Elections 2019: Most LS candidates' assets see steep rise since 2014

Most of the former Congress MPs from Mumbai, who have all been out of power for the last five years, have managed to considerably increase their wealth in the last few years. Candidates filed their nominations, along with their income affidavits on Monday for the polls to be held on April 29.

Rs 18 crore rise in Gaikwad's property

South Central constituency Congress candidate Eknath Gaikwad's affidavit submitted to the returning officer valued his immovable assets at Rs 19.88 crore as opposed to his assets worth Rs 82.01 lakh in 2014. While his inherited property in 2014 was only a 2.29-acre agricultural land, another property has been added in the new affidavit. The old property's valuation has gone up from Rs 82.01 lakh to Rs 2.38 and the new 60,000-sq ft property in Bhiwandi bought at Rs 3 crore in December 2014, is now valued at Rs 17.5 crore. Gaikwad's movable assets have not seen much of an increase. From Rs 50.04 lakh in 2014 to Rs 52.02 lakh this year is the rise. His wife Lalita Gaikwad's assets were shown at Rs 9.67 lakh in 2014 and that has increased to Rs 11.63 lakh now. Her immovable assets remain almost constant - from Rs 1.02 crore to Rs 1.37 crore. However, from no liabilities last year, Gaikwad now has Rs 2.14 crore worth of liabilities and his wife has liabilities worth R41.5 lakh of liabilities.

Rs 19.88cr
Value of Eknath Gaikwad's immovable assets in 2019

Rs 82.01l
Value of Eknath Gaikwad's immovable assets in 2014

Matondkar declares husband's income as Rs 5 lakh

Bollywood star Urmila Matondkar is quite unsurprisingly quite a wealthy candidate this time around. While her yearly income has seen a steady increase in the past five years from Rs 1.27 crore in 2013-14 to Rs 2.85 crore in 2017-18, the total cost of her movable and immovable assets put together is Rs 68.28 crore. Matondkar, contesting from Mumbai North constituency as a Congress candidate, mentioned her spouse's yearly income at Rs 5 lakh this year as opposed to Rs 8 lakh in 2013-14.

Matondkar's movable assets are worth Rs 40.93 crore, mostly invested in mutual funds, gold and diamond jewellery. Her spouse's movable assets are valued at Rs 32.35 lakh in investments. The actor's immovable assets include properties in agricultural as well as commercial and residential spaces in Thane (4.17 acres), Alewadi Taluka (5.09 acres), Andheri and parts of Mumbai. Her spouse's residential property value comes to a meagre Rs 30 lakh with no immovable assets.

Rs 68.28cr
Value of Matondkar's total assets

Rs 5lakh
Matondkar's husband's annual income in 2019

First-time candidate declares assets

First time Parliamentary candidate from the BJP, Manoj Kotak, filed his nomination from Mumbai North East on Monday in the presence of MP Kirit Somaiya, Sena MLA Sunil Raut and party leader Vinod Tawde. He declared moveable assets worth Rs 97,48,883 and his wife declared Rs 94,19,704. He has immovable assets worth Rs 2,25,58,570 in his name and there are Rs 1,23,95,909 worth immovable assets in his wife, Seema's name. There are also liabilities (loans) worth Rs 17,48,000 in his name and loans worth about Rs 3,00,000 in his wife's name.

Dutt's yearly income sees Rs 12 crore rise

Congress candidate from Mumbai North Central Priya Dutt's affidavit revealed that her assets had significantly increased since 2013. While her annual income stood at Rs 51.86 lakh, the figure jumped to Rs 13.13 crore in 2018. Her husband, Owen Roncon's annual income or assets also rose from Rs 29.13 lakh in 2013-14 to Rs 69.50 lakh in 2019.

Her movable assets' value shot up from Rs 3.19 crore in 2014 to Rs 17.84 crore this year. She also listed herself as the sole proprietor of a fitness centre called Soul Club. Roncon's movable assets also rose from Rs 1.67 crore in 2014 to Rs 5.85 crore.

