Several heavyweight candidates are all set to enter the battle for elections in the phase 6 elections in which seven states and colleges will vote.
The sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections will be held on May 25 in which as many as 889 candidates will contest to secure 57 constituencies across seven states and Union Territories.
At this stage, many political heavyweights will enter the electoral fray. The list includes prominent leaders such as former Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar, Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar, Bansuri Swaraj and Manoj Tiwari.
However, a striking detail at this stage of the elections is the independent candidate, Master Randhir Singh, who declared a value of Rs 2 in assets in his affidavit.
According to a report by the Association of Democratic Reforms, Singh is the candidate who declared the lowest net worth at this stage. He is contesting the polls from Haryana’s Rohtak. His election affidavit, uploaded on the Election Commission website, shows that Singh has Re 1 in his bank account with the State Bank of India and an equal amount of cash in his hand.
The affidavit shows that he also has no investments, savings or insurance. He also does not own a house, business premises or land.
Meet the richest candidate
Meanwhile, the richest candidate of the sixth phase of polls is industrialist Naveen Jindal with assets worth Rs 1,230 crore. Jindal is the son of former Haryana minister Savitri Jindal, who herself holds the crown of the richest Indian woman with a net worth of $33.5 billion, according to the Forbes Billionaires’ List 2024. The billionaire industrialist is fighting the polls on the basis from a BJP ticket and is chairman of Jindal Steel and Power Limited, part of the OP Jindal Group.
The ADR report on the wealth of the phase six candidates says that 39 percent of them are crorepatis with an average wealth of Rs 6.21 crore.
To be clear, there are candidates at other stages who have declared zero assets in their affidavits.
First print: May 23, 2024 | 6:39 PM IST