New Delhi: As Maharashtra assembly elections near, almost 8,000 candidates have submitted their nomination papers. And the richest among them is the BJP’s Parag Shah – the incumbent MLA from Ghatkopar East. Guess his wealth? Well, Parag Shah’s current worth is Rs 3383.06 crore, as per the declaration in his election affidavit.
In the last five years, Shah’s wealth has grown by 575 per cent. In the previous assembly elections in 2019, Parag Shah had declared his assets worth as Rs 550.62 crore. Shah told NDTV that he was an honest candidate and even his foes have never claimed that he is not honest. “A man’s wealth is not his property but his feelings,” Shah said.
Movable assets worth Rs 3,315.52 crore
In his election affidavit, MLA Shah, who is also a realtor, announced movable assets worth Rs 3,315.52 crore in his own and his wife’s names and immovable assets worth Rs 67.53 crore. Shah is currently the chairman of MICI Group, which he has been running for over two decades.
Uncertainty over seats
Meanwhile, although the deadline for filing nominations is over, there is still a looming uncertainty on around 15 seats in Maharashtra. The ruling Mahayuti, comprising the BJP, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party, has not yet announced its candidates for four seats. On the other hand, the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, which includes the Uddhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena, Sharad Pawar’s faction of the NCP, and the Congress, has yet to declare candidates for 11 seats.
Till now, BJP has nominated 152 candidates, Ajit Pawar’s faction of NCP 52, and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena 80. By contrast, in MVA, the Congress has announced 103 candidates, Uddhav Thackeray’s faction of Shiv Sena and Sharad Pawar have fielded 87.
