PANAJI
Both of Goa’s winning candidates in the Lok Sabha polls -- BJP’s Shripad Naik and Congress’ Viriato Fernandes -- are ‘crorepatis’, making 100 per cent of the State's MPs possessing assets running in crores.
However, there is a difference when it comes to criminal cases against them. Six-time MP Naik has no criminal record while the first-time parliamentarian, Capt Fernandes, faces charges of wrongful restraint framed nearly eight months before the Lok Sabha elections.
Fernandes, having served 26 years in the Indian Navy, had a First Information Report registered against him in 2020 at Maina-Curtorim Police Station and charges were framed on August 11, 2023. He chose not to appeal and the case is pending trial.
According to the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) report released on Thursday, Fernandes faces charges under several sections of the Indian Penal Code including joining or continuing in unlawful assembly despite a command to disperse (Section 145), punishment for wrongful restraint (Section 341), every member of an unlawful assembly guilty of an offence committed in pursuit of a common objective (Section 149), and being a member of an unlawful assembly (Section 143).
While Naik has maintained a clean record, he has also seen significant growth in his assets. According to the ADR report, Naik’s assets increased to Rs 10.86 crore approx in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Rs 6.57 crore in the 2019 elections, a rise of 65 per cent. In comparison, the assets of the South Goa MP stand at Rs 5,27 crore approx.
As per ADR’s previous report on the contesting candidates, four out of the 16 candidates have criminal cases registered against them among whom one candidate faces a serious criminal charge.
Regarding their financial background, both the BJP and Congress candidates are crorepatis besides one each from the Corruption Abolition Party (CAP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). BJP’s South Goa candidate Pallavi Dempo, who lost by a small margin to Capt Fernandes, has the highest declared assets worth Rs 1,361 crore followed by Ramakant Khalap – who lost to Shripad Naik - with Rs 17 crore.
