Srinagar, Sep 12 (IANS): Assets revealed by 219 contesting candidates for the first phase of J&K Assembly elections show that 50 per cent of the contestants are crorepatis.
Each one of these contestants has declared assets exceeding Rs one crore. The average assets of phase one candidates stand at Rs 3 crore. Of these, 13 candidates have assets worth over Rs 10 crores each.
Just 9 of these 219 candidates are women. Interestingly, Mehbooba Mufti-led the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has the highest number of crorepatis. Eighteen out of PDP’s 21 candidates are crorepatis.
Abdul Gaffar Sofi, contesting from Anantnag West has declared assets worth over Rs 66 crore followed by Imtiaz Ahmed of the same party with assets more than Rs 34 crore.
Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) President, Tariq Hameed Karra has declared a net worth of over Rs 190 crore, with his annual income also increasing since 2021. Nearly all candidates have reported a rise in their annual income.
According to the details submitted, 69-year-old Karra has declared movable assets worth Rs 3.4 lakh, while his wife holds assets worth Rs 40 lakh.
Karra’s immovable assets total Rs 148 crore including agricultural land valued at Rs 113.47 crore, commercial buildings worth over Rs 9 crore, and residential properties worth over Rs 25 crore.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, he had declared assets worth Rs 98 crore. His pension is his declared source of income, while his wife earns from her business.
Karra’s annual income rose from Rs 2.62 lakh in 2020-21 to Rs 7.77 lakh. His wife’s income, meanwhile, has remained stable at Rs 13 lakh since 2019.
Peoples Conference (PC) leader, Abid Hussain Ansari has seen his income nearly triple, from Rs 10 lakh in 2019 to Rs 28 lakh. His second wife’s income has doubled since 2020-21, from Rs 8.79 lakh to Rs 17.30 lakh.
The 77-year-old Ansari, contesting from Zadibal, has declared movable assets worth Rs 1.47 crore, with his first wife holding Rs 10 lakh and his second wife Rs 34.75 lakh.
He also owns immovable property valued at Rs 38 crore while his second wife’s immovable assets total Rs 3.20 crore. Ansari, with no liabilities, has listed pension and business as his sources of income, while his second wife earns a salary as a Government employee.
PDP’s candidate from Habba Kadal, Arif Irshad Laigroo, has declared an annual income of Rs 2.21 lakh, down from Rs 3.80 lakh in 2021-22. He holds Rs 50,000 in hand, and his wife owns movable assets worth Rs 24.19 lakh.
Former Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC), Commissioner Gazanfar Ali is contesting election from Lal Chowk constituency for Engineer Rashid’s AIP. He has reported a recent income of Rs 13 lakh but provided no details for previous years. He owns Rs 21 lakh in movable assets, while his wife owns Rs 28 lakh.
Gazanfar’s immovable assets total Rs 4.80 crore, with Rs 10 lakh in liabilities. He has declared his pension as his source of income.
Awami National Conference (ANC) leader, Muzaffar Shah contesting from Habba Kadal has reported an annual income of Rs 15 lakh but has not provided income details for the past five years.
He holds Rs 21 lakh in movable property, while his wife’s movable assets amount to Rs 50 lakh. Shah also owns Rs 10 crore in immovable property, with a Rs 2 crore liability from a J&K Bank loan.
PDP senior leader Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura has declared Rs 2.22 crore in movable assets and Rs 1.76 crore in immovable property, while his wife owns Rs 9 lakh in movable assets. In 2014, he declared Rs 8 crore in assets. He is contesting from the Chrar-e-Sharief seat in the Budgam district.
He has declared an annual income of Rs 6.55 lakh, up from Rs 4.75 lakh in 2020-21, with liabilities of Rs 33 lakh. His pension is his declared source of income.
Jailed Sarjan Ahmad Wagay (Barkati), contesting from Ganderbal and Beerwah, after his papers were rejected from Pulwama, has declared no annual income and Rs 60 lakh in immovable assets, mostly land.
Another AIP candidate, Ishtiyaq Qadri, contesting from Habba Kadal, has not reported any income for the past five years, nor has his wife. Both are retired Government employees. Qadri has declared Rs 10 lakh in movable assets while his wife owns Rs 8 lakh.
He has not declared any immovable assets although his wife owns Rs 2 crore worth of immovable property with an Rs 8 lakh liability from a housing loan.
Former NC legislator Muhammad Irfan Shah, contesting from Central Shalteng as an Independent against Karra, has not declared his own income but has reported his wife’s, which has risen from Rs 26 lakh in 2020-21 to Rs 30 lakh.
He owns Rs 18.40 lakh in movable assets while his wife holds Rs 30 lakh. Shah, who has completed education up to class 12, owns Rs 4.5 crore in immovable property while his wife owns Rs 2.5 crore, noted as inherited. His pension is his declared income, while his wife earns a salary as a Professor in the Higher Education Department. In 2014, he declared Rs 4 crore in assets.
Sheikh Ashiq, former president of the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) president and an AIP candidate contesting from Ganderbal against Omar Abdullah, has seen his income nearly double, from Rs 4.80 lakh in 2019-20 to Rs 8.13 lakh in 2023-24.
A first-time candidate, Ashiq has declared Rs 67 lakh in movable assets, while his wife owns Rs 34 lakh. He has also declared Rs 95 lakh in immovable assets, with zero liabilities. His wife, a doctor by profession has not had her income declared.
Former MLA Ishfaq Ahmad Sheikh, contesting as an Independent from Ganderbal, has not provided details about his or his wife’s income.
