Two incumbent MPs from Bengaluru Rural and Hassan in Karnataka were among the prominent ones to file their nomination papers on the first day after the Lok Sabha election notification for the April 26 polls was issued, with their affidavits suggesting a big surge in their assets compared to 2019.
Congress’s Bengaluru Rural Lok Sabha election candidate D.K. Suresh has declared assets worth ₹593.04 crore, which is a 75% increase from his worth in 2019, according to his affidavit submitted to the Election Commission on Thursday. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Mr. Suresh had declared assets worth ₹338 crore.
Meanwhile, Prajwal Revanna, Janata Dal (Secular) candidate in Hassan, has declared assets worth over ₹40.84 crore. This is against around ₹10 crore he had declared in 2019 when he contested the Lok Sabha elections for the first time, an escalation of over 300%.
First off the mark
Both filed their papers on the first day for filing of nominations for 14 constituencies going to polls on April 26, which saw a total of 25 candidates submitting their papers.
Mr. Suresh’s total liabilities have shot up from ₹ 51 crore in 2019 to ₹ 150 crore now. Mr. Suresh, the brother of Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, is seeking re-election from Bengaluru Rural against cardiologist C.N. Manjunath, who is contesting on BJP ticket.
According to his affidavit, the rise in his worth is largely owing to the appreciation of his immovable assets. He owns agricultural lands (many of them inherited), non-agricultural assets and residential buildings in his native Ramanagara district and Bengaluru worth ₹486 crore. Five years ago, these assets were valued at ₹305 crore.
His movable assets have also gone up from ₹33 crore in 2019 to ₹106 crore, registering a 220% rise. While his liabilities have seen a rise, the incumbent MP has declared that ₹57.27 crore is under dispute. This includes ₹55.85 crore under income tax and ₹1.42 crore of property tax in Bengaluru.
Prajwal’s assets
According to the affidavit of Mr. Prajwal, in the last five years, he has purchased 35 guntas and then 17.5 guntas of agricultural land at Maragowdanahalli in Holenarsipur taluk. The market value of his immovable properties is over ₹35.40 crore. These include commercial property at Kuvempu Nagar in Mysuru, Holenarasipur, non-agricultural land at Srirampura in Mysuru taluk, Holenarasipur, and agricultural land in Nelamangala, Holenarasipur and Hassan taluks.
According to his affidavit, the 34-year-old incumbent MP has ₹9.29 lakh in cash, given a loan of ₹23 lakh to Channamma, his grandmother and wife of H.D. Deve Gowda, and another ₹1.56 crore to his brother Suraj Revanna.
