‘32% of Gujarat poll candidates are crorepatis’

Ahmedabad: Thirty-two per cent of the candidates contesting the Gujarat Assembly polls are "crorepatis", an analysis done by National Election Watch has revealed.

301 candidates, out of the 9400, whose affidavits were analysed, are crorepaties, it said. Gujarat Election Watch, the state chapter of NEW, analysed affidavits of 940 candidates, out of 1,666 contesting the state polls (in both phases) and released an analysis report here on Friday. The analysis report also said that the percentage of the crorepati candidates contesting the Gujarat Assembly Elections has gone up to 32 per cent as compared to 21 per cent in the 2007 state polls. Among the major parties, the average asset per candidate for Congress was Rs 7.17 crore, BJP (Rs 5.47 crore), NCP (Rs 4.36 crore), Gujarat Parivartan Party (GPP) (Rs 1.13 crore), BSP (Rs 46.24 lakh), SP (Rs 22.31 lakh) and for JD-U (Rs 17.87 lakh), reveals the NEW analysis. The top three candidates, who declared highest assets are from Congress: Balvantsinh Rajput from Sidhpur with Rs 268 crore, followed by Indranil Rajguru from Rajkot East with Rs 122 crore and Javahar Chavada from Manavadar at Rs 82 crore. While the top three candidates with highest liabilities were Balavantsinh Rajput with Rs 52.33 crore, followed by Indranil Rajguru at Rs 27.14 crore and Jitendra Somani, a BJP candidate from Wankaner with Rs 17.69 crore. Nine crorepati candidates did not declare their PAN details, a NEW member said. While, 214 out of 940 (23 per cent) candidates analysed in the state assembly elections have not declared their PAN details, he said. A comparative analysis of re-contesting MLAs in both phase I and II by NEW reveals that 170 candidates (who contested 2007 polls) are back in fray for the Gujarat assembly elections. The average assets of re-contesting candidates in 2012 elections stood at Rs 7.13 crore, while the average assets of candidates fielded by various parties in 2007 state polls was at Rs 1.85 crore, as per the analysis report. The average percentage growth in assets for the recontesting candidates is 285 per cent, while their average asset growth was at Rs 5.28 crore, it states. The party-wise figures reveals that average increase in the assets of 45 candidates, who have been given ticket again by BJP was Rs 5.10 crore, while for 34 Congress candidates it was Rs 10 crore between 2007-12. The highest percentage increase (5525 per cent) in assets was declared by Jayanti Kavadiya, of BJP contesting from Dhrangadhra constituency. Kavadiya assets increased from Rs 10.50 lakhs in 2007 to Rs 5.91 core in 2012. INC candidate from Dahod, Vajesinh Panada declared an increase of 4281 per cent in his assets. His assets rose from Rs 4.40 lakh in 2007 to Rs 1.92 crore in 2012. Followed by Shailesh Parmar of Congress from Danilimda, with an increase of 2944 per cent in assets at Rs 29.26 crore in 2012 against Rs 96.15 lakh in 2007. Amid a rising asset scenario, there were five re-contesting candidates who reported a dip in the assets in 2012, including Minister of State for Industry Saurabh Patel. His assets declined from Rs 65.29 crore in 2007 to Rs 56.60 crore in 2012. Five re-contesting candidates in both phases have reported decrease in assets in 2012 as compared to value of assets in 2007, the analysis report states. PTI