Lok Sabha 2024 Phase 5 Polls: 33 Per Cent Crorepati Candidates, Piyush Goyal Among 3 Richest

Voters from 49 constituencies spread across eight states and Union territories are polling in the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections today. With 695 candidates in contention, the average asset per candidate contesting in this phase is worth Rs 3.56 crores. Prominent faces of this phase include Rahul Gandhi, Smriti Irani, Karan Bhushan Singh, and Chirag Paswan.

Share Of Wealth Among Candidates

Out of the 695 candidates, 227 (33%) are crorepatis. The wealth distribution shows that 86 candidates have assets worth Rs 5 crore and above, 73 candidates have assets between Rs 2 crore and Rs 5 crore, 162 candidates have assets between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 2 crore, 175 candidates have assets between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 50 lakh, and 199 candidates have assets less than Rs 10 lakh.

State-Wise Crorepati Candidates

Maharashtra has the highest number of total candidates (126) and Crorepati candidates (87) across 13 constituencies. Uttar Pradesh follows with 144 total candidates and 53 crorepati candidates across 14 constituencies. West Bengal has 88 total candidates and 20 crorepati candidates across 7 constituencies, Bihar has 80 total candidates and 27 crorepati candidates across 5 constituencies, Jharkhand has 54 total candidates and 21 crorepati candidates across 3 constituencies, Odisha has 40 total candidates and 13 crorepati candidates across 5 constituencies, Jammu & Kashmir has 22 total candidates and 4 crorepati candidates across 1 constituency, and Ladakh has 3 total candidates and 2 crorepati candidates across 1 constituency.

Party-Wise Crorepati Candidates

Independent candidates lead with the highest number of total candidates (291) and crorepati candidates (48). The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has 40 total candidates and 36 crorepati candidates, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has 46 total candidates and 20 crorepati candidates, the Congress has 18 total candidates and 15 crorepati candidates, the Samajwadi Party (SP) has 10 total candidates and 10 crorepati candidates, Shiv Sena (UBT) has 8 total candidates and 7 crorepati candidates, Vanchit Bahujan Agadi (VBA) has 10 total candidates and 7 crorepati candidates, Shivsena has 6 total candidates and 6 crorepati candidates, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has 7 total candidates and 6 crorepati candidates, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has 4 total candidates and 4 crorepati candidates, and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has 5 total candidates and 4 crorepati candidates.

Candidates With Highest And Lowest Assets

The richest candidate in the fifth phase of polls is BJP's Anurag Sharma, contesting for Jhansi in UP. Sharma is Managing Director at Shree Baidyanath Ayurved Bhawan Pvt Ltd., has total assets worth more than Rs 212 crore. Independent candidate from Maharashtra's Bhiwandi Nilesh Bhagwan Sambare is worth Rs 116 crore and is second on the list. Piyush Goyal is the third richest candidate of the fifth phase with assets worth more than Rs 110 crore. Goyal is the union Minister of Commerce, Industry, Consumer Affairs and Food and Public Distribution and is contesting from Mumbai North.

The poorest candidates include Mohammad Sultan Ganaie, an Independent candidate for the Baramulla seat in Jammu and Kashmir, with the least wealth at Rs 67, Mukesh Kumar, an Independent candidate for the Muzaffarpur seat in Bihar, with declared assets worth Rs 700, Surajit Hembram, an Independent candidate for the Hooghly seat in West Bengal, with assets of Rs 5,427, and Mehraj Uddin Najar, another Independent candidate for the Baramulla seat, with declared assets worth Rs 10,000