New Delhi:

The Election Commission has directed the CBDT (Central Board of Direct Taxes) to verify if there are any potential mismatches in the affidavit filed by the BJP’s Rajeev Chandrasekhar before contesting for a Lok Sabha seat in Kerala , including the situation between actual assets and declared assets and income. Thiruvananthapuram.

The poll panel’s directive to CBDT came after the Congress, which leads the opposition United Democratic Front in the southern state, lodged a complaint claiming that the federal minister had misrepresented information about assets and revenue streams. Kerala’s ruling Left Democratic Front, led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s Communist Party of India (Marxist), has also lodged a complaint.

The law states that candidates who conceal information in their nomination documents or affidavits – in violation of the Representation of the People Act 1951 – may face six months’ imprisonment and/or a fine

Mr Chandrasekhar’s poll affidavit revealed that he earned just Rs 680 Cr in the 2021/22 financial year, sparking controversy. However, his income in FY20 and FY23 was Rs 1.75 million and Rs 5.50 million respectively.

Mr. Chandrasekhar also declared total assets worth Rs 28 crore; which includes cash, bank deposits, shareholdings in non-banking financial companies and cooperative societies, as well as investment bonds, corporate bonds, stocks, corporate/mutual fund units and other financial instruments.

His movable assets include a vintage motorcycle, a 1942 Red Indian Scout, and other items worth an estimated Rs 325 crore. The only immovable property he has declared is a non-agricultural land in Bengaluru, Karnataka, worth an estimated Rs 14.4 crore. The opposition also claimed that the Union minister did not reveal other real estate properties owned, including one in Bengaluru.

Separately, the ruling LDF claimed Mr Chandrasekhar neglected to disclose his ties to a holding company called Jupiter Capital, even though the company’s website listed him as its “founder”. It claimed it was an attempt to “hide the complex web of companies used to conceal their true assets”.

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Chandrasekhar denied all the allegations and said: “All my disclosures were in compliance with the law.”

Mr Tharoor has declared assets of Rs 55 crore.

Meanwhile, also today, the Supreme Court observed that voters cannot have an “absolute right” to know the details of every asset of an electoral candidate. The court said candidates have a right to privacy regarding matters deemed irrelevant to their official status.

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