In 18 seats of UP’s impecunious eastern part will go to polls in the last phase on May 12, and there are 93 crorepati candidates, which comes out to be five crorepatis in every constituency.
In comparison, according to UP planning commission, the average per capita income of the districts in the region is meagre Rs 9,228 per annum and average net district domestic product is Rs 71,580, among lowest in the state and the country.
There are a total of 328 candidates in the fray, of which the Association of Democratic Reforms ( ADR) analyzed affidavits on assets of 325 candidates.
The affidavits were filed at the time of nominations of the elections. As per report which reveals that 93 candidates have assets in crores. Indeed, there are 30 candidates with assets between Rs 1-2 crore, 33 with assets between Rs 2-5 crore, 12 between Rs 5-10 crore, six between Rs 10-15 crore and 11 above Rs 15 crore.
The above Rs 15 crore club includes SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav (Rs 15.96 crore), Quami Ekta Dal (QED) supremo mafia-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari (Rs 18.62 crore) and Peace Party president Dr Mohammad Ayub (Rs 31.28 crore.
Even if AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal and BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, who are contesting from Varanasi, are also among crorepatis, their total assets are much below than other party chiefs. Whereas Kejriwal and his wife own assets worth around Rs 2 crore, Modi own Rs 1.65 crore assets excluding wife.
There are two candidates which declared their annual income of over Rs one crore. While Dr Shameem Abidi of Peace Party contesting from Ghosi has declared Rs 4.30 crore income in 2012-13, Niyaz Ahmad of BSP, contesting from Deoria, earned Rs 2.80 crore in 2013-14.
Ahmad is a businessman and educated till class 12th and the annual income of Dr Shameem Abidi, who is a medical practitioner, is Rs 2 crore, whereas his wife, who owns a medical store, earned Rs 2.23 crore.
The top 10 crocrpatis are:
1: Shah Alam Alias Guddu Jamali (BSP), Azamgarh, Rs 70, 29 crore
2: Sangam Mishra (BSP) Kushinagar Rs 46.54 crore
3: Subhash Pandey (BSP) Jaunpur Rs 37.85 crore
4: Kashinath (BSP) Maharajganj Rs 33.75 crore
5: Dr Mohammad Ayub (Peace Party) Domariyaganj Rs 31.48 crore
6: Kailash Nath Singh Yadav (BSP) Ghazipur Rs 24.93 crore
7: BP Saroj (BSP) Machhlishahr Rs 21.05 crore
8: Pankaj (BJP) Maharajganj Rs 19.18 crore
9: Mukhtar Ansari (Qaumi Ekta Dal) Ghosi Rs 18.62 crore
10: Rajeev Kumar Rai (SP) Ghosi Rs 16.55 crore