The sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections is set to witness a battle of affluence, with a significant number of candidates boasting crorepati status. According to the Association of Democratic Reforms, out of the 866 candidates analysed, 338 (39 per cent ) are crorepati, with an average asset value of Rs. 6.21 crores.
Polling for the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections will take place today. The phase will see 869 candidates across 57 constituencies in seven states.
The sixth phase will see constituencies including 14 in Uttar Pradesh, 10 in Haryana, eight each in West Bengal and Bihar, seven in Delhi, six in Odisha, and four in Jharkhand going for polls in the sixth phase.
Share Of Wealth Among Candidates
The wealth distribution among candidates reveals that 14 per cent have assets above Rs 5 crore and 13 per cent fall within the Rs 2 crore to Rs 5 crore range. Additionally, 22 per cent of candidates possess assets between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 5 crore, 25 per cent between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 50 lakh, and 26 per cent have less than Rs 10 lakh.
State-Wise Crorepati Candidates
Examining the number of crorepati candidates in each state, Haryana takes the lead with 102 crorepati out of 223 total candidates. Delhi follows closely with 68 crorepatis out of 162 candidates, and Uttar Pradesh comes in third with 59 crorepatis out of 162 candidates. Other states with a notable number of crorepati candidates include Bihar (35), Jharkhand (25), Odisha (28), and West Bengal (21).
Party-Wise Crorepati Candidates
Analyzing party-wise data, independent candidates top the list, with 86 out of 325 candidates enjoying Crorepati status. The BJP comes in second, with 48 crorepati out of 51 candidates, followed by BSP with 23 crorepati out of 54 candidates. The Congress party has 20 crorepati candidates out of 25, the Samajwadi Party has 11 out of 12, and the Jannayak Janata Party has 9 out of 10. Meanwhile, all candidates of Biju Janata Dal, Indian National Lok Dal and Rashtriya Janata Dal are crorepati.
Candidates with Highest and Lowest Assets
Industrialist Naveen Jindal from the BJP tops the list with assets worth Rs 1,241 crore, contesting from Kurukshetra, Haryana. He is followed by Santrupt Misra of BJD from Cuttack, Odisha, with Rs 482 crore in assets, and AAP's Dr. Sushil Gupta from Kurukshetra, Haryana, with Rs 169 crore.
On the other end of the spectrum, Master Randhir Singh, an independent candidate from Rohtak, Haryana, has declared the lowest assets at just Rs 2. Other candidates with minimal assets include Ram Kumar Yadav from UP's Pratapgarh with Rs 1,000, and Khilkhilakar from Delhi's North West Delhi (SC) with Rs 2,000.