Dutt's immovable assets' value rose from Rs 60.3 crore to Rs 69.77 crore in 2019 which includes a commercial property in Bandra. For Roncon, the affidavit didn't list any properties. An increase was noted in her liabilities as well, from Rs 2.56 crore in 2014 to Rs 3.35 crore in 2019. Roncon said that the jump in Dutt's movable assets was due to the sale of her 2,00-sq ft flat in Pali Hill. "She sold her flat for around R15 crore last year and that money was then used in wealth management options," he said.

Rs 13.13cr
Priya Dutt's annual income in 2018-19

Rs 51.86l
Priya Dutt's annual income in 2013-14

Deora inherits father's property worth crores

Congress candidate from South Mumbai constituency Milind Deora has valuated his villa in Malabar Hills at Rs 13 crore in his affidavit filed on Monday. The value of his wife's movable assets has increased from Rs 9 crore to a whopping Rs 31crore. However, the party representative stated that most of the property is inherited. Deora's affidavit revealed that his movable property has increased from Rs 27.66 crore in 2014 to Rs 33.73 crore. A property worth Rs 3.93 crore in his wife's name mentioned in the 2014 affidavit, has been withdrawn from the new affidavit. Deora's annual income has gone up from Rs 83 lakh in 2013 to Rs 1.59 crore in 2017. Sources in the Congress said that the city party president had inherited most of the property after his father Murli Deora's death in November 2014. "This is the reason for the rise in their assets," said a close aide of Deora.

Rs 131cr
Value of Deora's wife's movable assets in 2019

Rs 9cr
Value of Deora's wife's movable assets in 2014

Shewale has no immovable assets

Rahul Shewale, the MP from South Central, filed his nomination on Monday morning in the presence of Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray, and several other workers. The Sena candidate's movable assets have gone up from Rs 64.66 lakh to Rs 1.01 crore in the past five years. While he has mentioned zero immovable assets in his name, he has declared that he has 95% shares in a project management consultancy firm, and the remaining 5% are owned by his wife, Kamini Shewale. However, his cases are settled as this affidavit has no mention of any case as against an 2014 affidavit, where crowding, breach of peace and cheating sections were levied against him. Interestingly, the former BMC standing committee chairman, and now MP, has no immovable assets in his name, whereas his wife owns a property at Ghodapdeo, which is valued at Rs 60 lakh.

Rs 1.01cr
Rahul Shewale's movable assets

'Everything is in black and white'

While the income of the sitting (Shiv Sena) MP from Mumbai South, Arvind Sawant, and his wife, Anuya, has decreased since 2013, their assets have seen a spike, because of the latter. Sawant stated that the rise in the assets of his wife is because of the amount she received last year after retirement.

Sawant filed his nomination on Monday, which showed that his movable assets have increased from Rs 68,58,246 in 2014 to Rs 1,01,91,354. While his wife's assets have surged by Rs 1 crore. According to the affidavit filed in 2014, Anuya had movable assets of Rs 37,24,595 which increased to Rs 1,38,90,223 in 2019.

Also Read: Elections 2019: BJP ropes in magicians to woo voters in Gujarat

Talking to mid-day, Sawant said, "My wife retired last year so the rise in the amount is due to that. The amount she received as gratuity and retirement fees has been deposited in her bank account. Everything is in black and white. If needed, I can prove all sources of income."

There is an FIR filed against him at Dadar police station, lodged in 2005. There is also a case filed against him in 2018 at the Metropolitan Magistrate's court at Sewri.

Cases have been registered against him under Sections 143,144, 145, 146,147,149, 332, 341, 353, 427 of Indian Penal Code and also under Section 37(3), 135 of Maharashtra Police Act.

Also Read: Election 2019: Defeat 'national calamity' PM Modi, safeguard nation, says Sharad Pawar

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