Several crorepatis are in fray for Jammu seat

Sanjeev Pargal

JAMMU, Mar 21: Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra are not the only exceptions. In Jammu also, a number of crorepatis have joined electoral battle even as only 11 nomination papers have so far been filed for one Lok Sabha seat out of a total of six constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir. Some of the candidates also owned huge land while their spouses have a large quantity of gold.
With last date for filing nomination papers for Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha constituency fixed for March 22, BJP candidate Jugal Kishore Sharma would file papers tomorrow. No nomination paper has so far been filed for Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha seat but BJP candidate Dr Jitendra Singh would also file his papers tomorrow.
Congress candidate and two times MP from Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha seat, Madan Lal Sharma, who is seeking third term in the present election, is richest among the candidates, who have filed their nomination papers so far.
An affidavit filed by Mr Sharma before the Returning Officer (Deputy Commissioner, Jammu AK Sahu) revealed that the Congress candidate has Rs 9.88 lakh Saving account in the State Bank of India (SBI), three Term Deposits worth Rs 7.72 lakh, Rs 1 lakh and Rs 7.72 lakh, Rs 5.30 lakh in Savings account at Punjab National Bank, Rs 80,000 cash in hand, an LIC Policy worth Rs 5 lakh and a tractor bearing No. 5977 JK02AG worth Rs 2.5 lakh. The gross total value of his cash, TDRs and other accounts has been valued at Rs 35.36 lakh.
Madan Lal Sharma’s wife Channo Devi has 155 tolas of golden ornaments valued at Rs 46 lakh. However, her Savings account has only Rs 119 while she has just Rs 5000 cash in hands. The gross value included Rs 46.05 lakh.
Mr Sharma owned 25 kanals of agriculture land at Pallanwalla, nine kanals and 15 marlas agriculture land at Palatan, three kanals and 12 marlas agriculture land at Channi Dewani totaling 38 kanals and 7 marlas, whose value has been showed at Rs 13.90 lakh.
The Congress veteran, who had won Lok Sabha elections for two successive terms in 2004 and 2009 and had been a Minister over a couple of times, owned 71 kanals and 19 marlas of non-agriculture land valued at Rs 24.89 lakh and a commercial shop at village Choudherwala, one plot in Roop Nagar Housing Colony (60×90) allotted by JDA worth Rs 8.5 lakh, one plot of 10 marlas at Sainik Colony worth Rs 9 lakh, another plot at Muthi (Roop Nagar) with built up area of 4000 square feet and construction of another double storey house worth Rs 15 lakh with current market value of Rs 30 lakh at Choudherwala, Akhnoor.
Mr Sharma spent Rs 5 lakh on renovation of another 4500 square feet house at Palatan, Akhnoor, whose market value has been shown at Rs 12 lakh. He owned another house at Palatan, Akhnoor with built up area of 1200 square feet with market value of Rs 8 lakh. Total market value of his houses has been shown as Rs 1.07 crores.
Despite owning assets worth crores, Madan Lal owed a loan of Rs 1.49 lakh to State Legislative Assembly on account of car and House Building and Rs 2.35 lakh for tractor totaling Rs 3.84 lakh.
Mr Sharma’s has pegged his moveable assets at Rs 35.36 lakh, construction cost of immovable property after purchase at Rs 15.50 lakh, self acquire assets at Rs 48.23 lakh and inherited assets at Rs 58.79 lakh.
PDP candidate Yash Pal Sharma has Rs 1.45 lakh worth cash in hand, Rs 2.84 lakh in Bank accounts, Insurance Policy worth Rs 99,000 with Rs 6600 yearly premium, a tractor bearing No. 1415 JK12 worth Rs 4.82 lakh and jewelery worth Rs 4.5 lakh having gross total value of Rs 14.62 lakh.
Yash Pal Sharma’s wife, a Headmaster, has 700 grams gold valued at Rs 21 lakh, a TATA Sumo No. 1567 JK12 having a value of Rs 4.5 lakh, Rs 2.5 lakh cash in hand, Rs 15,757 in Banks, GPF worth Rs 1.44 lakh and insurance policy with Rs 21,771 premium totaling Rs 41.81 lakh.
Yash Pal Sharma owned 15 kanals agriculture land, houses built at 10 marlas and seven marlas with total market value of Rs 21 lakh.
Bharatiya Bahujan Party (BBP) candidate Girdhari Lal Bhagat has Rs 82,193 in Bank Account and FDRs worth Rs 1 lakh, Rs 5 lakh, Rs 2 lakh, Rs 4.91 lakh and five MYDs worth Rs 5 lakh each. He has Rs 10 lakh in one of the account with Oriental Commercial Bank at Gandhi Nagar branch, Rs 18.41 lakh with same bank at New Delhi branch and Rs 22,000 with SBI Raipur branch totaling Rs 68 lakh. He possessed gold worth Rs 1.8 lakh.
Mr Bhagat has 100 kanals agriculture land at Chack Sadhu worth Rs 1.5 crores, non-agriculture land at Pink City Society, Raipur measuring 4000 square feet with a cost of Rs 4 lakh and a joint ancestral house.
Mr Bhagat’s spouse, who is a housewife had Rs 15 lakh worth bank deposits, 440 grams gold values at Rs 13.20 lakh and 4 kanals agriculture land worth Rs 1 lakh.
Samajwadi Party candidate Bahadur Singh Choudhary has Rs 98,554 worth cash with SBI Vijaypur account, Rs 10,340 with SBI Jammu Cantonment , Quento car worth Rs 7.4 lakh, 30 grams gold worth Rs 92,000 totaling Rs 8.32 lakh. His son owned I 10 car worth Rs 3.5 lakh and 10 grams gold.
Mr Choudhary has two acres agriculture land.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate Ashok Bhagat has moveable assets worth Rs 68 lakh while his spouse has similar asserts valued at Rs 15 lakh. He has 4000 square feet immovable assets valued at Rs 4 lakh while his wife has four kanals land.