CHANDIGARH: As personal assets cross over into crores, political dynasts reveal themselves among the wealthiest in Haryana this election season. Topping the list of 223 candidates is however, businessman and INLD candidate from Gurugram, Virender Rana at 102.58 Crore. Former Chief Minister Bansi Lal's granddaughter Shruti Choudhry has shown over Rs 97 Crore in movable and immovable assets belonging to her, and her husband in her affidavit while filing her nomination for Bhiwani-Mahendragarh seat as a Congress candidate. Her combined income for the financial year of 2017-18 is shown to be around Rs 1.53 Crore.
Former deputy prime minister Devi Lal's great grandson Dushyant Chautala, Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) candidate from Hisar, has shown over Rs 74.49 Crore as his total assets, apart from his wife's assets worth Rs 2.44 Crore. His younger brother Digvijay Chautala, who is JJP candidate from Sonipat, has lesser assets than his brother. In the election affidavit, Digvijay has shown Rs 53 Crore as his total assets but also mentioned Rs 9.89 Crore as his liabilities including Rs 20.40 Lakh loan payable to cousins Arjun and Karan Chautala. JJP has fielded Digvijay against former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
Meanwhile, three-time Lok Sabha MP Deepender Singh Hooda has almost three times more assets than those of his father Bhupinder. Deepender has shown Rs 44.70 Crore as combined assets belonging to himself and his wife while Bhupinder has shown about Rs 15 Crore as total assets of the Hooda couple. Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh, who is again contesting from Gurugram as a BJP candidate, has shown about Rs 42 Crore as total assets belonging to him and his family. Inderjit Singh is the son of Rao Birender Singh, the second chief minister of Haryana, and a descendant of Raja Rao Tula Ram, a freedom fighter from India's first war of independence in 1857.
Daughter of four-time Sirsa MP Dalbir Singh, Rajya Sabha MP Kumari Selja is contesting from Ambala seat as Congress candidate. Selja's total assets have been pegged at around Rs 24 Crore. Among the dynasts, former chief minister Bhajan Lal's grandson Bhavya Bishnoi, 26, has shown Rs 3.82 Crore as his total assets. Son of Union Minister Birender Singh and former IAS officer Brijendra Singh has shown Rs 3.91 Crore as his assets while his wife owns Rs 8.83 Crore as total assets. Birender Singh is the grandson of peasants leader Sir Chhotu Ram. With assets worth Rs 32 Crore along with his spouse, INLD's Sonipat candidate Surender Chhikara is also among the wealthiest candidates of Haryana.
