India
oi-Saumya Joshi
As
the
second
phase
of
the
2024
Jharkhand
Assembly
elections
approaches,
scheduled
for
November
20,
a
significant
number
of
wealthy
candidates
are
gearing
up
to
contest.
Among
them,
the
richest
contender
has
declared
assets
exceeding
₹400
crore,
showcasing
the
growing
influence
of
affluent
individuals
in
state
politics.

Photo
Credit:
X/@AquilAkhtarMLA
The
Richest
Candidate:
Aquil
Akhtar’s
₹400
Crore
Wealth
According
to
a
report
by
the
Alternative
Dispute
Redressal
(ADR),
the
wealthiest
candidate
for
Phase
2
of
the
elections
is
Samajwadi
Party’s
(SP)
Aquil
Akhtar,
who
is
contesting
from
the
Pakur
constituency.
Akhtar’s
total
declared
assets
amount
to
a
staggering
₹400
crore,
making
him
a
key
player
in
the
race.
Of
his
total
assets,
nearly
₹99
lakh
is
attributed
to
movable
assets,
while
the
majority
–
over
₹400
crore
–
comes
from
immovable
properties.
Other
Wealthy
Contenders
Following
Akhtar
in
wealth
is
Niranjan
Rai,
an
independent
candidate
from
the
Dhanwar
seat,
who
has
declared
assets
worth
₹137
crore.
Rai
also
holds
the
distinction
of
having
the
highest
declared
income
in
his
income
tax
returns
(ITR)
among
his
peers,
with
₹15
crore
earned
from
his
business
ventures.
Third
on
the
list
is
Mihammad
Danish
of
the
Aazad
Samaj
Party
(Kanshi
Ram),
contesting
from
Dhanwar,
who
has
assets
valued
at
over
₹32
crores.
A
High
Number
of
Crorepatis
in
the
Race
The
ADR
report
reveals
that
nearly
24%
of
the
522
candidates
contesting
in
the
second
phase
of
the
Jharkhand
Assembly
elections
are
crorepatis.
The
Bharatiya
Janata
Party
(BJP)
has
fielded
the
highest
number
of
wealthy
candidates,
with
32
crorepatis
running
for
office.
This
is
followed
by
the
Jharkhand
Mukti
Morcha
(JMM)
and
Congress,
where
90%
and
83%
of
their
candidates,
respectively,
are
crorepatis.
The
BJP,
however,
has
the
highest
percentage
of
crorepati
candidates
among
all
major
parties
at
72%.
Candidates
with
Modest
Declarations
Not
all
candidates
are
millionaires.
For
instance,
Jharkhand
Peoples
Party’s
Elian
Hansdak,
contesting
from
the
Maheshpur
(ST)
constituency,
has
declared
zero
assets,
highlighting
the
stark
contrast
between
the
wealthiest
and
the
most
modestly
declared
candidates
in
this
election.
Conclusion
With
just
a
few
days
left
for
Phase
2
of
the
Jharkhand
elections,
the
race
is
heating
up
as
crorepatis
dominate
the
field.
The
candidates’
wealth
has
sparked
debate
on
the
growing
influence
of
money
in
politics,
while
also
drawing
attention
to
the
wide
disparities
in
asset
declarations
among
the
contenders.
Voters
in
Jharkhand
will
soon
decide
which
of
these
wealthy
candidates
will
help
shape
the
future
of
the
state
government.