NEW DELHI: As India is gearing to vote in the fourth phase of the
Lok Sabha elections
, over 1,717
candidates
are in the fray for 96 constituencies polling across 10 states and Union Territories across the country.
According to an Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) analysis of the self-sworn affidavits of 1,710 of the 1,717 candidates contesting in the fourth phase slated for May 13, 476 candidates are ‘crorepatis’, with assets exceeding 1 crore, while 24 candidates have declared zero assets.
The report also discloses that 360 (21%) candidates have declared
criminal cases
against them.
Candidates with highest assets:
- According to the
ADR report , the candidate with highest assets is Dr Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, contesting from the Guntur Lok Sabha seat inAndhra Pradesh on a TDP ticket, with total assets exceeding Rs 5,705 crore. - The second-highest is Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, representing BJP in the Chevella constituency of Telangana, with assets surpassing Rs 4,568 crore.
- Prabhakar Reddy Vemireddy from the Nellore constituency in Andhra Pradesh, affiliated with the TDP, ranks third with assets of Rs 716 crore.
- Amrita Roy, a BJP candidate from the Krishnanagar constituency in West Bengal, stands fourth with assets of Rs 554 crore.
- C. M. Ramesh, contesting from the Anakapalle constituency in Andhra Pradesh on a BJP ticket stands fifth and has declared assets worth Rs 497 crore.
- Dr Gaddam Ranjith Reddy, an INC candidate from the Chevella constituency in Telangana, possesses assets amounting to Rs 435 crore, making him the sixth
richest candidate among the fourth phase candidates.
Candidates with lowest assets
- According to ADR, there are 24 candidates who have declared zero assets. The report, however, does not name any.
- The candidate to declare the lowest amount of assets is Katta Anand Babu, an independent candidate from the Bapatla (SC) constituency in Andhra Pradesh, with just Rs 7.
- Santosh Ubale, representing the Bhim Sena in the Maval constituency of Maharashtra stands second and has declared assets worth Rs 83.
- Bhor Vikas Rohidas, an independent candidate from the Shirur constituency in Maharashtra ranks third with total claimed assets of Rs 90.
- Jalamsing Sutum Pawar, another independent candidate from the Nandurbar (ST) constituency in Maharashtra, and Shesherao Chokhoba Veer, representing the Prabuddha Republican Party in the Beed constituency of Maharashtra, both have declared assets of Rs 500.
The states going to polls in the fourth phase of elections on May 13 are, Andhra Pradesh (25 seats), Bihar (5 seats), Jharkhand (4 seats), Madhya Pradesh (8 seats), Maharashtra (11 seats), Odisha (4 seats), Telangana: (17 seats), Uttar Pradesh: (13 seats) and West Bengal (8 seats).
Several key candidates contesting the elections include Y S Sharmila, Y S Avinash Reddy, Pemmasani Chandrasekhar, Giriraj Singh, Awadhesh Kumar Rai, Lalit Kumar Yadav, Arjun Munda, Madhavi Latha, Asaduddin Owaisi, T. Jeevan Reddy, Sarika Singh Baghel, Ram Shankar Katheria, Shatrughan Sinha, Surinderjeet Singh Ahluwalia Smt. Geeta Koda, Pradeep Kumar Panigrahy and many more.
