As Madhya Pradesh gears up for another round of Assembly elections, the influence of wealth on politics takes center stage. According to a recent report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), a staggering 80 percent of Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) in Madhya Pradesh are crorepatis, and more than half of them hail from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
As the political landscape unfolds, the battle for supremacy intensifies between the incumbent BJP, rallying behind Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and the opposition Congress, led by the prominent figure of former Chief Minister Kamal Nath. Amidst this political fervor, let’s delve into how the richest candidates fared in the last Assembly elections held in 2018.
At the forefront is Sanjay Satyendra Pathak from the BJP, representing Vijayraghavgarh. With a staggering net worth exceeding Rs 226 crore, Pathak emerged victorious in 2018, securing a comfortable margin of 13,738 votes against Congress’s Padma Shukla.
Following closely is Chetanya Kasyap, another BJP stalwart, holding the Ratlam City constituency. Boasting a considerable net worth of Rs 204 crore, Kasyap clinched a hattrick win for the saffron party in 2018, defeating Congress’s Premlata Dave by a significant margin of 43,435 votes.
Representing the Congress camp, Sanjay Shukla from Indore-1 shines as the wealthiest candidate. With a substantial net asset value of Rs 139 crore, Shukla secured victory in the 2018 polls, overcoming BJP’s Sudarshan Gupta with a margin of 8,136 votes.
As the 2023 elections loom, political analysts predict a favorable position for the BJP. However, Congress remains resilient, eager to make a comeback following the collapse of the Kamal Nath-led government in 2020. The intersection of wealth and politics in Madhya Pradesh continues to shape the dynamics of the upcoming electoral battle, where financial prowess and political influence go hand in hand.