Among all the candidates in the third phase of the current Lok Sabha elections in 2024, Pallavi Shrinivas Dempo, the candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for South Goa, is the richest. With the largest stated asset amounting to almost Rs 1,361 crore, the top three candidates in terms of declared assets have wealth ranging into the hundreds of crores.
Based on the latest statistics released by the Association of Democratic Reforms, Dempo's total assets exceed Rs 1,361crore, of which around Rs 111 crore are immovable assets and over Rs 1,250crore are moveable assets.
Dempo listed assets of Rs 255.44 crore in her affidavit, while her spouse Shrinivas Dempo listed assets totaling Rs998.83 crore. The Dempo couple's other interests include luxury properties in Dubai and London, sports, shipbuilding, mining, luxury automobiles, jewelry, and other ventures.
Other wealthy contenders include Dr. Prabha Mallikarjun from Davanagere, Karnataka, Union Minister and scion of the Scindia royal dynasty Jyotiraditya Scindia from Guna, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhatrapati Shahu Shahaji, also known as Shahu II, who is a candidate for the Kolhapur Congress and a descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
Additionally, according to the ADR report, 392 contestants, or 29% of the total of 1,352 candidates, are "crorepatis," with an average asset value of Rs 5.66 crore per candidate. Approximately 23% of the 57 candidates running in the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections for the four seats are crorepatis, with an average asset value of Rs 1.84 crore.
Three of the 13 crorepati candidates are independents and members of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), while the All India Secular Front and the Congress each have two. According to news agency PTI, the BJP, CPI(M), and Bhartiya Jawan Kisan Party each have one crorepati candidate.