He owns Rs 75,000 in movable assets, while his wife holds Rs 28.91 lakh. Ishfaq’s immovable property is valued at Rs 5 crore, with liabilities of Rs 5.27 lakh.
His pension is his declared income, while his wife, a sitting DDC Chairperson, has no declared income. In 2008, he declared Rs 51 lakh in assets, with no liabilities.
Among the prominent candidates filing their nominations for Phase-III of the Assembly polls, PDP candidate, Shabir Ahmed Mir has declared assets worth over Rs 48 crore, with an annual income of nearly Rs 53 lakh-highest in north Kashmir so far.
On the lower end of the spectrum in terms of income and assets is Touseef Mehraj Raina, an Independent candidate from Baramulla, followed by Dr. Kalimullah Lone, a former Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) member contesting from Langate.
Mir, contesting from the Gulmarg Assembly segment in North Kashmir, has declared movable assets worth Rs 5.27 crore, while his wife has movable assets worth Rs 12 lakh. His declared annual income increased from Rs 49 lakh in 2018-19 to Rs 52.82 lakh in 2022-23.
In the 2014 Assembly elections, he as an Independent had his declared assets of Rs 22 crore. Mir holds a B.Sc in Agriculture from Japan (1977).
With liabilities of Rs 1.62 crore, Mir also owns immovable assets worth Rs 43 crore, including agricultural land worth Rs 27.85 crore, non-agricultural land worth Rs 7.86 crore, commercial buildings worth Rs 3.65 crore, and residential buildings worth Rs 4.50 crore. His wife owns immovable properties worth Rs 4.70 crore. The source of income is declared as a business.
National Conference candidate Nazir Ahmad Khan, contesting from Gurez, has reported fewer assets compared to his wife. Khan holds movable assets worth Rs 5.70 lakh, including cash and a Rs 5 lakh bank deposit. His wife owns movable assets worth Rs 7.50 lakh, including 70 grams of gold.
In terms of immovable assets, Khan has Rs 25 crore, while his wife, a Government school teacher, owns assets worth Rs 33 crore. The couple’s immovable assets also include a hotel and a guest house in a joint partnership.
They each have liabilities of Rs 1 crore. Khan’s annual income increased from Rs 3.95 lakh in 2019-20 to Rs 9.70 lakh in 2023-24, while his wife’s income rose from Rs 4.99 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. The source of income is declared as a business for Khan and a salary for his wife. Khan had declared Rs 35,000 as his income in 2014.
Shoaib Nabi Lone, an Independent candidate from Baramulla, reported a decrease in his annual income from Rs 6.50 lakh in 2020-21 to Rs 5.21 lakh in 2023-24.
He owns movable assets worth over Rs 2 crore, while his wife owns assets worth Rs 10.90 lakh. Lone also owns immovable assets worth Rs 19 crore and has liabilities of Rs 78 lakh, while his wife has declared liabilities of Rs 5 crore.
In 2014, he had assets worth Rs 2 crore with liabilities of Rs 5 crore. His declared sources of income include business, pension, and agriculture, while his wife has none.
Former legislator, Yasir Reshi, running as an Independent from the Sonawari segment, has reported a slight dip in his annual income from Rs 8.34 lakh in 2019-20 to Rs 8.19 lakh in 2023-24.
He owns movable assets worth Rs 1.43 crore and immovable property worth Rs 25 lakh, with a liability of Rs 1.45 crore from a loan with J&K Bank.
His wife owns movable assets worth Rs 21 lakh and immovable assets worth Rs 20 lakh. Yasir, a class 12 pass, owns a Fortuner and has an investment of Rs 90 lakh. The source of income is declared as a business.
Former Srinagar SSP Javiad Riyaz Bedar, contesting from Pattan on an NC ticket, has declared Rs 10 lakh as his annual income for 2023-24, up from Rs 8.39 lakh in 2021-22. He owns movable assets worth Rs 25 lakh, while his wife has assets worth Rs 17 lakh.
In terms of immovable property, he owns assets worth Rs 3.45 crore, with Rs 95 lakh in his wife’s name. With no liabilities, he has declared a pension as his source of income. He holds an M.Sc and LLB from Kashmir University.
Touseef Mehraj Raina, an Independent candidate from Baramulla, has declared Rs 4.36 lakh as his annual income. He owns movable assets worth Rs 5 lakh, while his wife has assets worth Rs 8 lakh.
Raina, recently married, does not own any immovable assets and has declared Rs 10,000 as a monthly honorarium from the J&K Policy Institute.
Another NC candidate, Qaysar Jamshaid Lone, in the fray from Lolab has movable assets worth Rs 40 lakh, while his wife has assets worth Rs 57.30 lakh.
His annual income has increased from Rs 4.46 lakh in 2019-20 to Rs 6.46 lakh in 2023-24. He has declared immovable assets worth Rs 7.30 crore, while his wife has assets worth Rs 77 lakh.
Lone has liabilities of Rs 19 lakh, while his wife is having liabilities of Rs 20 lakh. The sources of income are declared as pension and agriculture. He had declared assets worth Rs 53 lakh with a liability of Rs 2 lakh in 2014.
NC candidate Javaid Ahmad Dar from Rafiabad has declared movable assets worth Rs 11.66 lakh, with his wife having assets worth Rs 11.45 lakh.
Dar owns immovable assets worth Rs 4.57 crore, noted as inherited. His annual income decreased from Rs 4.98 lakh in 2019-20 to Rs 4 lakh in 2023-24. He has declared liabilities worth Rs 23.49 lakh, with sources of income including pension, agriculture and horticulture.