Maharashtra Elections 2024: Pawar, Thackeray scions unveil crores in assets

Yugendra Pawar files his nomination. File pic/PTI

Amit Thackeray, son of MNS chief Raj Thackeray and a first-time election candidate, has declared assets totalling Rs 15.6 crore, of which Rs 5.94 crore is invested across 107 fixed deposit accounts. Yugendra Pawar, grandson of Sharad Pawar, has declared assets worth R50 crore. The assets of CM Eknath Shinde have grown significantly from Rs 13 crore in 2019 to Rs 38 crore in 2024.

Notably, he is among the few ministers who have served in both the previous and current government terms over the last five years. Ajit Pawar, a minister in both administrations, reported assets of R125 crore, an increase of Rs 49 crore since 2019. Sandeep Deshpande, who served as a corporator from 2012 to 2017 and has yet to win subsequent elections, has seen his assets grow from Rs 4 crore in 2019 to Rs 14 crore in 2024.

Amit Thackeray filed his nomination from the Mahim constituency on Monday, declaring Rs 14.27 crore in movable assets and Rs 1.29 crore in immovable assets, with substantial investments in fixed deposits and mutual funds. Similarly, Yugendra Pawar, nephew of Ajit Pawar, submitted his nomination from Baramati on an NCP-SP ticket, declaring R50 crore in assets, including Rs 39.80 crore in movable assets.

Aaditya Thackeray. File pic/Ashish Raje (right) Amit Thackeray. File pic/Satej Shinde

On Thursday, Aaditya Thackeray, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader, filed his nomination for the Worli seat. He is contesting the election for the second time. In 2019, according to his affidavit, he owned assets worth R17.6 crore, including R13.02 crore in movable assets and R4.67 crore in immovable assets. This time, his wealth has reached R23.5 crore - a 33 per cent increase.

CM Shinde filed his nomination for the Kopri-Pachpakhadi seat in Thane, declaring Rs 37.7 crore in assets jointly held with his wife, of which Rs 9.22 crore are movable. In 2019, the couple held Rs 13.66 crore, including Rs 2.1 crore in movable assets. His son, Shrikant Shinde, an MP from Kalyan, who is not contesting the Assembly polls, saw his assets grow from Rs 2 crore in 2019 to Rs 15 crore in 2024. Shrikant, an orthopaedic surgeon, holds Rs 15 crore in assets along with his wife, Vrushali, a business consultant. In 2019, CM Shinde reported 18 pending cases in various Thane police stations; currently, this number has been reduced to nine, with no charge sheets filed in any case.

Ajit Pawar declared assets totalling Rs 125 crore, of which Rs 98 crore are immovable, reflecting a Rs 49 crore increase over five years. In 2019, his immovable assets were Rs 52 crore. Meanwhile, Sandeep Deshpande of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, contesting against Aaditya Thackeray in Worli, declared assets worth Rs 14.18 crore - a three-and-a-half-fold increase since 2019. Despite contesting in the BMC election and the 2019 Assembly election, Deshpande has not won an election since 2017.