7 BJD Legislators Figure In Top 10 MLAs With Highest Assets; Naveen Richest Of All

Bhubaneswar: As many as seven legislators of Odisha’s ruling BJD figure in ADR’s list of top 10 MLAs with highest assets in the state.

The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), New Delhi on Wednesday released an analysis of criminal background, financial, educational, gender and other details of sitting MLAs of the state. The ADR, in association with the Odisha Election Watch, prepared the list on the basis of the affidavits filed by the candidates while filing their nominations for 2019 Assembly elections and subsequent by-elections in the state.

As per the ADR’s analysis, Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik leads the list with total assets of around Rs 63 crore. He has shown immovable assets worth Rs 63,64,15,261 and movable assets worth Rs 23,26,555 in the affidavit.

Naveen is followed by the party’s Jharsuguda MLA Dipali Das with total assets worth around Rs 40 crore. She has movable assets of Rs 34,40, 87,879 and immovable assets of Rs 5,76,40,400. She was elected to the Assembly in a bypoll after the murder of her father and then Health Minister Naba Das.

BJD’s Patnagarh MLA Saroj Kumar Meher is the third richest with total assets worth Rs 31 crore. He has movable assets worth Rs 57,49,827 and immovable assets worth Rs 30,86,05, 862, as per the ADR report.

Meher is followed by Khandapada MLA Soumya Ranjan Patnaik with around Rs 30 crore. However, Soumya was suspended by the BJD for anti-party activities some time back.

The ruling party’s Bhadrak MLA Sanjib Kumar Mallick with total assets worth around Rs 19 crore, Dharmasala MLA Pranab Balabantaray with Rs 17 crore, Dhenkanal MLA Sudhir Kumar Samal with Rs 14 crore and Bhubaneswar North MLA Susant Kumar Rout with Rs 13 crore also find place in top 10 richest legisaltors.

Congress MLAs Mohammad Moquim from Barabati-Cuttack and Suresh Kumar Rautray from Jatni are sixth and seventh richest legislators respectively. Both have assets worth around Rs 17 crore each, according to the ADR report.