As the political landscape in Punjab heats up with the filing of nomination papers, a captivating narrative of financial dynamics unfolds, painting a picture of wealth disparities within prominent political families. Revelations from the affidavits submitted by candidates and their spouses have brought to light a fascinating twist — the wives are flaunting significantly higher assets and income compared to their husbands.
In Bathinda, Akali Dal candidate Harsimrat Kaur Badal has disclosed staggering details regarding her financial standing. Despite abstaining from purchasing any jewelry over the past five years, she boasts a jewelry collection valued at a whopping Rs seven crores. Additionally, her annual income has seen a substantial surge, rising from Rs 19 lakhs during the 2019 elections to a current figure of Rs 31 lakhs. In contrast, her husband Sukhbir Badal has recently acquired a Land Rover worth Rs 1.5 crores.
The Badal family’s financial disclosures don't stop there. Harsimrat’s total movable assets stand at approximately Rs 30.49 crores, surpassing her husband’s Rs 24.37 crores. Moreover, while Harsimrat owns properties worth Rs 19.96 crores, Sukhbir’s property holdings amount to Rs 51.87 crores. However, both spouses share a collective debt burden of around Rs 38 crores, with Sukhbir Badal accounting for the majority of it.
Moving to another political household, BJP candidate Preneet Kaur from Patiala revealed her penchant for luxury cars and jewelry. With a jewelry collection worth nearly Rs 50 lakhs and assets totaling over Rs 3.7 crores, Preneet presents a formidable financial profile. Meanwhile, her husband, Patiala's scion, Capt Amarinder Singh, Punjab's former Chief Minister did not own a car, while Preneet owns an Innova, a high-end sedan, and a Scorpio car, with a market value of approximately Rs 50.68 lakhs.
When it comes to jewelry, Capt Amarinder shows a greater inclination. While the Maharani possesses 601.6 grams of gold and precious gemstones, the former Chief Minister boasts jewelry embedded with 1946.46 grams of gold and precious gemstones. Additionally, the family under HUF holds 1931.87 grams of jewelry.
On the other hand, Preneet possesses assets worth Rs 2.71 crores, whereas Capt Amarinder holds movable assets worth Rs 1.52 crores. Similarly, under the HUF, the Patiala royal family holds movable assets worth Rs 4.95 crores. Furthermore, Preneet holds assets worth Rs 3.70 crores, Capt Amarinder holds assets worth Rs 13.80 lakhs, and under the HUF, there are assets worth Rs 12.75 crores. Apart from this, the family also possesses separate properties worth Rs 35 crores.
In Ludhiana, Congress candidate Raja Warring's financial disclosures paint a similar picture of wealth asymmetry within political couples. His wife, Amrita, outshines him in both income and assets, earning 65 lakhs annually compared to his 34 lakhs. Amrita's assets amount to 4.16 crores, surpassing Raja's 3.64 crores, further highlighting the evolving financial dynamics in Punjab's political arena.
Close vigil will be kept on those sending objectionable SMS: Hry CEO
PNS Chandigarh
Haryana Chief Electoral Officer Anurag Agarwal on Monday said that the cost of bulk SMS sent by the candidate during the campaign in Lok Sabha General Elections-2024 will also be included in the expenditure account of the candidate concerned.
He said that the district administration and the Assistant Returning Officer concerned on getting the information about the use of bulk messages during the election campaign period, will assess the estimate of the expenditure incurred on it from the respective service provider and include the same into the expenditure account of the candidate.
The CEO said that as per the guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India, there will be a complete ban on sending bulk SMS of a political nature during the period up to 48 hours before the end of polling. During the election campaign in all the districts, mobile service providers have given instructions to bring the information about such bulk SMS to the notice of the monitoring team. The Commission has also issued detailed instructions for the conduct of elections in a free, fair and peaceful manner. He said that the teams will also keep a close vigil on those sending objectionable SMS during the election campaign. During the course of the investigation, the sender of such SMS will be traced and appropriate action will be taken against him as per rules, he added.
