Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, Churchil Alemao and former Minister Michael Lobo (L to R)
Gomantak Times
Ahead of the Goa Assembly elections, a large chunk of Goa's 301 candidates in the fray are crorepatis.
Former Minister and Congress candidate from Calangute, Michael Lobo, is one of the richest legislators in the ring for the February 14 polls with his assets pegged at Rs 84.38 crore while his wife, Delilah Lobo, who is also contesting on a Congress ticket from Siolim, has lister her assets worth Rs 7.16 crore.
Goa Forward Party president Vijay Sardesai, who is contesting from Fatorda, has a total asset worth Rs 37 crore. In his affidavit, he has declared his movable assets worth Rs 8.94 crore and immovable assets worth Rs 28.22 crore. BJP's candidate from Fatorda, Damu Naik, has declared his assets worth Rs 5 crore.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant's assets have tripled since the 2017 Assembly polls from Rs 2.37 crore to Rs 7.15 crore.
In Benaulim, Trinamool Congress candidate and former chief minister, Churchill Alemao, has declared assets worth around Rs 8 crore while his daughter Valanka Alemao, who is contesting from Navelim, has immovable declared his immovable assets worth Rs 1.69 crore and movable Rs 2.50 crore. Aam Aadmi Party candidate Venzy Viegas has declared assets worth Rs 3.47 crore.
In Nuvem, Congress candidate Alex Sequeira has declared his asset worth Rs 10 crore while independent candidate Wilfred D'sa has declared his assets worth Rs 20 crore. Trinamool Congress candidate Jose Cabral has declared assets of Rs 5.78 crore.
In Panaji, sitting BJP MLA Atanasio Monserrate and his wife Jennifer, who is contesting from the Taleigao Assembly constituency jointly own movable and immovable assets to the tune of Rs 48,40 crore. Former Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar's son Utpal, who is taking on Monserrate as an independent candidate from the Panaji Assembly constituency has pegged his assets at Rs 8.84 crore.
Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, who is contesting from the Valpoi Assembly constituency, and his wife Divya, who has been fielded from the Poriem Assembly seat, have declared Rs 16.36 crore and Rs 6.76 crore worth of assets in their respective affidavits.
The Aam Aadmi Party's chief ministerial candidate for Goa Amit Palekar, a lawyer by profession, owns an ultra-luxury Maserati car. Palekar's net worth according to the details in his affidavit is pegged at Rs 11.4 crore.
In the 2017 Assembly polls, Congress had won 17 seats in the tiny coastal state to emerge as the single largest party. However, the BJP, which was in second place in terms of seats, quickly stitched an alliance with smaller parties and Independent MLAs to form its government in Goa.
The election for the 40 seats will take place on February 14, and the ballots will be counted on March 10.
(With inputs from IANS)
