Delhi Polls: With assets worth Rs 259 crore, BJP’s Karnail Singh richest candidate in fray

BJP candidate Karnail Singh has emerged as the wealthiest among the 699 candidates contesting the Delhi Assembly election, with assets worth Rs 259 crore, according to the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

The ADR report highlights significant financial disparities among candidates, revealing that three have declared zero assets. In comparison to the 2020 election, the number of candidates analysed has increased from 672 to 699.

Five candidates are billionaires, each declaring assets exceeding Rs 100 crore. Additionally, 23 candidates, or 3%, have declared assets above Rs 50 crore, reflecting a slight increase from 2% in 2020. Meanwhile, 31.76% of candidates, or 222 individuals, reported assets below Rs 10 lakh.

The five richest candidates are Karnail Singh (BJP, Shakur Basti) with Rs 259.67 crore, Manjinder Singh Sirsa (BJP, Rajouri Garden) with Rs 248.85 crore, Gurcharan Singh (Congress, Krishna Nagar) with Rs 130.90 crore, Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma (BJP, New Delhi) with Rs 115.63 crore, and A Dhanwati Chandela (AAP, Rajouri Garden) with Rs 109.90 crore.

At the opposite end, three candidates, including Shabana (Rashtriya Republican Party) and Yogesh Kumar (Independent), declared zero assets. Among those with minimal wealth, Ashok Kumar (Independent) reported Rs 6,586 in assets, and Anita (Independent) declared Rs 9,500.

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Average assets vary significantly by party, with BJP candidates leading at Rs 22.90 crore, followed by Congress at Rs 14.41 crore, and AAP at Rs 11.70 crore. Independent candidates reported significantly lower average assets, highlighting their limited financial resources. The BJP has fielded three billionaire candidates, while Congress and AAP have one each.

Liabilities also pose challenges for several candidates. Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma (BJP) reported the highest liabilities at Rs 74.36 crore, followed by Manjinder Singh Sirsa (BJP) with Rs 57.68 crore.

Regarding declared income for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma reported Rs 20.60 crore, primarily from business and pension, while Manjinder Singh Sirsa declared Rs 12.72 crore, and Sumesh Shokeen (AAP) reported Rs 9.89 crore, derived from businesses and rental income.

The total declared assets of all candidates stand at Rs 3,952 crore, with an average of Rs 5.65 crore per candidate, up from Rs 4.34 crore in 2020.

The Delhi Assembly election for 70 seats is scheduled for February 5, with vote counting set for February 8.

(With inputs from PTI)