An astounding Rs 716 crore separates the richest and poorest candidates in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024.
The difference is essentially the disclosed assets of the richest candidate, while the poorest contender has declared their net worth to be just ₹ 320. This makes the contrast even more evident.
According to a Friday analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms, 10 of the 1,625 candidates have declared their assets to be zero. 450 candidates, or 28% of the total, are crorepatis, according to the research, and they have assets valued at more over ₹1 crore.
With stated assets exceeding ₹ 716 crore, Nakul Nath, a sitting Member of Parliament from Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh, is the richest contender. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Mr. Nath, the son of former chief minister Kamal Nath, secured the lone seat for his party in the state.
Ashok Kumar of the AIADMK, who has disclosed ₹ 662 crore, follows the Congress leader. Mr. Kumar is a Tamil Nadu contestant from Erode.
Dhevanathan Yadav of the BJP comes in a distant third place with ₹ 304 crore in assets. Mr. Yadav is running from the Sivaganga constituency in Tamil Nadu, where the incumbent Member of Parliament is the Congress’s Karti Chidambaram. Ranking tenth on the list, Mr. Chidambaram has a net worth of ₹ 96 crore.
Mala Rajya Lakshmi Shah of the BJP is the candidate from Uttarakhand’s Tehri Garhwal and has a net worth of ₹ 206 crore. Following her is Majid Ali from the BSP, who is contesting from Uttar Pradesh‘s Saharanpur with a declared net worth of ₹ 159 crore.
Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Candidates With 0 Wealth
| CONSTITUENCY | CANDIDATE | PARTY |
|---|---|---|
| Ramtek, Maharashtra | Arvind Shivaji Tandekar | IND |
| Nagpur, Maharashtra | Kivinsuka Virendra | DJP |
| Chennai South, Tamil Nadu | Devendran R | IND |
| Arakkonam, Tamil Nadu | Vijayan K | ALJMK |
| Vellore, Tamil Nadu | PP Jayaprakash | IND |
| Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu | Albert Francis Xavier S | IND |
| Viluppuram, Tamil Nadu | Sathiyaraj. N | IND |
| Viluppuram, Tamil Nadu | Gunasekaran. K | IND |
| Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu | R. Anbin Amudhan | IND |
| Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu | Suresh | IND |
Contrasting with the group of 10 candidates who have declared zero assets, we have Ponraj K, an Independent candidate from Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu. He claims to possess assets worth ₹ 320.
Kartik Gendlaji Doke and Suriyamuthu, Independent candidates from Maharashtra’s Ramtek constituency and Tamil Nadu’s Chennai North constituency respectively, have declared assets of ₹ 500, making them marginally richer.