As campaigning gathers pace in Kerala ahead of the April 9 Assembly elections, nomination filings are telling us more than routine details. They are also giving a closer look at how wealthy the candidates are, which shows a great gap between the richest and the rest.
One candidate far ahead
The richest candidate as per the nomination details is Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the BJP candidate from Nemom seat, who has declared assets worth 93.88 crore. His wealth is largely in movable assets such as cash and investments, which make up 78.81 crore, 15 crore is in immovable property. His spouse has declared 18.10 crore, all in movable assets. The scale of his wealth sets him far apart from every other candidate.
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A significant drop follows. IUML candidate Kunhalikutty PK Kunhalikutty has declared 3.04 crore, with most of it in property. His spouse’s assets, at 4.20 crore, add to the family’s overall financial standing. Congress heavyweight Ramesh Chennithalareports 2.65 crore, though his spouse’s 5.29 crore is nearly twice his own wealth.
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LDF’s Irinjalakkuda candidate, R Bindu, has declared 2.14 crore, divided almost equally between movable and immovable assets, while her spouse has very limited holdings. Kerala Congress (Mani) leader Jose K Mani, who is contesting from Pala, has declared 2.09 crore, but here again, his spouse’s assets are higher at 6.37 crore.
Around the 2 crore mark
Moving further down, KN Balagopal, the LDF candidate from Kottarakkara, has declared 1.94 crore, with a near-even split between movable and immovable assets. BJP’s Sobha Surendran also reports 1.94 crore, but her wealth is largely tied to property, which makes up most of her total. Kerala Congress (M) candidate and Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine declared 1.84 crore, again with a strong focus on immovable assets.
Two-time Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayanhas reported 1.01 crore. So has, VD Satheesan, the INC candidate from Paravur.
In both cases, their spouses’ assets are close to or higher than their own. CPI’s K Rajan has the lowest declared total at 80.42 lakh, with almost all of it in immovable property and very little in movable assets.
Property forms a large share of wealth for many candidates, and in several cases, spouses hold a major portion of family assets. These disclosures give voters a clearer picture of the financial backgrounds of those contesting the election, adding another layer to how candidates are viewed beyond their political positions. |
