Money but no honey: 74% of crorepati candidates lose in 2018 Rajasthan Assembly elections

There are 158 MLAs with assets more than Rs 1 crore in the new Rajasthan Assembly as 439 out of 597 of the crorepati candidates in the recently-concluded elections lost the polls, according to the analysis of election affidavits of the newly-elected legislators. 

199 MLAs analysed during Rajasthan 2013 assembly elections, 145 (73%) MLAs were crorepatis.

The 230-member assembly currently has 199 MLAs as the election on one seat was countermanded due to the death of a BSP candidate. 

Out of the 158 crorepati MLAs, 82 are from the Congress while 58 are from the BJP. 11 out of 13 Independent MLAs and 5 out of 6 BSP MLAs have declared assets valued more than Rs 1 crore.

In the election results announced on December 11, the Congress secured 99 seats while the BJP won in 73 constituencies. 

The average of assets per MLA in the Rajasthan 2018 assembly elections is Rs. 7.39 crores. In 2013, the average assets of 199 MLAs analyzed was Rs 5.81 crores, according to data analysed by Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). 

The average assets per MLA for 99 INC MLAs analysed is Rs 9.33 crores and 73 BJP MLAs have average assets of Rs 5.38 crore, 13
Independent MLAs have average assets worth Rs. 7.36 crores, 6 BSP MLAs have average assets of Rs 8.70 crores, the report said. 

The top three MLAs with high assets are: Parasram Mordia (Dhod) with assets of Rs 172.7 crore, Anjana Udailal (Nimbahera) with assets of Rs 107.8 crore and Vishvendra Singh (Deeg-Kumher) who has assets worth Rs 104.5 crore. All three of them belong to the Congress. 

The poorest MLAs in the new Rajasthan Assembly are Rajkumar Roat of Bhartiya Tribal Party, who won from Chorasi; Ladnun MLA Mukesh Kumar Bhakar of the Congress and Parbatsar MLA Ramniwas Gawriya of the Congress who have declared assets worth Rs 1.22 lakh, Rs 5.92 lakh and Rs 6.45 lakh. 

There were 597 crorepati candidates fighting the Rajasthan Assembly elections, an earlier report by the ADR and Election Watch had said. While 81% of the BJP candidates fighting the Assembly elections in Rajasthan were crorepatis, 77% of Congress candidates declared assets more than Rs 1 crore. 

Kamini Jindal of the National Unionist Zamindara Party was the riches candidate who had declared assets worth with Rs 287 crore. She lost to Independent Raj Kumar Gaur in Ganganagar.