With ₹26 crore in assets, BJP’S Garg richest candidate
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’S sitting MLA and Lok Sabha candidate Atul Garg has emerged the richest candidate in Ghaziabad with assets totalling ₹26 crore, as per his election affidavit.
The Ghaziabad parliamentary constituency goes to polls on April 26 and 14 candidates are in the fray for the seat.
According to the election affidavits, which were analysed by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) on Tuesday, BJP’S Garg, 66, has total moveable and immovable assets of about ₹26 crore, making him the richest of all candidates in Ghaziabad.
Association for Democratic Reforms is a non-profit organisation working for electoral and democratic reforms in India.
Garg in his affidavit has declared that he passed Bcom (first year) from MMG College, Ghaziabad.
He has an income from his MLA salary besides interests on deposits.
“I left my business in 2012 to my children and they are running it now. I also have loans of ₹8-10 crore,” said Garg.
ADR said Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate Nandkishor Pundhir, 50, is the second richest, with assets of about ₹20 crore.
Pundhir in his affidavit declared that he is a science graduate, and also holds a Bachelor of Education degree and draws income from his business and agriculture.
Likewise, his wife Kavita, 47, who is contesting as an independent, has declared assets of about ₹20 crore as well.
In election affidavits, a candidate has to declare the asset valuation of self, spouse and dependents, among others.
The ADR has also listed independent candidate Natthu
Singh, 73, with assets of ₹4 crore; Anand Kumar, 67, from Rashtra Nirman Party with assets of ₹2 crore and Ansul Gupta, 42, from Rashtriya Jan Karmath Party with ₹2 crore assets.
Congress’s Dolly Sharma, 40, has assets of ₹2 crore.
The ADR also lists one pending criminal case against her at Link Road police station under several Indian Penal Code sections 147 (rioting), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 448 (house trespass).
An appeal in this context has been filed before the Allahabad high court and no charges have been framed till the filing of the affidavit, the ADR details showed.
Dolly Sharma is an MBA and has an income from her business. Sharma could not be reached for comment due to hectic campaigning schedule.
The list of 14 contesting candidates figure only two candidates whose total assets are valued in thousands.
These include independent candidate Awdesh Kumar, 30, who is the one with the least assets, at ₹24,923. Likewise, Pooja Saxena, 31, from Right to Recall Party has declared total assets at ₹33,037.