THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Election Commission on Tuesday accepted the nomination of BJP state president and NDA candidate from Nemom, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, even as the Congress alleged concealment of assets in his election affidavit and sought a probe.
The nomination was initially set aside following the complaint and was later accepted during scrutiny.
The Congress alleged that Chandrasekhar failed to disclose details of a 49,000 sq ft mansion located in Koramangala, Bengaluru.
The property, spread across around one and a half acres in one of the country’s most expensive localities, is estimated to be worth nearly Rs 200 crore based on prevailing land rates of Rs 35,000 to Rs 50,000 per sq ft, the party claimed.
It also said that property tax for the land was paid on March 17 and shared a link on social media platform X, stating that the details could be verified by the public.
Despite the complaint, the Election Commission on Tuesday accepted the nomination of Rajeev Chandrasekhar.
Responding to the decision, UDF candidate and complainant K Sabarinathan said the Returning Officer, being a quasi judicial authority, does not have the mandate to act on such matters. He added that the issue would be pursued through legal channels.
According to the Congress, the same property had been declared in Chandrasekhar’s 2024 affidavit, and its omission this time allegedly amounts to an attempt to mislead the Election Commission. The party has demanded a probe and appropriate action.
Meanwhile, LDF candidate in Nemom V Sivankutty noted in a facebook post that the party will pursue legal action, including an election petition, as this is punishable under the Representation of the People Act.
“The alleged concealment of assets worth crores by the BJP’s Nemom candidate is a serious betrayal of voters. Despite tax records confirming ownership of a luxury Bengaluru residence, it was omitted from the affidavit, pointing to a deliberate attempt to mislead. The same property was declared in the previous Lok Sabha election, making this omission suspicious and unlawful,” Sivankutty noted in FB post.
As per the affidavit submitted along with his nomination papers recently, Chandrasekhar has declared total assets worth Rs 93.88 crore.
These include a 9,600 sq ft house in Koramangala valued at Rs 15.07 crore, jewellery worth Rs 3.58 crore including 369.12 grams of gold and diamonds, and a 1942 model motorcycle valued at Rs 10,000.
His financial assets include Rs 35.83 crore invested in shares, debentures and bonds, Rs 4.37 crore in bank fixed deposits, and Rs 34.96 crore given as loans through institutions. He has Rs 64,100 in cash and reported an annual income of Rs 92.91 lakh in his latest income tax return.
His wife, Anju, has an annual income of Rs 60.50 lakh and total assets worth Rs 18.10 crore, including jewellery valued at Rs 9.08 crore. She has Rs 3.40 lakh in cash. The affidavit also lists liabilities of Rs 107.39 crore for Chandrasekhar and Rs 1.62 crore for his wife.
Meanwhile, a criminal case has been registered against Chandrasekhar in Ernakulam in connection with his social media response following the Kalamassery blast incident.