Rajya Sabha polls: it's a rich politician's game

Patna: Former union minister Ramvilas Paswan calls himself a socialist but the information he has given about his wealth and properties doesn’t give that impression.

Paswan, chief of the Lok Janashakti Party, and his wife have assets worth nearly Rs 2.30 crore. The assets include property in Paswan’s name valued at Rs 62 lakh, according to the affidavit filed by the former union minister for the June 17 Rajya Sabha elections in Bihar.

He also has Rs 11.81 lakh in fixed deposits and Rs 34.72 lakh in saving accounts. Paswan owns agricultural land in his village in Khagaria district valued at Rs 15 lakh and a house in Patna's Legislator Colony in Anisaad.

But his wife Reena is richer. She owns a petrol pump in New Delhi’s affluent Vasant Kunj colony and a farmhouse in Mehrauli. She has Rs 10 lakh in fixed deposits and Rs 6.50 lakh in bank accounts, according to the documents.

Paswan and his wife have a house in Patna in the name of their son Chirag valued at Rs 90 lakh.

BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy, who is also contesting Rajya Sabha elections from Bihar, is no modest politician either. Rudy and his wife Neelam are worth over Rs 4.68 crore.

Rudy owns Rs 1.30 crore in property and a car valued at 14 lakh. The former civil aviation minister owns a house at Marhaura, Saran district, worth Rs 22 lakh and has Rs 3.12 lakh in cash and Rs 39.54 lakh in savings, according to his affidavit.

Neelam owns a house in Gurgaon in Haryana worth Rs 2.50 crore, and she has investments totalling Rs 33.16 lakh and jewellery worth Rs 12 lakh.

Paswan and Rudy’s wealth is nothing compared to that of Karnataka businessman B G Uday, who with assets of Rs 20 crore is the richest Rajya Sabha candidate. Uday is contesting the elections as an Independent candidate.

Uday and his wife have Rs 12,16,658 and Rs 2,28,648 in cash and their two sons have Rs 15 lakh each in bank accounts. Uday has shares worth Rs 10 crore and his wife has invested Rs 12.5 lakh in the stock market.

Uday owns rural bonds valued at Rs 34 lakh and two kg of jewellery and his wife 2.7 kg of jewellery valued at Rs 70 lakh.

The couple own a commercial house and residential premises in J P Nagar in Banglore valued at Rs 5.5 crore and Rs 3 crore respectively.