While some candidates boast massive wealth, others in the race possess minimal assets. Five contenders have no assets at all.

Lok Sabha Elections Phase 3 candidates: In the upcoming phase 3 of the 18th Lok Sabha elections, BJP’s candidate Pallavi Shrinivas Dempo from the South Goa constituency, the first woman fielded by the party from Goa, has emerged as the wealthiest candidate, with assets valued at over Rs 1361 crore, according to a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

Following closely is Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Union Minister of Civil Aviation in the Modi-led NDA government, contesting from Madhya Pradesh’s Guna constituency, with assets worth over Rs 424 crore. Meanwhile, Chhatrapati Shahu Shahji, representing Maharashtra’s Kolhapur constituency on a Congress ticket, ranks third with total assets exceeding Rs 342 crore.

While some candidates boast massive wealth, others in the race possess minimal assets. Five contenders have no assets at all. Notable among them are independent candidate Irafan Abutalib Chand from Kolhapur, with assets worth Rs 100, and a BSP candidate from Gujarat’s Bardoli, whose assets amount to a mere Rs 2,000.

The analysis conducted by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch scrutinized the self-sworn affidavits of 1351 candidates contesting in Phase 3 across 12 states and Union Territories. Among these candidates, 392 (29 per cent) are crorepatis.

Party wise crorepati candidates:

When considering major parties, JD(U) sees 100 per cent of its 3 candidates, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) all 5 out of 5 candidates, NCP all 3 out of 3 candidates, RJD all 3 out of 3 candidates, Shiv Sena 2 out of 2 candidates, Nationalist Congress Party – Sharadchandra Pawar all 3 out of 3 candidates, BJP with a significant 94 percent of its 82 candidates, INC with 88 per cent of its 68 candidates, SP with 90 per cent of its 10 candidates, and AITC with 67 per cent of its 6 candidates, declaring assets worth more than Rs. 1 crore.

Party-wise, the BJP leads in the number of crorepati candidates, with 77 out of 82 contenders (94%) declaring assets exceeding Rs 1 crore. The average asset per candidate in Phase 3 stands at Rs 5.66 crores. Notably, Nationalist Congress Party – Sharadchandra Pawar candidates have the highest average assets of Rs 89.68 crores per candidate, followed by NCP candidates with Rs 62.64 crores.

The third phase of polls are scheduled for May 7. This phase will cover 94 Lok Sabha constituencies across 12 states and union territories (UTs). A total of 1351 candidates are vying for seats in this phase. Notably, one candidate from the Surat PC in Gujarat has secured victory unopposed. Additionally, eight candidates are gearing up to contest the adjourned poll in the 29-Betul (ST) PC of Madhya Pradesh.