SANGRUR, Punjab—Bhagwant Mann, who is taking on Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal in Jalalabad, has shown movable and immovable assets worth Rs 1.99 crore as compared to Rs 4.30 crore declared at the time of filing his nomination papers for the Lok Sabha elections in 2014, a dip of 54%, as per an analysis of the affidavits of candidates carried out by the Association for Democratic Rights (ADR).
The first-time MP has shown an annual income of Rs 9.34 lakh, as per his last income tax return.
Another player in the laughter business, cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Sidhu, is in the fray from Amritsar East. In contrast, the assets of the former BJP MP, who joined the Congress last week, have seen a massive jump of 217% in eight years. He has declared movable and immovable assets of Rs 45.90 crore as compared to Rs 14.50 crore shown at the time of the 2009 parliamentary polls. Sidhu is a three-time former MP from the Amritsar Lok Sabha constituency.
Both Mann and Sidhu are not only being seen as crowd-pullers for their parties, but all eyes are on their impact in the closely contested triangular election in the state.
