BJP's Karnail Singh has emerged as the richest candidate in the poll fray in Delhi with a staggering net worth of Rs 259 crore, PTI has reported quoting Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).
Singh, who is contesting the Delhi elections from Shakur Basti, has assets that surpass those of other candidates vying for the 70 seats in the Delhi Assembly, an analysis by ADR shows.
The ADR report analyzed the assets of 699 candidates, up from 672 in the 2020 election. Of these, five candidates have declared assets exceeding Rs 100 crore, with Singh leading the pack.
Among the five wealthiest candidates are Singh, followed by BJP's Manjinder Singh Sirsa from Rajouri Garden, with assets worth Rs 248.85 crore.
Other notable figures include Congress's Gurcharan Singh (Rs 130.90 crore(, BJP's Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma (Rs 115.63 crore) and AAP’s A Dhanwati Chandela (Rs 109.90 crore).
Interestingly, while some candidates have amassed substantial wealth, 31.76% of candidates—around 222 people—have reported assets below Rs 10 lakh.
On average, BJP candidates have declared assets worth Rs 22.90 crore, followed by Congress at Rs 14.41 crore, and AAP at Rs 11.70 crore. Independent candidates, in contrast, report significantly lower asset values.
Who is Karnail Singh?
Singh, who is also the head of BJP's Temple Cell in Delhi, has frequently made headlines for his controversial remarks.
He has been a vocal critic of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, particularly over the AAP supremo's promise to pay priests Rs 18,000 per month if re-elected.
According to an NDTV report, Singh is part of the advisory board of Madhav Netralaya, an Eye Institute and Research Centre based in Nagpur.
He has claimed to be the "servant of Sanatan Dharma".
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