Chief minister Jayalaithaa doubles assets, Karunanidhi’s get halved in five years

On a day of hectic but predictable political developments with leaders filing their nomination papers, Vaiko sprang a surprise by refusing to contest from Kovilpatti. At the proverbial eleventh hour, he declared he was not contesting, sparking off rumors that all was not well.

While his supporters said that Vaiko will surely contest, but from another constituency, due to some personal reasons. Sources hinted that Vaiko might be contesting from Sattur. In Kovilpatti, his party’s dummy candidate filed nomination papers. There is time till April 28 to file nomination papers.

But Monday, an auspicious day saw a lot of hustle and bustle when three chief ministerial candidates – chief minister J Jayaalithaa, former chief minister and DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi and PMK’s Anbumani Ramadoss filing their nomination papers from their respective constituencies.

While Jayalalithaa is seeking re-election from RK Nagar constituency in Chennai, Karunanidhi is contesting again from his native Tiruvarur and Anbumani Ramadoss is entering the fray from Pennagram in Dharmapuri parliamentary constituency he represented in Lok Sabha.

Interestingly, Jayalalithaa became richer than five years ago, but Karunanidhi became poorer by over half, as per the respective wealth affidavits they submitted to the election authorities, as per requirement.

Jayalalithaa, who had declared assets worth Rs 51.40 crore in 2011 assembly elections, has her assets ballooning to Rs 118.59 crore as per the affidavit she filed on Monday. But when she contested from RK Nagar to re-enter state assembly following the setting aside of her conviction in the disproportionate assets case by the Karnataka High Court, she declared assets worth Rs 117.3 crore then in June last year.

Karunanidhi has become much poorer than he was five years ago, with his assets dropping by over 50 per cent. In 2011, when he contested from Tiruvarur, he declared assets worth Rs 44 crore. But on Monday, he submitted papers showing his assets at only Rs 13.42 crore.

But, it is a case of, all in the family. His wives assets however, total Rs 53.64 crore.