Of 5 billionaires contesting today's Delhi elections, 3 are from BJP: Know their net worths

Delhi Elections: Of the five billionaires contesting today's Delhi elections, three are from theBharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have fielded one billionaire each. 

Karnail Singh, the BJP candidate from the Shakur Basti seat, is the richest candidate in today's Delhi Elections. Singh has declared total assets worth over ₹259 crore, according to a report released by election watchdog, Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

Manjinder Singh Sirsa, the saffron party's candidate from Rajouri Garden with assets worth ₹248 Crore, is the second richest. Parvesh Sahib Singh, who has been fielded from the New Delhi seat by the BJP, is also featured in the list of billionaire candidates in the upcoming Delhi assembly elections.

Of the 699 candidates analysed, 5 (1 per cent) are billionaires. The total assets of all the 699 candidates stand at ₹3,952 crores, the ADR report said.

The ADR analysed the self-sworn affidavits of all 699 candidates, who are contesting in the Delhi 2025 Assembly Elections. The elections to the 70-member Delhi assembly are scheduled for February 5. The results will be announced on February 8.

The other billionaire candidates are Congress leader Gurcharan Singh from Krishna Nagar who has declared assets worth   ₹130 crore and Dhanwati Chandela, the AAP candidate from Rajouri Garden who has declared net worth of   ₹ l09 crore.

Among candidates who have the lowest assets include independent candidate Ashok Kumar, contesting from the Ambedkar Nagar seat with assets worth ₹6,000, and Anita from the New Delhi seat with ₹9,000 declared net worth.

Led by Arvind Kejriwal, AAP won assembly elections in 2015 and 2020. Before that, the Congress was in power from 1998 until 2013.

Delhi Elections 2025: Candidates with assets worth ₹100 crore

Among the major parties, 3(4 per cent) out of 68 candidates analysed from the BJP, 1(1 per cent) out of 70 candidates analysed from the Congress, and 1(1 per cent) out of 70 candidates analysed from the AAP have declared assets valued more than ₹100 crore.

Also, out of the 699 candidates analysed, 23 (3 per cent) candidates have assets worth ₹50 crores and above, this includes 5 billionaire candidates. In 2020 Delhi Assembly Elections, out of 672 candidates, 13 (2 per cent) had assets valued ₹50 crores and above, the ADR report said.

The role of money power in our elections is evident from the fact that all major political parties give tickets to wealthy candidates, the election watch dog said in its report. 

“Among the major parties 8 (12 per cent) out of 68 candidates analysed from the BJP, 7(10 per cent) out of 70 candidates analysed from the Congress, 6(9 per cent) out of 70 candidates analysed from the AAP and 2 (1 per cent) out of 138 Independent candidates analysed have declared assets valued more than ₹50 crore,” the report said.