Leaders’ houses, some small and mostly large

At 24,900 sq feet, minister of state Vasan Ahir owns the largest of the houses declared by Gujarat candidates in their affidavits. His house in Anjar town of Kutch, worth Rs 17.5 lakh, is only slightly larger than industries minister Saurabh Patel's 24,300-sq-foot house in Ahmedabad's Ellisbridge area, whose cost he has declared at Rs 5 crore.

Both ministers have other houses. Ahir has one spanning 400 sq ft and worth Rs 92 lakh in Gandhinagar. Patel has two others, one in Ellisbridge of 16,800 sq ft and worth Rs 10 crore, the other in Gandhinagar of 3,500 square ft and worth Rs 20 lakh. None of his three houses are in his present constituency of Akota in Vadodara, or in his earlier one of Botad in Bhavnagar.

The smallest house declared by any minister appears to the one that belongs to Anandiben Patel, who owns a 1,500-sq-ft tenement worth Rs 19 lakh in Memnagar, Ahmedabad.

Chief Minister Narendra Modi has declared a one-fourth share in a 3,500-sq-ft residential property worth Rs 1 crore in sector 1, Gandhinagar, but has not named the other partners. Finance minister Vaju Vala too owns a house in sector 1, measuring 3,550 sq ft and worth Rs 40 lakh, besides a second home in Rajkot, 2,600 sq ft and Rs 30 lakh.

Among Congress leaders, state unit chief Arjun Modhwadia and his wife own a 18,990-sq-ft bungalow worth Rs 1 crore in Porbandar. Modhwadia also has a 3,300-sq-ft apartment worth Rs 40 lakh in Ahmedabad.

CLP leader Shaktisinh Gohil has a 8,995-sq-ft property worth Rs 10 lakh in Bhavnagar and a 3,500-sq-ft worth Rs 12 lakh house in Gandhinagar. Shankersinh Vaghela has 6,750 sq ft house worth Rs 1.05 crore in Gandhinagar and a 4,000-sq-ft house worth Rs 35 lakh in Mehsana.

Minister of state Purshottam Solanki has four houses worth a total Rs 5 crore. Two of these houses are in Mumbai, one of them 3,650 sq ft. Minister Narottam Patel has a residence each in Surat (4,950 sq ft, Rs 86 lakh) and Gandhinagar (3,550 sq ft, Rs 81 lakh).

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