BATHINDA: SAD canmdidate Harsimrat Kaur Badal has registered the highest growth in the assets out of the 716 women candidates contesting the parliamentary elections across India, according to the Association for Democratic Rights (ADR) and the National Election Watch (NEW). ADR and NEW released a report on Saturday after an exhaustive analysis of the affidavits filed by all the contesting women candidates.
Harsimrat, along with her husband and SAD chief Sukhbir Badal, has declared assets worth Rs 217 crore in the 2019 elections. It is a rise of Rs 109 crore or 101.5% over the assets worth Rs 108 crore declared before the 2014 elections.
In overall assets, Harsimrat is at third spot among women candidates, with highest assets of Rs 250 crore held by Hema Malini, who is contesting from Mathura in UP on BJP ticket. Malini is followed by DA Sathya Prabha of Telgu Desam Party at Rs 220 crore, who is contesting from Rajampet constituency in Andhra Pradesh.
The average assets of woman candidates this election is Rs 5.63 crore.
In terms of liabilities, Harsimrat is at second spot with burden of Rs 95 crore. Highest liabilities are of Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah of BJP at Rs 135 crore, who is contesting from Tehri Garhwal seat in Uttrakhand.
“In all, 724 women candidates are in fray across the country and out of these the affidavits of eight women candidates could not be fully analysed and assertion is based on affidavits of 716 candidates,” ADR and NEW founder member Prof Jagdeep Chhokar told TOI.
The fate of 96 woman candidates will be held on May 19. 110 out of total (15%) women have criminal cases and 78 (11%) have serious cases against them.
255 out of 716 (36%) are crorepatis with the average assets of Rs. 5.63 crore. The six women candidates have shown their assets as zero, After them, the lowest assets are of Urmila who is contesting from Jalandhar on the ticket of Ambedkar National Congress at only Rs. 295.
The average assets of re-contesting women candidates have been pegged at Rs. 29.38 crore with average growth of Rs. 6.23 crore(27%). Harsimrat is at top of increase in assets followed by Hema Malini whose assets grown to Rs. 250 crore from Rs. 178 crore in 2014.