As many as 28 Lok Sabha candidates out of 64 nominees for the third phase election in Odisha are crorepatis.

BJD’s Cuttack nominee Santrupt Misra is the richest with assets worth over Rs 482.21 crore followed by party’s Dhenkanal candidate Abinash Samal who owns assets worth over Rs 36.78 crore, as per the report of Odisha Election Watch and the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

BSP candidate from Keonjhar Ram Prasad Hembram is the third richest with assets worth over Rs 35.81 crore. On the other hand, Puri’s independent candidate Dillip Kumar Baral is the poorest, with assets of only Rs 4,032. Out of the total of 64 nominees, 18 candidates have declared criminal cases and 13 of them have serious criminal cases pending against them.

The BJP and Congress have fielded four crorepati candidates each, three BSP candidates and one from Utkal Samaj are crorepatis. Simultaneous Assembly and General Elections will be held in six Parliamentary constituencies and 42 Assembly segments of Odisha in the third phase on May 25. 

A total of 64 candidates, including nine women, are contesting from Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, Puri and Sambalpur Parliamentary constituencies.