Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls: How richest candidates fared in the last election

As per the ADR report, 80 per cent of MLAs in Madhya Pradesh are crorepatis, with more than half of them belonging to the ruling BJP.

On November 17, 2023, Madhya Pradesh will head for Legislative Assembly polls to elect all members for its 230 seats.

The incumbent BJP and Opposition Congress are both prepared for a fierce battle for the throne of Madhya Pradesh. While BJP looks to project Shivraj Singh Chouhan as its CM choice yet again, former CM Kamal Nath is the most visible Congressman on ground in the poll-bound state.

Taking a detour, here, we'll talk about how the richest candidates in MP fared in the last Assembly elections held in 2018. Moreover, this topic is important to discuss because as per the recent ADR report, 80 per cent MLAs in Madhya Pradesh are crorepatis, with more than half of them belonging to the ruling BJP.

1. Sanjay Satyendra Pathak - BJP - Vijayraghavgarh

This richest lawmaker in Madhya Pradesh this poll season is BJP's Sanjay Satyendra Pathak. With a total net asset of more than a whopping Rs 226 crore, Pathak is a sitting MLA from Vijayraghavgarh constituency.

During the 2018 elections, he emerged victorious from this seat with a margin of 13,738 votes. His challenger was Padma Shukla from Congress.

2. Chetanya Kasyap - BJP - Ratlam City

Second in line among the wealthiest MLAs in Madhya Pradesh is Chetanya Kasyap with a mind-boggling net worth of Rs 204 crore. A two-time BJP MLA from Ratlam City, Kasyap is touted to make a hattrick win for the saffron party this time.

He won the 2018 Assembly polls with a margin of 43,435 votes and defeated Congress' Premlata Dave.

3. Sanjay Shukla - Congress - Indore-1

The wealthiest Congress candidate making it to this list is Sanjay Shukla from Congress. With a total net asset of a staggering Rs 139 crore, Shukla is an MLA from Indore-1.

He won the 2018 Assembly polls fighting against BJP's Sudarshan Gupta with a margin of 8,136 votes.

If pollsters are to be believed, BJP has an upper hand over Congress in the upcoming state polls. However, at the same time, Congress too seems buckled up and will be looking to draw the first blood, especially after the collapse of Kamal Nath-led government in 2020.