BJP Tops List of Rich Candidates in Telangana

Hyderabad: The Election Commission of India has fixed a ceiling of Rs 95 lakh for a candidate to spend on the Lok Sabha election campaign. Going by the assets declared by the candidates from the three main parties in Telangana state, all of them, except one, could manage to spend this amount.

Incidentally, among the three major parties, only the BRS has officially handed over cheques of Rs 95 lakh to each of its 17 candidates so far.

The total assets declared by 51 candidates from the Congress, BJP, and the BRS, along with MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi, the lone AIMIM candidate, stand at Rs 3,953.49 crore. Of this, BJP candidates have a lion’s share at Rs 2,486.21 crore, with its Chevella candidate Konda Vishweshwar Reddy’s assets alone account for more than half at Rs 1,696 crore.

Incidentally, the BJP candidate’s declared assets are more than that of the Congress and BRS combine, which stand at Rs 709.25 crore and Rs 758.03 crore respectively.

The only candidate whose assets are less than the Election Commission-approved expenditure limit of Rs 95 lakh is Pothugani Bharath, a BJP candidate from Nagarkurnool, with a declared wealth of Rs 33 lakh. All other candidates, including Owaisi, have declared Rs 1 crore or more as their personal wealth, whether in moveable or immovable assets.

Whether the ECI limit of Rs 95 lakh is enough to cover a candidate’s campaigning cost in a Lok Sabha constituency that covers seven Assembly segments appears to be a moot question with leaders from different parties admitting that the campaign costs much more. But, when accounts are filed with the ECI, the expenditure limits are adhered to.

Top 5 candidates

Poorest

Constituency         Candidate            Party         Assets

Nagarkurnool         P. Bharat               BJP         Rs 33 lakh

Karimnagar             Bandi Sanjay       BJP         Rs 1.12 cr

Nizamabad             B. Goverdhan       BRS         Rs 1.41 cr

Nagarkurnool         Praveen Kumar   BRS         Rs 1.41 cr

Warangal         Dr Kadiam Kavya        INC          Rs 1.99 cr

Adilabad            Athram Suguna          INC             Rs 2 cr

Richest

Chevella          Konda Vishweshwar Reddy      BJP         Rs 1,696 cr

Chevella         G. Ranjith Reddy                           INC         Rs 294.47 cr

Hyderabad       Madhavi Latha                               BJP       Rs 221.39 cr

Khammam       Nama Nageswara Rao              BRS      Rs 155.9 cr

Zaheerabad     B.B. Patil                                        BJP        Rs 151.69 cr