Representative image showing Rs 500 notes.
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With the citizens of Mizoram set to practice their right to vote on November 7, political parties have been on their toes with respect to campaigning and getting the majority to side with them.
As the polling date nears, let us take a look at the richest and poorest candidates in fray.
When it comes to the share of wealth, 25.86 per cent candidates in Mizoram have wealth over Rs 5 crore and 13.22 per cent have less than 10 lakh.
BJP’s J B Rualchhinga Lawngtlai is the richest of the lot with Rs 90,32,89,532 worth of total assets of which Rs 90,07,27,860 are immovable assets and Rs 25,61,672 are movable assets. He is contesting from Lawngtlai West (ST) constituency.
Lawngtlai is followed by R Vanlaltluanga who is a Congress candidate with Rs 55,63,93,721 worth of total assets. He is fighting for the Serchhip (ST) seat.
The third richest candidate contesting the Mizoram Assembly election is H Ginzalala, from the Champhai North (ST) constituency. Ginzalala is a Zoram People’s Movement candidate with Rs 36,09,52,042 worth of declared assets out of which Rs 18,90,00,000 and Rs 17,19,52,042 are immovable assets and movable assets respectively.
On the other hand, the poorest candidate in the fray is Ramhlun-Edena, fighting independently from the Serchhip (ST) constituency, where he will come up against the second richest candidate, R Vanlaltluanga. Edena’s total assets are worth Rs 1,500. Vl Nghaka ranks second on the list of poorest candidates with Rs 6,742 worth of total assets.
With Rs 10,000 worth of total assets, Lalhmachhuani fighting from the Aizawl East-II (ST) constituency is the third poorest candidate in the Mizoram Assembly elections. It must be noted that all three of the candidates are contesting independently.
Of the 174 candidates that the ADR has analysed, 114 of them are crorepatis, which accounts for 66 per cent, as opposed to the 116 crorepatis (out of 209) in 2018.
Of all the parties contesting this year's Assembly elections, 90 per cent of the candidates in MNF are crorepatis followed by 83 per cent in INC, 73 per cent in Zoram People’s Movement, 39 per cent from BJP and 1 per cent from AAP.