Gandhinagar: Diomand king Govind Dholakia files his nomination papers for Rajya Sabha polls, in Gandhinagar, Thursday, Feb 15, 2024.
Credit: PTI Photo
Gandhinagar: With a total declared wealth of Rs 279 crore, diamond baron Govind Dholakia is the richest person among the four Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates who filed nominations for the Rajya Sabha election from Gujarat on Thursday.
BJP president J P Nadda, another candidate, owns assets of Rs 9.36 crore, his poll affidavit showed.
Besides Nadda and Dholakiya, the ruling party has fielded party leaders Jashvantsinh Parmar and Mayank Nayak for the February 27 election.
None of the four candidates have any First Information Reports registered against them, nor are they facing any criminal trial, the affidavits declared.
Nadda's annual income, as per his income tax return for 2022-23 attached to the election affidavit, was Rs 24.92 lakh while his wife Mallika's income was Rs 5.26 lakh during the same period. Together, the couple owns assets of Rs 9.36 crore, the affidavit said.
The BJP president's educational qualifications are BA and LLB.
Govind Dholakia, a 76-year-old Surat-based diamond businessman, is the founder and chairman of Shree Ramkrishna Exports. He is Std 6th pass and his income in 2022-23 was Rs 35.24 crore while his wife's income was 3.47 crore, his affidavit said.
Dholakia, his wife Champaben and their Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) collectively own movable and immovable properties worth Rs 279 crore.
Jashvantsinh Parmar, 48, is a surgeon and runs a hospital at Godhra in Panchmahal district.
As per his affidavit, his wife Kalpana is a lab technician. While Parmar's income in 2022-23 was Rs 1.38 crore, his wife earned Rs 28.60 lakh in that year. Their combined wealth, as per the affidavit, is Rs 14.98 crore.
Mayank Nayak, 52, holds a diploma in mechanical engineering and is engaged in `business', his affidavit said. While his income in 2022-23 was Rs 17.77 lakh, he and his wife own movable and immovable properties worth Rs 11.45 crore.