Singh (BJP, Shakur Basti seat) with assets of Rs 259.67 crore, Manjinder Singh Sirsa (BJP, Rajouri Garden seat) with Rs 248.85 crore; Gurcharan Singh (Congress, Krishna Nagar seat) with Rs 130.90 crore; Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma (BJP, New Delhi seat) with Rs 115.63 crore; and A Dhanwati Chandela (AAP, Rajouri Garden seat) with Rs 109.90 crore, the ADR said.

At the other end of the spectrum, three candidates have declared zero assets, including Shabana (Rashtriya Republican Party) and Yogesh Kumar (Independent).

Among those with minimal wealth, Ashok Kumar (Independent) reported assets of Rs 6,586 and Anita (Independent) Rs 9,500. The average assets of candidates reveal significant differences between parties.

BJP candidates lead with assets of Rs 22.90 crore on average, followed by the Congress with Rs 14.41 crore, and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) with Rs 11.70 crore. Independent candidates have significantly lower average assets, underscoring their limited financial resources.

The BJP has fielded three billionaire candidates and the Congress and AAP one each. Liabilities are a notable concern for many candidates.

Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma (BJP) has the highest liabilities with Rs 74.36 crore, followed by Manjinder Singh Sirsa (BJP) with Rs 57.68 crore. In terms of declared income for the 2023-2024 fiscal, Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma reported Rs 20.60 crore, primarily from his business ventures and pension.

Manjinder Singh Sirsa declared an income of Rs 12.72 crore, and Sumesh Shokeen (AAP) reported Rs 9.89 crore, derived from businesses and rental income.

The total assets declared by all candidates amount to Rs 3,952 crore, with an average of Rs 5.65 crore per candidate, up from Rs 4.34 crore in 2020. The 70-member Delhi Assembly goes to the polls on February 5 and the votes will be counted on February 8.