Lok Sabha Election 2024: BJP's Mala Raj Lakshmi Richest Candidate in Uttarakhand, Says ADR Report

According to the latest report released by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), BJP candidate from Tehri Lok Sabha seat, Mala Raj Lakshmi is the richest in terms of assets while independent candidate Bobby Panwar from the same seat having the maximum number of criminal cases to his name.

Dehradun: As five seats in Uttarakhand go to polls in the first phase of voting for Lok Sabha election 2024, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), a nonprofit organisation has revealed that BJP candidate from Tehri Lok Sabha seat, Mala Raj Lakshmi stands at the top among candidates in terms of assets with independent candidate Bobby Panwar from the same seat having the maximum number of criminal cases to his name.

Five seats in Uttarakhand--Tehri Garhwal, Garhwal, Almora, Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar, Haridwar will be among the 102 constituencies to go to the polls in the first phase of upcoming Lok Sabha election 2024 scheduled on April 19.

A total of 1,625 candidates are in the fray on the said seats. These include 55 candidates from Uttarakhand.

According to a report released by the ADR (Association for Democratic Reforms), Mala Raj Lakshmi, the BJP candidate from Tehri is at top in terms of assets. Among all the candidates contesting in the first phase of the country, independent candidate from Haridwar Lok Sabha seat Umesh Sharma is at 21st position in terms of assets, the ADR report said. Karan Singh Saini, the independent candidate from Haridwar Lok Sabha seat, is at 90th position in terms of assets while Congress candidate from Haridwar Lok Sabha seat, Virendra Rawat is at 106th position in terms of assets. BJP candidate from Haridwar Lok Sabha seat, Trivendra Singh Rawat is at the 155th position in terms of maximum assets.

In terms of criminal cases, Bobby Panwar, the independent candidate from Tehri Lok Sabha seat, is the top among the total 55 candidates from Uttarakhand with a total of eight criminal cases pending against him. These include eight serious sections and 21 other sections. Bobby Panwar is facing cases of Attempt to Murder (307), Sexual Harassment (354A) and Attempt to Commit Suicide (309).

Ashutosh Singh, the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) candidate from Garhwal Lok Sabha seat, is at second position in criminal cases among all the candidates of the state. Also, he is at 25th position among the candidates with criminal cases in the country. A total of seven cases are registered against Ashutosh Singh-- five serious sections and eight other sections.

Dhir Singh, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate from Garhwal Lok Sabha seat, is at third place among all the candidates of Uttarakhand state in criminal cases with a total of five cases registered against him. These include four serious sections and one other section.

More than 2.5 lakh voters from military background are believed to play a decisive role in Uttarakhand in the Lok Sabha election 2024.