Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) MLA Naren Sonowal, who will again contest the polls from Naharkatia in the 2021 Assam elections, is the richest among the candidates with declared assets worth Rs. 33 crore in the first phase according to a report by the poll rights group Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).
Not only Naresh but 39% of the candidates who will be contesting in the first phase of the Assam Assembly elections are crorepatis. Anupam Chutia, SUCI(C) from Lakhimpur, is the ‘poorest’ candidate with assets worth ‘only’ Rs. 15,000 in the first phase of the Assam elections.
Suresh Bhumijm, an Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) candidate who will contest from Doom Dooma, has declared assets worth Rs. 24,000.
This information came to light after the Assam Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) analyzed the self-sworn affidavits of 259 out of 264 candidates, who are contesting in the Assam Assembly Elections Phase-I across 47 Upper Assam constituencies.
The analysis revealed that 101 of the candidates have declared assets worth over Rs. one crore.
Among the major parties, 9 (90%) out of 10 candidates analyzed from AGP, 31 (72%) out of 43 candidates analyzed from Congress, 28 (72%) out of 39 candidates analyzed from BJP, and 15 (37%) out of 41 candidates analyzed from Assam Jatiya Parishad have declared assets worth over Rs. one crore before the polls.
The average of assets per candidate contesting in the Assam Assembly Elections 2021 Phase I is Rs 1.84 crore.
41 candidates have criminal cases against them in 1st phase Assam Elections
Forty-one candidates contesting in the first phase of Assembly elections in Assam have declared criminal cases against them.
A party-wise analysis of the candidates shows that among the major political parties, 10 of the 43 Congress nominees, eight of the 41 Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) nominees, three of the 39 BJP candidates, and one candidates each from NCP, AGP, and SUCI(C) have declared criminal cases against them in their self-sworn affidavits.
Three constituencies – Bokakhat, Margherita, and Biswanath Chariali – have been marked as ‘red alert constituencies’, where three or more contesting candidates have declared criminal cases against them.
According to the report, five candidates have declared cases related to crime against women. While one candidate has declared cases related to rape, two candidates have cases related to murder, and four others have declared cases related to attempt to murder.
