Odisha: 13 ‘crorepatis’ in fray for five LS seats in fifth phase

Among major parties, average assets per candidate for five BJP candidates is Rs16.27 crore

Bhubaneswar: A total of 13 of the 40 candidates in fray for the five Lok Sabha seats in Odisha that are going to polls in the fifth phase on May 20 are ‘crorepatis’, according to a report.

Sitting MP and BJP’s nominee for Bolangir seat, Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo, is the richest candidate, with total assets worth Rs67.30 crore.

Aska, Bargarh, Bolangir, Kandhamal and Sundargarh Lok Sabha seats and 35 assembly constituencies falling under these parliamentary constituencies will go to polls in the fifth phase, and second in the state.

According to the report brought out by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Chhattisgarh Election Watch, Singh was followed by Sundargarh’s two major contestants — BJD’s Dilip Tirkey (Rs12.26 crore) and former Union minister and BJP MP Jual Oram (Rs8.63 crore).

Three candidates with the lowest assets were National Apni Party’s Bargarh nominee Devika Sika (Rs10,000), Bolangir’s Independent candidate Balaram Sa (Rs30,000) and SUCI’s Sundargarh nominee Justin Lugun (Rs33,000), the report stated.

The average assets per candidate in fray for the five seats was Rs3.05 crore.

Among major parties, the average assets per candidate for five BJP candidates was Rs16.27 crore, followed by five BJD candidates (Rs4.58 crore) and an equal number of Congress nominees (Rs2.17 crore), it said.

The report also stated that 12 candidates (30 per cent) declared the criminal cases registered against them, and of them, eight faced serious charges.

A total of 21 candidates (52 per cent) were graduates or had higher qualifications.

Elections to 21 Lok Sabha and 147 assembly constituencies will be held in Odisha in four phases from May 13 to June 1, while the results will be declared on June 4.