As Assam gears up for the Lok Sabha elections with first phase scheduled for April 19, an intriguing trend unfolds with 15 candidates boasting substantial wealth competing for the State’s five parliamentary seats. Among the diverse list of 35 candidates, a significant portion, including Independent candidate Diluwara Begum Chowdhury, surpass the Rs 1-crore asset mark.
Contesting from constituencies such as Jorhat, Kaziranga, Dibrugarh, Sonitpur, and Lakhimpur, political parties present a varied lineup, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fielding five candidates, followed by the Congress with three, and representation from parties like the Aam Aadmi Party, All India Trinamool Congress, and Bharatiya Gana Parishad. Additionally, three Independent candidates contribute to the electoral mix.
The AAP candidates emerge with the highest average assets, exceeding Rs 6 crore, while BJP candidates follow closely with over Rs 4 crore. Congress candidates report an average asset value of Rs 3 crore, while AITC and BGP candidates declare Rs 1 crore each.
Notable among the ‘crorepati’ candidates, Diluwara Begum Chowdhury leads with assets totalling Rs 17.58 crore, predominantly in immovable assets. AAP contenders Manoj Dhanowar and Rishiraj Kaundinya feature prominently among the affluent candidates.
Within the BJP ranks, Sonitpur nominee Ranjit Dutta leads in asset declaration, closely trailed by Union Minister Sarbananada Sonowal and sitting MP Topon Gogoi. In the Congress camp, Uday Shankar Hazarika and Gaurav Gogoi emerge as frontrunners in asset declaration, alongside Premlal Ganju.
Independent candidates Pradip Bhandari and Abdul Hoque, along with candidates from smaller parties like Trinamool Congress and Bharatiya Gana Parishad, also present substantial assets. However, a contrast is visible, with some candidates reporting considerably lesser assets, including two contestants from Kaziranga constituency and SUCI(C)’s Lakhimpur candidate, Pallab Pegu, declaring the least with Rs 38,169.
