The assets of re-contesting 69 sitting members of the Chhattisgarh Assembly recorded a whopping increase of 2,590%, while some members recorded a fall in income of -41%, according to affidavits filed before the Election Commission.
The rise and fall in assets was revealed by an analysis of the affidavits done jointly by Chhattisgarh Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), which was released on Tuesday.
Individual candidate-wise data analysis shows that Dilip Lahariya (INC, Masturi constituency) recorded 2,590% increase in assets from Rs 5.23 lakh in 2013 to Rs 1,40,86,116 in 2018, an increase of Rs 1.39 crore.
Amar Agrawal, Minister of Commercial Tax, Urban Development, Commerce and Industries, seeking re-election from Bilaspur recorded 840% hike in assets. His assets worth Rs 2.53 crore (2013) rose to Rs 23.85 crore (2018), an increase of Rs 21.31 crore.
Chintamani Maharaj (INC, Lundra) recorded an increase of 427% from Rs 37.15 lakh to Rs 1.95 crore, Deepak Kumar Baij (INC, Chitrakot) 384% from Rs 10.53 lakh to Rs 51 lakh, Paras Nath Rajwade (INC, Bhatgaon) 368% from Rs 9.46 lakh to Rs 44.26 lakh, Bhaiyalal Rajwade (BJP, Baikuntpur) 254% from Rs 62.98 lakh to Rs 2.22 crore and Lakeshwar Baghel (INC) 243% from Rs 1.79 crore to Rs 6.15 crore.
Similarly, Congress candidate Mohanlal Markam (Kondagaon) registered increase in income of 235% from Rs 3.46 crore to Rs 11.58 crore, Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources Brijmohan Agrawal recorded 232% rise to Rs 7.08 crore from Rs 3.05 crore, and Ajay Chandrakar of BJP (Kurud) 68% from Rs 8.17 crore to Rs 13.74 crore.
Fall in income
There are candidates who have recorded fall in income of up to (-)41% like Rajendra Kumar Rai of JCC(J) (Gunderdehi) and Lajeet Singh Rathia (INC, Dharamjaigarh). Santosh Bafna (BJP, Jagdalpur) recorded (-)30%, while Leader of Opposition T S Singhdeo of Congress recorded (-)11% decrease in assets.
The report stated that the average assets of re-contesting MLAs is Rs 12.29 crore in 2018, up from Rs 10.92 crore in 2013. The average growth in assets of re-contesting MLAs from 2013 to 2018 is Rs 1.37 crore or 13%.
