The Hindu : New Delhi News : How rich are your candidates?

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 26, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

How rich are your candidates?

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, APRIL 25. The declaration of movable and immovable assets by the main contenders for the seven Lok Sabha seats from the Capital reveals that the two major political parties -- the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party -- have "preferred'' to field candidates with a hefty bank balance and properties in their names.

Details in the affidavits reveal that an overwhelming majority of candidates of both parties have at least Rs. 50 lakhs worth movable and immovable assets in their name. However, there are a few exceptions, at least on paper, like the Congress nominee from Outer Delhi, Sajjan Kumar, and the BJP candidate from Karol Bagh, Anita Arya.

These affidavits have also brought out some interesting facts about several prominent candidates in the fray. Most leaders, who are always seen travelling in luxurious air-conditioned cars, have declared that they do not have any motor vehicle in their name. For instance, the Union Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs, Vijay Goel, who owns a flat worth Rs. 60 lakhs has declared that he owns a Maruti 800, which one rarely sees him driving. At least two of the leaders, Vijay Kumar Malhotra of the BJP and Jagdish Tytler of the Congress have declared that they possess firearms for personal safety.

When it comes to education, a majority of them are highly qualified, except for Mr. Kumar who studied privately at home. The Delhi Assembly Speaker, Ajay Maken, is the one who is still continuing with his education. He is doing Master of Arts in Economics through correspondence.

Shiv Raj Khera

Internationally acclaimed management guru, Shiv Raj Khera, who has decided to enter electoral politics by filing his nomination papers from South Delhi Lok Sabha seat, has in his affidavit submitted before the Returning Officer, declared that he possesses movable and immovable assets worth several crores.

A resident of the posh Vasant Vihar colony in South Delhi, Mr. Khera has about Rs. 2.5 crores in various banks including several accounts in foreign banks in dollars. Besides, he has invested in crores in bonds, debentures and financial institutions. At the same time, he has declared that he has taken a loan of Rs. 2.5 crores from the ICICI Bank in Vasant Vihar. He is probably the only one to have an account in a foreign bank.

Though he has several landed properties in and around the Capital worth a few crores and has 1.5 kg of gold, Mr. Khera declared that he ows Rs. 50 lakhs to the Qualified Learning Systems and Rs. 11.25 lakhs to the Denso Sales. Last year he paid an income tax of Rs. 25 lakhs.

R.K. Anand

Not far behind is the eminent lawyer, R.K. Anand, the Congress candidate from South Delhi, whose movable and immovable properties taken together are estimated to be worth several crores. Besides having a cash reserve of Rs. 8.5 lakhs and a hefty balance in a number of banks, the property of Mr. Anand in South Extension-II is estimated to be worth Rs. 1.8 crores. In his UCO Bank, Delhi High Court account, he has a balance of Rs. 62 lakhs and for the election; he has opened a separate account in which he has Rs. 20 lakhs.

Vijay Kumar Malhotra

Though not as rich as his rivals in South Delhi, Mr. Anand or Mr. Khera, the BJP leader, Vijay Kumar Malhotra, as per his affidavit, has made substantial investment in various financial institutions with UTI being his favourite. Having declared movable and immovable assets worth nearly Rs. 50 lakhs, Mr. Malhotra neither has a residence nor a vehicle of his own. His wife has 50 per cent share in a small 552 sq. feet flat at Naurang House on Kasturba Gandhi Marg. Mr. Malhotra has declared that he possesses two fire arms of Rs. 5,000 (most probably pistol), which he purchased some three decades ago for self defence.

Kapil Sibal

The Congress spokesperson and party candidate from Chandni Chowk, Kapil Sibal, has invested heavily in property. His immovable assets add up to several crores, with his property ranging from agricultural land to commercial and residential buildings. The Congress leader, however, seems to have forgotten to include his bank accounts and other financial investments with the affidavit showing no mention of any of these figures.

His love for automobiles is clearly evident, with Mr. Sibal's list of vehicles including everything from a Bajaj Chetak scooter and Enfield Bullet motorcycle to Opel Astra, Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, Toyota Corolla and Suzuki Jeep. All adding up to Rs. 46.08 lakh.

Jagmohan

The Union Tourism Minister, Jagmohan -- the BJP candidate from New Delhi - has declared that he has movable and immovable properties estimated to be worth Rs. 2 crores. He seems to have judiciously invested his money in various financial institutions and has a share in a Vasant Vihar house.

