Vivekanand leads Richie Rich list of Telangana candidates

Mohammed Shafeeq
Hyderabad, Nov 13 (IANS) Gaddam Vivekanand of Congress party is the richest candidate in the fray for November 30 election to the Telangana Assembly with declared family assets of more than Rs 600 crore.

Vivekanand, who filed his nomination from Chennur constituency in Mancherial district, has declared movable and immovable assets of Rs 606.66 crore in the affidavit submitted to the Election Commission.

The 66-year-old former MP, who recently quit BJP to join Congress, has movable assets of 328.91 crore, while his wife G Saroja possesses assets worth Rs 51.84 crore.

Vivek, as the industrialist politician is popularly known, is founder and chairman of Visaka Industries Ltd, has shares of Rs 285 crore in the company.

Saroja, who is managing director, holds shares worth Rs 44.90 crore. Vivek, who holds an MBBS degree from Osmania University, owns immovable assets 209.38 crore while the value of immovable assets owned by his wife are Rs 16.53 crore.

These include agricultural and non-agricultural lands, commercial and residential buildings.

Vivek's assets have gone up by 127 per cent since 2014, when he had contested for Lok Sabha from Peddapalli.

Vivek, who was elected to Lok Sabha from Peddapalli in 2009 on Congress ticket, is the son of Congress leader and former union minister late G. Venkatswamy, who was elected as MP from Peddapalli for four terms.

Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy of the Congress party is the second richest candidate in the fray with declared family assets Rs 461 crore.

Ponguleti, who is contesting from Palair constituency in Khammam district, had joined Congress in July, a few months after he was suspended by ruling party BRS for alleged anti-party activities.

Ponguleti and his wife P Madhuri have movable assets of Rs 32.44 crore and 391.63 crore respectively including equity shares in Tanla Platform and Brightcom Group of companies.

Ponguleti, who has passed 12th class, declared in the affidavit that he is agriculturist, social worker and businessman, while his wife is an agriculturist and a businesswoman.

A former MP from Khammam, he had declared assets of Rs 34 crore in 2014.

With assets of Rs 458 crore, Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy of the Congress party is the richest candidate in the fray for Assembly polls scheduled to be held on November 30.

Rajgopal Reddy, who is contesting from Munugode constituency in Nalgonda district, declared family assets of Rs 458.37 crore.

His net worth has gone up by more than 45 per cent since 2018 when he had declared assets of Rs 314 crore while contesting the Assembly election from Munugode.

Pailla Shekar Reddy of ruling party Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) is the fourth richest candidate.

Seeking re-election from Bhongir Assembly constituency, has assets of Rs 227 crore.

Medak MP K. Prabhakar Reddy, who filed the nomination as BRS candidate from Dubbak, declared assets of Rs 197 crore.

BRS MLA Marri Janardhan Reddy, who is seeking re-election from Nagarkurnool, has declared assets of Rs112 crore. All the three BRS leaders are into real estate and are said to be partners.

The lone BJP candidate in Rs 100 crore club is Nizamabad MP Dharmapuri Arvind, who is contesting from Koratla Assembly constituency.

Arvind has declared total family assets of Rs 107 crore.

In 2019, he had declared assets of Rs 87 crore.

Arvind is the son of senior Congress and former minister in united Andhra Pradesh D. Srinivas.

Labour minister Malla Reddy, who owns a chain of engineering, medical and other professional colleges and hospitals, has declared family assets of Rs 95.93 crore.

Reddy, who has studied till 12th standard, is seeking re-election from Medchal constituency on BRS ticket.

Malla Reddy's son-in-law Marri Rajashekar Reddy, who is contesting from Malkajgiri constituency on BRS ticket, has declared total family assets of nearly Rs 97 crore.

Arekapudi Gandhi of BRS has declared assets of Rs 85 crore. He is seeking re-election from Serilingampalli constituency in Greater Hyderabad.

In 2018, he had declared assets of Rs 55 crore. BJP MLA Eatala Rajender, who is seeking re-election from Huzurabad and has also filed nomination from Gajwel against Chief Minister and BRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao, has declared family assets of Rs 70 crore.

His wife Jamuna is into the poultry business.

Chief Minister Chandrasekhar Rao, who is contesting from Gajwel and Kamareddy, has family assets of Rs 58.92 crore.

In the 2018 elections, KCR had declared assets of Rs 22 crore. KCR's son and minister for industry, information technology, municipal administration and urban development K. T. Rama Rao, has declared assets of Rs 53.27 crore.

He is seeking re-election from Sircilla.

He had shown his assets at Rs 41 crore in the previous election.