Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president D.K. Shivakumar, Janata Dal (Secular) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy, his brother H.D. Revanna, Housing Minister V. Sommana, and B.Y. Vijayendra, son of former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, were among the 842 candidates who filed their nominations for the May 10 Assembly polls on Monday. Aspirants across parties filed their papers after massive roadshows.
There were 198 nominations from the Bharatiya Janata Party, 195 from the Congress, 86 from the the JD(S), 50 from the Aam Aadmi Party, and 17 from the BSP. There were 134 nominations by registered unrecognised parties and 161 by Independents. April 20 is the last day for filing nominations.
MTB Nagaraj
Small Scale Industries Minister M.T.B. Nagaraj, who is the BJP candidate for Hoskote, has added ₹599.5 crore in the last five years. He has disclosed a net worth of over ₹1,614.5 crore, which includes his and his wife’s, as per his nomination affidavit filed to contest in the May 10 Assembly elections.
During the previous Assembly elections in 2018, he declared assets of ₹1,015 crore, making him the richest candidate in the fray.
He has movable assets worth ₹372.42 crore and immovable assets of ₹798.38 crore. He has disclosed his wife Shantakumari’s movable assets of ₹163.78 crore and immovable assets of ₹274.97 crore.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai accompanied Housing Minister V. Somanna atop a vehicle during a roadshow before the latter filed his nomination papers for Varuna Assembly segment on Monday.
The 72-year-old Kuruba leader, who has studied up to Class VIII, is a three-time legislator from the Hoskote Assembly seat in Bengaluru Rural district. He was the Housing Minister in the Congress-JD(S) coalition government.
He, along with 16 other MLAs, joined the BJP in Karnataka in 2019, and was disqualified by the Speaker under the anti-defection law for defying his party’s whip.
Mr. Shivakumar, who filed his nomination from Kanakapura, is also among the richest in the fray, with total declared assets of about ₹1,358 crore owned by him and his family members. This is about 62% increase in the assets since 2018, when he declared his assets to be ₹840 crore. His liabilities in the same period increased from ₹234 crore to nearly ₹265 crore. Despite his riches, only a 2002 model SUV is registered in his name.
Of the ₹970 crore immovable assets that he has declared, he has said that ₹941 crore of assets has been self acquired. He also declared that about ₹237 crore liabilities are in dispute with the Income Tax Department.
Mr. Shivakumar has listed a total of 19 cases against him, which includes serious charges filed by the Income Tax Department, the Enforcement Directorate, and the CBI. He has also listed six cases filed by the State government under the Epidemic Control Act for having violated the COVID-19 guidelines during the Mekedatu padayatra.
The assets of Mr. Kumaraswamy’s family, including his legislator wife Anitha Kumaraswamy, have increased marginally, while the liabilities have declined since 2018. While he and later his wife (who won in the Ramanagara bypolls) in 2018 declared ₹167 crore of assets, the couple’s assets grew to ₹181.29 crore this time.
Interestingly, among the assets, declared by the former Chief Minister who is contesting from Channapatna, include 20 cows worth ₹6.4 lakh and 52 sheep worth ₹6.14 lakh, besides dairy equipment worth ₹1.48 crore. The only vehicle that Mr. Kumaraswamy owns is a tractor. The family liabilities that stood at ₹104 crore ha declined to ₹76.48 crore.
Mr. Kumaraswamy has two mining cases and two land denotification cases pending against him with the Lokayukta/SIT, while a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act is pending before a Bengaluru court.
In contrast to Mr. Kumaraswamy’s movable farm assets, his son Nikhil Kumaraswamy, who filed his nominations from neighbouring Ramanagara constituency, which has been vacated by his mother, owns a Range Rover and a Lamborghini Aventador.
Mr. Nikhil, who has acted in Kannada movies, also owns two vanity vans. In all, he and his wife have declared assets of about ₹77 crore. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, which he lost from Mandya, he declared assets totalling about ₹74 crore and liabilities of ₹35.36 crore.
Horticulture Minister and film producer Muniratna, who is contesting on a BJP ticket from Rajarajeshwari Nagar, has declared his family’s assets to be worth ₹293 crore, a steep increase from the ₹43 crore he declared in 2018. That is a rise of 591%.
The liabilities have also increased from ₹25 crore to ₹102 crore in the same period. He owns 30 vehicles, including two-wheelers, tippers, and cars.
Mr. Vijayendra, contesting from Shikaripur constituency in Shivamogga district, and his wife Prema Vijayendra possess assets worth over ₹126.18 crore. The couple does not own a car, as per the affidavit
Mr. Somanna, who filed his papers from Varuna assembly constituency in Mysuru, and his wife together hold assets worth ₹31.61 crore.
In his affidavit submitted to the Election Commission, along with the nomination, Mr. Somanna has declared assets worth ₹10.21 crore, including ₹3.61 crore movable assets, while his wife J. Shailaja has assets worth ₹21.4 crore, including ₹13.01 crore movable assets.