Uttarakhand: Assets of re-contesting MLAs up by 96% in 5 yrs

The average assets of 60 re-contesting members of legislative assembly in Uttarakhand have jumped by over Rs 1.77 crore in last five years, says a latest report.

The average assets of 60 re-contesting MLAs from various parties including independent MLAs in 2012 was Rs 1.85 crore (Rs 1,85,41,331), while in 2017 it stands at Rs 3.62 crore (Rs 3,62,66,619), a report by Delhi-based think-tank Association for Democratic Reforms said on Wednesday.

“The average assets of these 60 re-contesting MLAs, between Uttarakhand elections of 2012 and 2017 has increased by Rs 1.77 crore (Rs 1,77,25,289). The average percentage increase in assets for these re-contesting MLAs is 96 per cent,” it added.

Shailendra Mohan Singhal of the Bharatiya Janata Party witnessed the highest growth in assets from 2012 to 2017, an increase by over Rs 32 crore, followed by Nav Prabhat from the Indian National Congress (over Rs 6 crore) and Rekha Arya also from the BJP (over Rs 6 crore), ADR said.

Chief Minister Harish Rawat’s asset saw an increase of over Rs 1 crore from 2012 to 2017, it added.

The BJP’s 29 MLAs average asset increased by over Rs 2 crore, while the INC’s 28 MLAs by more than Rs one crore.

Uttarakhand Election Watch and the ADR have analysed the affidavits of 60 MLAs re-contesting in the 2017 Uttarakhand assembly elections.