Bachelor Priya Krishna’s assets are over Rs. 900 crore

BANGALORE, April 17, 2013

This 29-year-old Congress candidate from Govindarajanagar in Bangalore with assets worth over Rs. 910 crore appears to be the “most-eligible bachelor” among hundreds of candidates who have filed their nominations for the Assembly elections.

Priya Krishna, who was elected from Govindarajanagar in the 2009 bypoll to the Assembly, is the son of realtor-politician M. Krishnappa, popularly known as Layout Krishnappa, who is also the sitting MLA from Vijayanagar. Of the Rs. 910 crore assets of Mr. Priya Krishna, Rs. 815 crore are moveable assets, in the form of investments and machinery, while Rs. 95 crore are immoveable assets.

‘Gifted’ assets

Most of the immoveable assets of Mr. Priya Krishna are ‘gifted,’ as he mentions in the affidavit accompanying the nomination papers for the election. He appears to have a penchant for fancy registration numbers as all his private cars bear the registration number of ‘9279,’ registered in different regional transport offices in Bangalore. At the same time, his liabilities too are huge, over Rs. 777 crore, which include Rs. 703 crore towards ‘sundry creditors’.

Another crorepati in the Congress stable is the former Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who at a very young age rose to the political helm during the S.M. Krishna government. Mr. Shivakumar, contesting from Kanakapura Assembly constituency in Ramanagaram district has assets worth over Rs. 251 crore, which include assets of his wife and three children. His moveable assets are worth over Rs. 60 crore and immoveable over Rs. 190 crore. The family has over 5 kg gold jewellery among various moveable assets including investments in companies. Mr. Shivaumar’s total liabilities are over Rs. 104 crore.

Businessman turned politician and sitting Shanthinagar MLA N.A. Haris is worth over Rs. 133 crore. Being the Managing Director of Nalapad Group of Companies, Mr. Haris and his dependents (including wife and four children), have moveable assets worth over Rs. 93 crore and immoveable assets of over Rs. 40 crore. Interestingly, none of them own a vehicle as per the affidavit. Mr. Haris has liabilities of about Rs. 3.53 crore.

The former Minister and former Karnataka Congress Committee president R.V. Deshpande, contesting from Haliyal Assembly constituency, is worth over Rs. 113 crore this time, down by about Rs. 33 crore declared during the 2008 Assembly polls. Mr. Deshpande’s assets include shares of himself and his wife in the R.V. Deshpande Hindu Undivided Family. Mr. Deshpande’s liabilities are about Rs. 11 crore