Jharkhand Election Phase 2: Richest Candidate Holds Over ₹400 Crore in Assets

In the second phase of the Jharkhand Assembly elections, the wealthiest candidate, Samajwadi Party's Aquil Akhtar, has declared assets worth over ₹400 crore. Among the 522 candidates, 127 (24%) are crorepatis, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fielding the most, followed by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress. The election will take place on November 20, with results announced on November 23.

As Jharkhand approaches the second phase of its 2024 Assembly elections, financial declarations reveal that the wealthiest candidate holds assets valued at over ₹400 crore. This phase, set for November 20, has drawn several "crorepati" candidates vying for seats in the 81-seat Assembly, with vote counting scheduled for November 23, the same day as the Maharashtra elections.

The richest candidate in this phase, Samajwadi Party's Aquil Akhtar, contesting from the Pakur constituency, declared assets totaling over ₹400 crore. Akhtar's assets include nearly ₹1 crore in movable assets and more than ₹400 crore in immovable property. Following him is independent candidate Niranjan Rai from Dhanwar, who declared assets worth over ₹137 crore, and Aazad Samaj Party’s Mihammad Danish from Dhanwar, with assets exceeding ₹32 crore.

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Among the 522 candidates running in Phase 2, 127 are crorepatis, accounting for 24% of the pool, according to a report from the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leads with the most crorepati candidates—32—followed by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress. Notably, 72% of BJP's Phase 2 candidates are crorepatis, compared to 90% of JMM's and 83% of Congress's.