BJP has maximum number of crorepati candidates in Gujarat elections, Congress in second

The campaign for the first phase of the Gujarat Assembly elections has come to an end on Tuesday. Voting will be held on 89 assembly seats in the first phase on Thursday, December 1. 788 candidates are trying their luck in the election fray for 89 assembly seats. This time there is a triangular contest in the election. BJP and Congress are old rivals, this time Aam Aadmi Party has presented a challenge to both the big parties. The heart of the BJP and Congress is breaking. Meanwhile, you will be shocked to know that in the Gujarat Assembly Elections 2022, a maximum of 85 percent of candidates of the BJP are crorepatis.

There is no dearth of crorepati candidates in Gujarat assembly elections. Some are billionaires. This time 85 percent of the BJP candidates are crorepatis. Two of the top three candidates with declared assets in the election are from the BJP. Jayantibhai Somabhai Patel (BJP) has declared assets worth Rs 661 crore. Balwant Singh, Chandan Singh Rajput (BJP) has declared assets worth Rs 372 crore. The third candidate on top with assets of Rs 343 crore is Ajitsinh Parsottamdas Thakor (AAP).

A report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) showed that the share of crorepati candidates has increased over five years. Of the 1,621 candidates contesting these elections, 456 (28 percent) are crorepatis.

Now contesting and winning the common man's election is a distant dream. It is clear from this report that all major political parties give tickets to rich candidates. Among the major parties, 154 (85 percent) out of 182 candidates from the BJP, 142 (79 percent) out of 179 candidates from the Congress and 68 (38 percent) out of 181 candidates from the AAP have declared assets of more than Rs 1 crore.

The average asset per contesting candidate in the Gujarat Assembly Elections 2022 is Rs 3.58 crore. The report said there were 1,815 candidates in the 2017 Gujarat Assembly elections and the average assets per candidate stood at Rs 2.22 crore. The average assets per candidate of the BJP are Rs 16.56 crore, Congress Rs 7.99 crore, and AAP Rs 3.68 crore.

The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Gujarat Election Watch have analyzed the self-affidavits of all 1,621 candidates who are contesting in the first and second phases of the Gujarat Assembly elections. Of the 1,621 candidates, 476 are from national parties, 219 are from state parties, 302 are from registered unrecognized parties and 624 candidates are contesting as independents.