34 candidates contesting in UP bypolls are crorepatis: ADR

A total of 34 (39 per cent) Uttar Pradesh Assembly by-elections candidates are crorepatis and they belong to major political parties, including BSP, SP, Congress and BJP. The average of assets per candidate contesting in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly by-elections is Rs 2.91 crores.

New Delhi:Of the 87 candidates contesting in Uttar Pradesh Assembly by-elections 34 (39 per cent) are crorepatis and they belong to major political parties, including BSP, SP, Congress and BJP, revealed an analysis by Uttar Pradesh Election Watch and the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

Of the 87 candidates, 15 have more than Rs 5 crore assets, 10 have assets between Rs 2 crore to Rs 5 crore, 21 have Rs 50 lakh to Rs 2 crore assets, 21 have assets between Rs 10 lakh to Rs 50 lakh while 20 candidates have assets less than Rs 10 lakh.

The average of assets per candidate contesting in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly by-elections is Rs 2.91 crores.

The election watchdogs made the revelation after analysis of the self-sworn affidavits of 87 out of 88 candidates who are contesting in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly by-elections to be held in seven constituencies on November 3.

Due to unavailability of the complete and properly scanned affidavit on the Election Commission of India (ECI) website, the organisations could not analyse the affidavit of Rashtriya Shoshit Samaj Party Candidate Bhupendra Kumar Dhangar from Tundla (SC) constituency.

Seven out of seven candidates analysed from Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), five (83 per cent) out of six candidates analysed from Samajwadi Party, four (67 per cent) out of six candidates analysed from Congress, four (57 per cent) out of seven candidates analysed from BJP and six (27 per cent) out of 22 Independent candidates have declared assets worth more than Rs 1 crore.

Among major parties, the average assets per candidate for seven BSP candidates analysed is Rs 2.89 crores, seven BJP candidates analysed is Rs 2.45 crores, six SP candidates have average assets of Rs 13.69 crores, six Congress candidates have average assets of Rs 3.40 crores and 22 Independent candidates have average assets of Rs 2.31 crores.

SP leader Barahamashankar Tripathi (over Rs 31 crore) from Deoria, Independent candidate Dhananjaya Singh (over Rs 23 crore) from Malhani in Jaunpur and Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Praveen Kumar Singh (over Rs 21 crore) from Bulandshahar are among top three candidates with highest declared assets.

Jai Singh Yadav from Rashtriya Apna Dal, Kuldeep Sankhwar from BSP and Independent candidate Gita Rani Sharma with assets worth more than Rs 1 crore has not declared Income Tax details.

The Election Commission has announced the dates for by-elections on seven assembly seats of Uttar Pradesh. Polling will be done on November 3 while the results will be declared on November 10.

(IANS)