It seems the 'Vidhan Sabha' seats are not for the poor.

A study has revealed that only 18 candidates with less than Rs five lakh assets managed to enter the five state assemblies, where elections were held last month, while a total of 248 millionaires won their electoral battles.

Out of the 629 constituencies in five states -- Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram – which went to polls, 248 of them have been bagged by 'crorepatis', a study by the National Election Watch (NEW) said.

A total of 121 'crorepatis' from the Congress won in the five assemblies with the BJP coming to a close second with 110 of its crorepati candidates entering the assemblies, a party-wise break-up of the study revealed.

While the average assets possessed by winning candidates is highest in Delhi at Rs 2.8 crore, it is Rs 2.69 crore in Chhattisgarh, it said.

In Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, the average assets of elected candidates were Rs 1.45 crore and Rs 1.99 crore respectively, while in Mizoram it stood at Rs 0.74 crore.

Besides, the report also revealed that candidates with low assets -- in between Rs 0 to Rs 5 lakh -- have very slim chances of getting elected to the assembly.

While in Delhi and Mizoram, no MLA with assets less than five lakhs was elected, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan together saw a total of only 18 such candidates managing to win the elections.

... contd.