ASSAM: As the electoral heat intensifies in Assam, fifteen crorepatis are vying for five Lok Sabha seats set to go up for polls on April 19. Among those contenders, independent candidate Diluwara Begum Chowdhury of Kaziranga emerges as the richest, with a reported net worth of over Rs 17.58 crore.
The districts witnessing electoral fray include Jorhat, Kaziranga, Dibrugarh, Sonitpur and Lakhimpur. According to the affidavits of the candidates, the property of five Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominees, three from Congress, two from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and representatives from All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) and Bharatiya Gana Parishad ( BGP) is worth more than Rs 1 crore.
AAP candidates top the wealth chart with an average asset value of Rs 6 crore, followed by BJP candidates with Rs 4 crore, Congress candidates with Rs 3 crore and AITC/BGP candidates with Rs 1 crore.
It is worth mentioning that the following tops the asset list at Rs 17.58 crore, followed by AAP's Manoj Dhanowar from Dibrugarh with assets worth over Rs 9.32 crore. However among the top BJP figures include Union Minister Sarvananda Sonowal and sitting MP Topon Gogoi, whose declared assets are over Rs 4.75 crore and Rs 3.22 crore respectively.
In contrast, candidates like Pallab Pegu of the SUCI(C) report much lower assets, with a minimum of Rs 38,169.
Between campaigns, the candidates’ money is the main focus, as the parties try to woo the Assam voters. With resources at stake, these elections are poised to shape national politics.