HALL OF RICHIE-RICHPANAJI: Businessman and philanthropist from Pernem Jit Arolkar is the richest candidate among those who have filed their nominations for the simultaneous Lok Sabha elections and the three Assembly by-polls having declared immovable assets worth nearly Rs 27 crore.
JIT AROLKAR
(Mandrem-Independent)
>> Rs 26.99 crore
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DEEPAK DHAVALIKAR
(Shiroda-MGP)
>> Rs 15.91 crore
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FRANCISCO SARDINHA
(South Goa LS-Congress)
>> Rs 6 crore
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SHRIPAD NAIK
(North Goa LS-BJP)
>> Rs 5.85 crores
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DAYANAND SOPTE
(Mandrem-BJP)
>> Rs 3.71 crore
His opponent and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Dayanand Sopte has declared assets worth Rs 3.71 crore.
Sopte was the sitting MLA of Mandrem who quit the seat to switch loyalties from the Opposition Congress to the BJP. In the 2017 assembly election, he had emerged a 'giant killer' having defeated then Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar by a massive 9,000-plus votes margin.
Arolkar, who has a Robinhood image in the northernmost taluka of Pernem, is contesting as an Independent candidate and has declared immovable assets worth Rs 26.99-crore belonging to him and his immediate family members.
He along with his family owns 70,000 square meters of non-agricultural land totally valued at Rs 26.99 crores, Arolkar declared in his papers.
Former minister and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) president, Deepak Dhavlikar ranks second behind Arolkar with Rs 15.91 worth of assets under his name. Dhavlikar was among the first to file his papers for the bye-elections to the Shiroda constituency when nominations opened on March 28.The Rs 15.91-crore worth of assets declared by Dhavlikar in his affidavit filed along with his nomination papers, thus makes the richest man to have ever contested the Shiroda constituency, if he continues to remain in the fray following scrutiny on Friday and the date for withdrawals on April 8.
Subhash Shirodkar, who quit his membership of the Legislature to switch loyalties from the Congress to the BJP, also filed his nomination on Wednesday and has declared assets worth Rs 2.08 crores. The third prominent candidate in the constituency, former minister Mahadev Naik of the Congress has claimed ownership of assets worth Rs 2.89 crores.
For the bye-polls to the Mapusa seat, Joshua D'Souza who is the BJP candidate and is the son of the late former minister Francis D'Souza whose death necessitated the bye-poll, has declared he owns assets worth Rs 1.65 crores.
The financial details of his opponent, Sudhir Kandolkar, however, could not be accessed on the website of the Chief Electoral Officer.
Meanwhile, Congress candidate for the South Goa Lok Sabha seat Francisco Sardinha is the richest among those in the arena seeking to make it to the Indian parliament from the two Lok Sabha seats of the State.
Sardinha, a former chief minister, five-term MLA and two term MP, has declared assets worth Rs 6 crores. In his affidavit, he has also mentioned that half his assets belong to his wife as per provisions of the civil code, a legacy of the Portuguese colonial rule.
Marginally lower than the Rs 6-crore claimed by Sardinha are the assets owned by AYUSH Minister and the BJP's North Goa candidate, Shripad Naik.
Naik who is attempting to win a record fifth term in the Lok Sabha has declared in his affidavit that he owns assets worth Rs 5.85 crores. Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president, Girish Chodankar, who will attempt to deny Naik that record, has declared assets of Rs 1.41 crores.
Meanwhile, former bureaucrat and Aam Aadmi Party candidate in South Goa, Elvis Gomes has claimed ownership of assets worth a little under a crore of rupees at Rs 96.76 lakhs, while sitting MP Narendra Sawaikar has declared Rs 1.45-crore in assets.
