Richer Candidates make their entry

Richer candidates have entered the fray in Tamil Nadu. Among the 167 fielded by recognised parties in the state, 120 are crorepatis and 36 have declared assets worth over 10 crore. In comparison, only 20 candidates were crorepatis and 13 had assets more than 10 crore in 2009.

An analysis of the affidavits filed by candidates reveals that Congress has fielded 12 candidates, the maximum, with assets worth more than 10 crore. Its Kanyakumari candidate, H Vasanthkumar, is the richest in the state with assets of 285.8 crore, followed by BJPs Vellore candidate A C Shanmugam (106.1 crore).Though Shanmugam, a businessman, has his own party New Justice Party he is contesting on BJP symbol as part of NDA. Poorest among the 167 candidates is CPMs G Anandan (Villupuram),who is worth 1.92 lakh.

DMK has nine candidates with assets over 10 crore, followed by AIADMK (7),DMDK (5),BJP (2) and PMK (1).Though the state has 36 candidates worth more than 10 crore, they come nowhere near those in states like Bihar, where real estate baron Anil Kumar Sharma, fighting on a JD(U) ticket from Jehanabad, has declared assets of 850 crore. Congress Bangalore South candidate Nandan Nilekani is worth 7,700 crore, which includes shares he and his wife have in Infosys.

The increase in the number of candidates with assets worth crores shows that more rich people are entering the election fray. Till 2009, only a few rich people were ready to get into the world of politics, said Association for Democratic Reforms chief Jagdeep Chhokar. Another reason could be the increase in number of candidates this time with AIADMK and Congress contesting 39 seats on their own and DMK fielding candidates in 35.In 2009, these parties contested in alliances and fielded fewer candidates.

Some sitting MPs who are contesting again have shown manifold increase in assets compared to 2009.Sriperumbudur will witness a battle between two of the richest candidates. DMKs S Jagathrakshakan, who was a central minister, has assets to the tune of 78.04 crore, a 12-fold jump from 5.9 crore he declared in 2009.His rival, AIADMK candidate K N Ramachandran is richer than him at 93.67 crore. The assets candidates have declared range from deposits and Range Rovers to land and commercial buildings.

Top 10 richest candidates in Tamil Nadu:

Name	Party	Const	Asset (Rs in Cr.)
H Vasanthakumar	Congress	Kanyakumari	285.8
A C Shanmugam	BJP	Vellore	106.1
K N Ramachandran	AIADMK	Sriperumbudur	093.7
S Jagatrakshakan	DMK	Sriperumbudur	078.0
T R Pachamuthu	BJP	Perambalur	077.7
R Prabhu	Congress	Coimbatore	060.9
Karti Chidambaram	Congress	Sivaganga	059.7
Sarubala Thondaiman	Congress	Trichy	057.1
P Palanisamy	DMK	Pollachi	040.7
Anbumani Ramadoss	PMK	Dharmapuri	031.4

(Biggest misses in top ten are: A. Raja and Dayanidhi Maran)

Value of assets:

Range	2009	2014
> Rs. 50 crore	2	8
Rs. 10 crore – Rs. 50 crore	13	36