Assets of 23 re-elected MPs witnessed average growth of 1,045% in 15 years

New Delhi: Twenty-three MPs, including Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Maneka Gandhi, were elected to Lok Sabha from 2004 and these lawmakers saw their assets rise from a cumulative Rs 35.18 crore to Rs 402.79 crore in 15 years, a private election watchdog said on Thursday.

Among the MPs, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) said in its report, Karnataka’s BJP MP Ramesh Jigajinagi (Bijapur) declared the maximum increase in assets – 9098 per cent – from Rs 54.8 lakh in 2004 to Rs 50.41 crore in 2019, a rise of Rs 49.86 crore.

Karnataka has five more MPs, all BJP, who were elected since 2004 – the highest for any state in the list. GM Siddeshwar (Davanagere) saw his assets rise from Rs 5.02 crore to Rs 38.01 crore (656 per cent), while that of DV Sadananda Gowda, rose from Rs 46.39 lakh to Rs 20.93 crore (4413 per cent).

Assets of Union Minister Pralhad Joshi (Dharwad) rose from Rs 77.60 lakh to Rs 11.13 crore (Rs 1,335 per cent), while that of Anantkumar Hegde increased from Rs 12.06 lakh to Rs 8.47 crore (6,928 per cent). PC Gaddigoudar’s (Bagalkot) assets increased from Rs 53.75 lakh to Rs 4.39 crore (718 per cent).

Of the 23 MPs who were re-elected since 2004, BJP has 17 MPs while Congress has three, and one each for AIMIM, Shiv Sena and BJD. The average assets of these MPs was Rs 1.52 crore in 2004 and it rose to Rs 3.46 crore in 2009, Rs 9.85 crore in 2014 and Rs 17.51 crore in 2019.

The average asset growth was Rs 15.98 crore or 1,045 per cent, the analysis based on the affidavits filed before Election Commission prior to each election said.

Jigijinagi was followed by BJP’s Maneka (Sultanpur) who saw the second highest increase in assets in terms of rupees – from Rs 6.66 crore to Rs 55.69 crore or 735 per cent – followed by BJP’s Rao Inderjit Singh (Gurgaon), a Union minister who saw his assets growing from Rs 5.51 crore to Rs 42.09 crore (664 per cent).

Former Congress president Rahul’s assets grew from Rs 55.38 lakh in 2004 to Rs 2.32 crore in 2009, Rs 9.4 crore in 2014 and Rs 15.88 crore in 2019. He saw a 2,769 per cent rise in his assets in 15 years, while his mother and former Congress chief Sonia saw 1,280 per cent rise in assets from Rs 85.68 lakh to Rs 11.82 crore.

Third Congressman in the list is party’s Lok Sabha Leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury whose assets rose 422 per cent from Rs 1.93 crore to Rs 10.13 crore.

The analysis also showed that nine of the MPs had serious criminal charges against them. Only three of them were women – Sonia, Maneka and Shiv Sena’s Bhavana Gawli (Yavatmal Washim).