Crorepati candidates dominate first phase of J&K assembly elections

None of BJP, Congress, DPAP candidates from Doda, Ramban hold qualifications beyond 12th grade

Srinagar: As the first phase of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections approaches, financial disclosures reveal that more than 15 candidates from major political parties are crorepatis, and their spouses also possess significant wealth, particularly in gold. The luxurious lifestyles of these candidates and their families have become a talking point in the region.Ghulam Ahmad Mir, the Congress candidate from the Dooru assembly seat in South Kashmir, tops the list with a staggering Rs 15 crore worth of movable and immovable property. His wife, who owns 1,320 grams of gold, has more gold than the spouse of any other candidate. In second place for gold ownership is the wife of PDP candidate Sartaj Madni from Devsar, who possesses 700 grams of gold and has assets worth over Rs 46 lakh. The third place goes to the wife of Bijbihara candidate Abdul Rehman Veeri, with 100 grams of gold.Interestingly, the wives of these affluent candidates are themselves millionaires. The wife of Banihal candidate Imtiyaz Ahmed Shan ranks first in terms of property ownership, with assets totalling Rs 11 crore.The educational background of the candidates also varies significantly. Many male candidates who filed their nominations have only completed general education, with most being 10th or 12th pass.However, both women candidates from Kishtwar, Shagun Parihar of the BJP and Pooja Thakur of the National Conference (NC), are well-educated, holding M Tech and MA, B Ed degrees, respectively.Among the male candidates, Congress’s Pradeep Kumar, contesting from Doda West, stands out with a PhD in English. None of the candidates from BJP, Congress, NC, or DPAP contesting from Doda and Ramban have qualifications beyond the 12th grade.In terms of wealth, Ghulam Ahmad Mir of Congress emerges as the richest candidate with assets valued at Rs 15.80 crore. Following him are BJP’s Rakesh Singh with Rs 13.45 crore and Sunil Kumar Sharma with Rs 2.97 crore. Other notable candidates include Hasnain Masoodi of NC with Rs 7 crore, Mehboob Iqbal of NC with Rs 7 crore, and Imtiyaz Ahmad Shan of PDP with Rs 7.76 crore—(KNO)