Wife richer than Hegde

Wife of Union Minister Ananthkumar Hegde, Sriroopa Hegde, is richer than him, as per the affidavit filed along with the nomination papers for the Lok Sabha elections from the Uttara
Kannada constituency.

The minister has declared assets worth Rs 2.82 crore, which includes movable properties worth Rs 35.36 lakh and immovable properties worth Rs 2.47 crore. His wife owns movable properties worth Rs 3.81 crore, besides immovable properties worth Rs 1.81 crore. His daughter Vrishali owns movable properties worth 72,000, while his son Ashutosh has movable properties worth 1.52 lakh.

The value of the assets owned by the couple has seen an increase of Rs 5.23 crore. While Ananthkumar has liabilities worth Rs 1.27 crore, those of Sriroopa are worth
Rs 2.82 crore, says the affidavit.

Former minister Vishveshwara Hegde Kageri, who hails from Sirsi taluk like Ananthkumar, was not present with the union minister when he filed his papers, raising eyebrows.

He is said to have skipped this programme due to prior engagement. Kageri was not available for comment.