Patna:
It may be among the poorest states in the country, but Bihar can boast of some millionaire candidates in the ongoing Assembly elections.
One of them is Rabri Devi, two term Bihar chief minister and proud owner of 62 cows and 42 calves. Her cattle are worth about Rs 18 lakh, apart from jewellery, land and back deposits.
The combined worth of the RJD leader and her husband Lalu Yadav has gone up by about Rs 3 crore since the 2005 polls, to Rs 5 crore.
It is not just Rabri Devi, data compiled by Associations for Democratic Reforms, an NGO, has revealed that the number of multi-millionaires contesting the Bihar assembly elections has increased from 36 in 2005 to more than 200 this time around.
In fact, the wealth of 55 MLAs seeking re-election have grown by 115 percent over the last five years.
"This is the proof that money power is playing a bigger role than ever in elections, and that all talk of involving the common man in politics is just talk," said Anjesh Kumar, Coordinator, Association for Democratic Reform, Patna.
This is yet another proof, perhaps, that elections in one of India's least developed states have become a battleground for the rich.