Ajay Maken

The Delhi Assembly Speaker and the Congress candidate from New Delhi, Ajay Maken, also seems to have invested heavily in bonds, shares and other financial instruments. While he owns a Maruti Vitara (having taken a loan of Rs. 6.5 lakhs from the HDFC bank), his wife has an Indigo. Mr. Maken has quite a number of landed properties, which taken together would be worth more than Rs. 1.7 crores. He has no dues against his name.

Javed Abidi

Contesting as an independent from the New Delhi seat with the objective of highlighting the cause he has been fighting for, the well-known disabled rights activist, Javed Abidi, seems to have just Rs. 910 in his hand. Of the three bank accounts declared by him, the highest amount (Rs. 26,102) is in the account which he has opened for the purpose of general elections. Besides possessing one Maruti Esteem and another Maruti 800, he has a flat worth Rs. 35 lakhs at Qutab View Apartments in South Delhi.

Vijay Goel

This high-profile Union Minister, who is contesting from Delhi Sadar, has in his affidavit declared that he possesses an apartment in the posh Civil Lines area worth Rs. 60 lakhs, but at the same time owns only a Maruti-800 with a market value of Rs. 1.4 lakhs. Vijay Goel and his wife have invested more than Rs. 20 lakhs in shares and debentures. The affidavit revealed that his wife has invested Rs. 24 lakhs in family business.

Jagdish Tytler

With a hefty bank balance, massive investments in bonds, debentures and other financial institutions, the former Union Transport Minister, Jagdish Tytler, seems to be in the company of "affluent" candidates. Contesting on a Congress ticket from Delhi Sadar, Mr. Tytler and his wife Jeniffer Tytler have declared that they have movable and immovable assets worth Rs. 5.5 crores. The couple has given loans of Rs. 62 lakhs to various persons. Mr. Tytler also declared that he possesses a Browning Pistol .32 calibre, which is estimated to be worth Rs. 20,900.

Sajjan Kumar

The veteran Congress leader and two time Member of Parliament from Outer Delhi Lok Sabha seat, Sajjan Kumar, does not own a house of his own. Consequently he has been staying in a spacious bungalow in Lutyen's Delhi, for which Mr. Kumar has to pay a due of Rs. 2.79 lakhs to the Directorate of Estates. Further, he also has to repay a car loan of Rs. 2.41 lakhs to the Delhi State Cooperative Bank Limited.

In his affidavit, Mr. Kumar, who is contesting from Outer Delhi, has declared that he has Rs. 1.6 lakhs in cash, besides Rs. 80,000 in his bank account. The assets of his wife is worth more than Rs. 7 lakhs. Interestingly, Mr. Kumar had no formal education and studied privately at home.

Sahib Singh Verma

The Union Minister and BJP candidate from Outer Delhi, Sahib Singh Verma, has moveable and immovable assets worth about Rs. 50 lakhs. Though he does not possess any residential property, he owns agricultural land (about 1.5 bigha in Mundka) worth Rs. 9 lakhs. Besides having a bank balance of more than Rs. 27 lakhs, he and his family members (wife and dependents) own a Gypsy, an Ambassador and a Lancer.

Sandeep Dikshit

The assets of the young Sandeep Dikshit, the Congress candidate from East Delhi, are pretty `meagre' compared to the other prominent candidates in the fray. At the same time, he seems to be interested in investing in bonds, shares and other financial instruments. Son of the Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, he owns only a scooter. But he has quite a few landed properties both in Bhopal and Delhi.

Lal Behari Tiwari

The three-time BJP Member of Parliament from the East Delhi Lok Sabha seat, Lal Behari Tiwari, has movable and immovable assets worth Rs. 35 lakhs. This includes land and two buildings worth Rs. 23.5 lakhs, deposits in banks (about Rs. 10 lakhs) and claims to own only a Maruti 800.

Krishna Tirath

The Deputy Speaker in the Delhi Assembly, Krishna Tirath, who is contesting on a Congress ticket from Karol Bagh, has a Maruti Zen and bank deposits of more than Rs. 4 lakhs. Her spouse has Rs. 9.82 lakhs, and gold jewelleries worth Rs. 5 lakhs. While she has a residential plot in Gurgaon worth Rs. 10 lakhs, her husband has two residential buildings in Delhi worth Rs. 30 lakhs.

Anita Arya

Ms. Tirath's main rival in Karol Bagh, Anita Arya of the BJP does not have much to declare. As per her affidavit, she and her spouse have no property in their name and have a Santro car. Besides having gold jewellery worth Rs. 3.9 lakhs, they have just Rs. 2 lakhs in banks and have invested another one lakh in bonds.

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