Lok Sabha polls | Candidates of all 3 major parties in Sivaganga are crorepatis, as per affidavits

BJP candidate T. Devanathan Yadav has the highest declared assets at over ₹300 crore; Congress candidate Karti P. Chidambaram has ₹96 crore, while AIADMK candidate A. Xavier Dass has over ₹6 crore

Sitting MP and Congress candidate for Sivaganga Karti Chidambaram. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Affidavits filed before the Returning Officer at Sivaganga Parliamentary constituency reveal that candidates of all three major parties: the Congress, BJP and the AIADMK, are crorepatis.

Congress: Karti P. Chidambaram

Congress candidate Karti P. Chidambaram (52), who is the sitting MP and is contesting once again from Sivaganga, has declared in his affidavit that assets owned by him and spouse Srinidhi put together, are worth ₹96 crore. While he owns 40 grams of gold, his wife owns 1,727.846 grams. Mr. Karti and his wife also have 94.14 acres of land in Coorg. The candidate also has a loan of ₹12.32 crore and his spouse has shown ₹11.16 crore in liabilities.

The affidavit showed that he has 11 pending criminal cases against him, including those under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. Mr. Karti has a degree in BBA from Texas, USA and BA (Law) from Cambridge University, U.K. received in 1995.

BJP: T. Devanathan Yadav

The BJP’s candidate for Sivaganga, T. Devanathan Yadav | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

T. Devanathan Yadav (62), the BJP’s candidate for Sivaganga, is a resident of T. Nagar, Chennai and is a businessman. Along with his spouse Meenakshi Yadav and two daughters, the family has assets to the tune of a little over ₹300 crore, his affidavit stated. Mr. Yadav has a PhD in beahavioural scienes obtained in the USA in 2007. He has two criminal cases pending against him.

Mr. Yadav has 452 grams of gold and 45 kg of silver, while his spouse has 890 grams of gold, 32 kg of silver and diamond jewellery worth ₹40 lakh. His daughters possess 3135.40 grams of gold each, ₹2 crore worth of diamonds each and 36.125 kg of silver each. The affidavit also revealed that Mr. Yadav has liabilities amounting to ₹91.48 crore along with a loan of ₹6.82 crore in his wife’s name. The family also has immovable assets in many cities in Tamil Nadu.

AIADMK: A. Xavier Dass

The AIADMK’s candidate for Sivaganga, A. Xavier Dass | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

A. Xavier Dass, the AIADMK’s candidate is a full-time politician. As per his affidavit, he owns assets to the tune of ₹6.66 crore. He has declared the possession of 800 grams of gold, while his spouse possesses 1,600 grams of gold. Mr. Dass also a loan amounting to ₹43.76 lakh

Mr. Dass had said, after filing his nomination papers on March 25, 2024 that the non-performance of the sitting MP Karti Chidambaram would be his major strength.