Suppose affidavits submitted by the candidates while filing nomination papers are to be believed. In that case, J&K BJP chief Ravinder Raina and former Chief Minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, are the poorest among all the contestants in the fray for the first and second phases of elections.
Ravinder Raina has filed his nomination papers for the Nowshere Assembly segment of the Rajouri district while Omar Abdullah is contesting elections on the Ganderbal and Budgam seats.
J&K BJP Chief Ravinder Raina declares himself the "poorest" candidate.
In a surprising revelation, Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina, contesting from Nowshera Assembly constituency, has declared himself the "poorest" among all candidates in Jammu region segments going to polls under Phase II of the Assembly elections.
According to his affidavit, Raina has no moveable or immovable assets except for Rs 1,000 in cash. He claims to have no savings, investments, land, or immovable assets. This is despite being a former MLA from the Nowshera constituency from 2014 till the Assembly's dissolution, with a legislator's salary of approximately Rs 1 lakh and an Ex-MLA pension of around Rs 50,000.
Raina has been occupying government accommodation at 13A-Gandhi Nagar Jammu and relies solely on his legislator pension as his source of income. He holds a B.Sc. degree and a PG Diploma in Human Rights and Duties.
Omar does not own house, land, car or immovable assets
Omar Abdullah has declared his assets in a poll affidavits filed for the Ganderbal and Budgam assembly segments. Despite being a millionaire, he does not own a house, land, cars, or any immovable assets.
Movable Assets
Omar's movable assets total Rs. 55.24 lakh, comprising:
- - Rs. 80,000 in cash
- - Rs. 19,76,000 in FD in HDFC Bank
- - Rs. 3,36,518 deposits in SBI Delhi
- - Rs. 43,800 deposits in HDFC Srinagar
- - Rs. 88,112 deposits in J&K Bank, Moving Secretariat
Comparison with Previous Affidavit
In his Lok Sabha election affidavit in May, Omar declared movable assets worth Rs. 54.45 lakh. There have been no significant changes in his asset profile since then.
Source of Income
Omar's only source of income is his pension as an ex-MLA and former Member of Parliament, earning Rs. 79,000 in the last four months.
Personal Life
Omar is fighting a divorce case with his wife Payal Abdullah in the Supreme Court and has declared jewellery worth Rs. 30 lakh. He is a BSC graduate from Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics Mumbai.
Income Details
Omar's income details, as disclosed in his May affidavit, are:
- - Rs. 7,92,093 in 2019-20
- - Rs. 11,73,030 in 2020-21
- - Rs. 10,00,570 in 2021-22
- - Rs. 19,39,620 in 2022-23
- - Rs. 13,20,460 in 2023-24
