Gujarat polls: 30 per cent phase-I candidates 'crorepatis'

Thirty per cent of candidates in fray for the first phase of the Assembly polls are 'crorepatis', the affidavits analysed by Association for Democratic Reforms and Gujarat Election Watch have found.

A total of 147 candidates out of the 482 candidates, whose affidavits have been analysed out of total 846 in first phase of Gujarat Assembly elections to be held on December 13, are "crorepatis", the analysis reveals.

While 39 candidates have declared assets less than Rs 1 lakh, 47 have declared liabilities of Rs 50 lakh or above.

The average asset per candidate for Congress is Rs 6.40 crores, for BJP is Rs 4.48 crores and for GPP is Rs 1.07 crores.

Total 103 (21 per cent) candidates, analysed in the first phase of 2012 state Assembly elections, have not declared their Permanent Account Number (PAN) details.

The candidate with the highest asset and liability is Indranil Rajguru, Congress candidate from Rajkot East constituency, possessing assets worth Rs 122 crores and declaring liabilities of Rs 27.14 crores.

Congress candidate from Manavadar Assembly seat in Junagadh district, Javaharbhai Chavda, has assets worth Rs 82 crores while Rajabhai Parmar, contesting on Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket from Somnath Assembly constituency in Junagadh district, possesses assets worth Rs 40 crores.

GPP's Mineshbhai Patel, who has been fielded from Valsad Assembly constituency, has declared that he has no assets while Bismilla Abdulkhan Pathan, contesting as an independent candidate from Rajkot South constituency, has assets worth Rs 1,000 only.

Regarding analysis of Income Tax (I-T) returns of candidates in fray for the first phase of state Assembly polls, BJP candidate from Rajula Assembly constituency in Amreli district, Hirabhai Solanki, has declared the highest income of Rs 3.41 crores in his last I-T return.

GPP candidate from Katargam constituency in Surat, Ghanshyam Italiya, has also declared income of Rs 3.41 crores in his last I-T return.

... contd.

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