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Source
Indian Express
Author
Saman Husain
Date
City
New Delhi

BJP candidates have the highest average wealth, at Rs 22.90 crore, followed by the Congress at Rs 14.41 and the AAP at Rs 11.70 crore, according to the report by the Association for Democratic Reforms.

In the high-stakes arena of Delhi Assembly elections, money is not just a factor—it is a defining force. Compared to the 2020 elections, there has been a surge in ultra-rich candidates, with billionaires and crorepatis dominating the political battlefield, according to a report. Almost all the ultra-rich candidates have been fielded by the three major political parties — Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress.

The Delhi Assembly election report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) reveals an increase in the number of high-net-worth individuals contesting. According to the report, there has been an increasing number of candidates with assets exceeding Rs 50 crore. In 2020, only 13 candidates fell into this category, whereas the number has risen to 23 this year.

Most of these candidates belong to the three mainstream political parties, while two are Independents. The BJP leads in this category, fielding the highest number of ultra-wealthy candidates. BJP candidates also have the highest average wealth, at Rs 22.90 crore, followed by the Congress at Rs. 14.41 crore. AAP candidates report the lowest average declared assets, at Rs 11.70 crore.

The report also identifies five billionaire (over Rs 100 crore) candidates. The BJP has fielded the highest number of billionaires: Karnail Singh (Rs 259.67 crore), contesting from Shakur Basti, is the richest, followed by Manjinder Singh Sirsa (Rs 248.85 crore) from Rajouri Garden, both represent the BJP. The party’s New Delhi candidate, Parvesh Sahib Singh (Rs 115.63 crore), is also among the five billionaires. The Congress party has one billionaire candidate, Gurcharan Singh Raju (Rs 130.90 crore) from Krishna Nagar, while the AAP’s lone billionaire is Dhanwati Chandela (Rs 109.90 crore), who is contesting from Rajouri Garden.

Delhi Assembly candidates assets

Of the 10 richest candidates, five are from the BJP, three are from the AAP, and two are from Congress. Only four of the 50 richest candidates contesting the Delhi elections are not part of the three big parties, although three have links to them.

Tahir Hussain of the Asaduddin Owaisi-led AlMIM, who is contesting from Mustafabad, was earlier an AAP councillor but was removed from the party after he was accused in the 2020 Delhi riots case. Dr Munish Kumar Raizada, an Indian-American contesting from the New Delhi seat, was once a part of AAP but was suspended for misleading volunteers by projecting himself as the chief of the party’s international cell.

Raj Kumari Dhillon, contesting as an Independent candidate from Hari Nagar who is an incumbent AAP MLA, is rebelling against the party for being denied a ticket. Burari candidate Shailendra Kumar is part of the JD(U), which is in alliance with the BJP. Vikas Tyagi, who is contesting from Shahdara, was affiliated with the BJP but is contesting independently after being denied a ticket.

However, there is also a substantial financial divide among the candidates fielded by the three major political parties. Akshay Kumar, a Congress candidate from Kondli, is the poorest among the candidates fielded by any major political parties, with assets worth Rs 5 lakh. Other candidates with relatively low assets include AAP’s Sarita Singh (Rohtas Nagar), with assets worth Rs 20 lakh. The BJP’s poorest candidate is Ravi Kant (Trilokpuri), with assets worth Rs 20 lakh.