MLA’s asset grew by Rs.50,000 per day !

It has been nothing short of  bonanza for the 179 MLAs seeking reelection that the average  asset per MLA is put around Rs. 9.25 crores for the five year term, which is coming to an end. For it means that the assets averaged around Rs. 15 lakhs for each month of their sixty month tenure as members of the assembly. And everyday, the asset grew by  Rs. 50,000, a phenomenal feat indeed.

But   a careful perusal of the data   furnished by them through the mandatory declarations given, and analysed   by the Karnataka Election Watch, an unit of the National Election Watch and Association of Democratic Reforms, a non government organisation, which has been keeping a vigilant eye on the electoral scene, reveals an interesting phenomenon – that   the picture is not as rosy as it appears for all of them. The bonanza is not uniformly spread out.

Firstly, the  variation is wide, ranging from four legislators who have crossed the 100 crore mark to eight  legislators, who instead of acquiring assets, have suffered loss, which in the case of two legislators, namely Sarvabhouma Bagali, erstwhile BJP, who is contesting as independent from Indi in BIjapur district  and Sangameshwar who is contesting as independent from Bhadravati following the denial by the ticket by the Congress , Mr C T Ravi , the lone Karnataka Minister, being  as high as Rs.4 crores each.

The  husband  and wife team Mr Kumaraswamy    the Karnataka State Unit of the JDS and his wife, Mrs  Anita Kumaraswamy  jointly have made   assets to the tune of Rs. 196 crores, the highest ever made, followed D K Shivakumar of the Congress ((Rs. 175 crore)  and Mr Priya Krishna of  Congress (Rs. 143 crores)  are the  only once who have crossed the century mark of assets in terms of crores of rupees.

More than thirty legislators come under the bracket of persons having assets in double digit crore, ranging from a highest Rs. 82 crores of Nandish Reddy ,  Krishna Palemar  (Rs. 41 crores) to Appachu Ranjan (Rs. 10.46 crores) also from BJP. 43 legislators have assets ranging from Rs. 3 crores to  Rs. One crore. In case of 35 legislators the assets are less than a crore of rupees, with Gopal Bhandary  and V T Khader both belonging to  Congress having the minimum of Rs. 7 lakhs. And Rs. 11 lakhs respectively. In this list are found  four  Ministers, Mr Govind Karjol, and S A Ramdas,  C M Udashi, , Renukacharya , and the Speaker  Mr K G Bopaiah.

Four legislators, namely Bellubbi Sangappa .  S Shivappa  , Vishshwanath Mamani, (all BJP),  C S Puttegowda. Satyanarayana (both Congress) have also suffered from loss of asset during the current tenure.

Of the 179 legislators, only 21 have the assets which are more than average.  In the list come , the Ministers , Mr Bachegowda ( Rs. 38 crores),  UMesh Katti (Rs. 12 crores), Satish Jarakhiholi (Rs. 27 crores,) Murugesh Nirani (Rs. 14 crores) . C P YOgeshwar (Rs. 9 crore),  Sudhakar Independent, from Chintamani in  Chickballapur district,  (Rs. 10.66 crores ),  R Ashok, the Deputy Chief Minister (Rs. 16 crores),   Revanna (Rs. 12 crores),  S N Krishnaiah Shetty (Rs. 12 crores). Sriramulu (Rs. 17 crore), Karunakar Reddy (Rs. 19 crores),  Anand Singh (Rs. 12 crore)., D Sudhakar of Congress from  Hiriyur in Chitradurga (17.31 crores)

The legislators whose assets increase was less than average,   includes,  Minister, Mr Jagadish Shettar, (Rs. 3 crores), his colleagues Mr Aravind Limbavli (Rs. 4 crores), Ravindranath (Rs. 4 crores). Yeddyurapppa (Rs. Rs. 4 crores),  Deputy Chief Minister  Mr. Eshwarappa (3 crore),  Siddaramaaih (Rs. 8 crores).  Balachandra Jarakiholi (Rs. 7 crore)., Basavaraj Bommai (Rs. 3 crores).

The name of Anil Lad, the Congress candidate for the Bellary city does not figure in the list, because he was not a member of the assembly during the 2008-2013 period, Anil Lad, moved over to Rajyasbha after he was defeated last time. Gali Janardan Reddy, who was a BJP Minister in  Karnataka before he was arrested by the CBI in connection with illegal mining case,  and the third of the Jarakiholi brothers, also are also not in the list because they were not MLAs but members of the Legislative  Council. The assets of Somasekhar Reddy, another BJP MLA  also do not figure  since he is not contesting  the election.

The  Karnataka Election Watch has furnished the following table,  which provides the party-wise categorization of average asset increase of re-contesting MLAs. Financial details of 73 re-contesting MLAs fielded by BJP have been taken from the recently filed affidavits by these MLAs and the values of these financial assets have been compared to the corresponding values of the assets that the MLAs showed in their affidavits in 2008. The same procedure has been followed for other parties as well and it has been found that average increase in the assets of 73 MLAs who have again been given tickets by BJP is Rs 6.87 Crore. Following tables showcases the party wise assortment of the average increase in assets of the re-contesting MLAs:

Five MLAs  – three from the BJP,  one each from Congress and Independent, namely  Ramanath Rai (Bantwal in Dakshina Kannada) from Congress,   Appachu  Ranjan, (Madikeri, Kodagu),  Raghu (c v Ramannagar, Bangalore),  Bharamagowda Alagouda Kage (Kagwad, Belgaum) all from BJP,  Vartur Prakash, (Kolar)  independent)   have the highest increase of assets.

The assets of Jagadish Shettar, who held the post of the Speaker, Minister and  replaced Sadananda Gowda as  the nominee of the Yeddyurappa faction  (and later turned against him)   have  increased from Rs.  1.82  crores in 2008 to Rs. 5.83 crores,  while  his mentor  turned betenoire, Yeddyurappa’s assets moved from Rs. 1.82 crores to Rs. 5.83 crores   the assets  of the two Deputy Chief Ministers  of the  Shettars government,  Easwarappa and Ashok increased from Rs. 4.01 crores  to Rs. 7.28 crores, and   from 9.88 crores to Rs. 26.20 crores.

(Posted on April 28, 2013 @ 10.15am)

(Author is a Senior Journalist and Columnist.  Mobile: +91 94480 74872   Email :madan.mm@gmail.com)