BSP MLAs’ assets outshine others

LUCKNOW: The five-year stint in the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha since 2007 has helped a number of MLAs in improving their fortunes to a large extent, as on an average, recontesting MLA has registered an asset growth of Rs 1.61 crore.
According to a survey conducted by Uttar Pradesh Election Watch, the average asset of the 34 re-contesting MLAs (whose affidavits were analysed) in 2007 stood at Rs 86 lakh.By 2012, this average had swelled to Rs 2.47 crore. In percentage terms, the growth in assets has been 187%. The highest percentage increase in assets of 1934% has been found for Umesh Pandey of Bahujan Samaj Party, from Madhuban assembly segment in Mau district.
Pandey’s assets rose from Rs 5.58 lakh in 2007 to Rs 1.13 crore in 2012. The second spot in this category has been bagged by Madho Prasad of the Congress from Gorakhpur’s Chauri Chaura seat.
Prasad’s fortune rose Rs 6.9 lakh in 2007 to Rs 77.62 lakh in 2012, an increase of 1025%. BSP candidate from Azamgarh assembly constituency, Sarvesh Kumar registered a five-year growth of 887%, as his gross assets went up to Rs Rs 9.81 crore in 2012 from Rs 99.42 lakh.
Volume-wise, the assets of Sarvesh Kumar Singh alias Sipu, BSP candidate from Azamgarh increased the most, worth Rs 8.81 crore. Among the 34 re-contesting MLAs analysed by UPEW, Sarvesh tops the table with the highest assets. Sipu is followed by Pramod of Deoria, whose assets increased by Rs 4.51 crore, while that of Rajkumar from Ghazipur went up by Rs 4.38 crore from 2007 to 2012. Both Pramod and Rajkumar belong to the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party.
Party-wise, the percentage of asset increase has been highest for the Congress at a whopping 436%, followed by Quami Ekta Dal of jailed mafia don Mukhtar Ansari, whose average increase was 343%. The ruling BSP saw an increase of 338% in its assets, while for the BJP, it was 256%. The increase was not very encouraging for Samajwadi Party and Nationalist Congress Party, which registered a growth of 88% and 72% in the five-year duration respectively. However, when it comes to the quantum of increase, BSP leads its political opponents, as it registered an average asset increase of Rs 2 crore, while it was Rs 1 crore for Samajwadi Party and NCP.
Quami Ekta Dal’s moved ahead of BJP in asset increase. The increase in asset for QED was Rs 1.98 crore, while for BJP it was Rs 1.97 crore. Congress registered an average increase in assets worth Rs 63 lakh. Combining the first and second phase, the number of re-contesting MLAs are 78.
The average increase in the asset of an MLA was Rs 1.63 crore, which means 138%. The average assets of these MLAs increased from Rs 1.18 crore in 2007 to Rs 2.82 crore in 2012. Ajay Pratap Singh of BSP, who is re-contesting from Colonelganj in Gonda registered the highest increase in assets worth Rs 12.08 crore, followed by BSP’s Azamgarh candidate Sarvesh Kumar Singh, whose assets went up by Rs 8.81 crore.
Chaudhary Ravindra Pratap of the Congress, who is in the fray from Shoratgarh in Siddharthnagar had an increase worth Rs 6.56 crore.
The highest percentage increase (13074%) has been for Kaushlendra Nath of JD(U) from Tulsipur constituency. His assets rose from Rs 51,940 in 2007 to 68.42 lakh in 2012. He is followed by Ramesh Chandra of BSP from Mankapur constituency with a percentage increase of 4170% (Rs 2.51 lakh in 2007 to 1.07 crore in 2012) and Hargovind Bharagav of BSP from Sidhauli with an increase of 3691%(Rs 3.5 lakh in 2007 to 1.32 crore in 2012).
All these top 3 MLAs with highest percentage increase are re-contesting in the first phase from Shohratgarh. A total of 166 candidates (49%) out of the 337 candidates analysed by the Uttar Pradesh Election Watch have declared that they have never filed income tax returns. Out of the 166 candidates analysed who have never filed income tax returns, BSP has 19 (32%) out of 59 candidates, BJP has 23 (42%) out of 55 candidates, SP has 34 (58%) out of 59 candidates and Congress has 25 (42%) out of 59 candidates, Peace Party has 18(51%) out of 35 candidates and JD (U) has 35 (70%) out of 50 candidates who have not filed IT Returns.
As many as 78 (23%) candidates have not declared their PAN details of which 20 are from JD (U) 14 are from Congress, 14 from SP, 9 from BJP, 8 from Peace Party, 5 from BSP, 5 from Quami Ekta Dal and 3 are from Apna Dal.
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