Indian IT Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar has declared his taxable income for the past financial year as a mere Rs 680. This astonishing revelation came to light through his nomination papers for the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat in Kerala.
What's striking is the significant drop in Chandrasekhar's taxable income over the years. From a staggering Rs 10.8 crore in FY 2018-19, it plummeted to nearly Rs 5.6 lakh in 2022-23. His income declarations over the last five years reflect this trend: Rs 10.8 crore in 2018-19, Rs 4.5 crore in 2019-20, Rs 17.5 lakh in 2020-21, Rs 680 in 2021-22, and Rs 5.59 lakh in 2022-23.
In terms of assets, Chandrasekhar has disclosed holdings including Rs 52,000 in cash and movable assets amounting to Rs 9.26 crore. These include bank deposits of Rs 10.38 crore, negative assets of Rs 45.7 crore in bonds, Rs 2,500 in NSC, personal loans of Rs 41.2 crore, a scooter valued at Rs 10,000, jewelry worth Rs 3.35 lakh, and other assets totaling Rs 5 lakh. Additionally, he has declared assets worth Rs 12.47 crore belonging to his wife.
On the immovable assets front, the IT minister declared assets valued at Rs 14.4 crore, but he also noted liabilities close to Rs 19.42 crore.
Chandrasekhar is currently in contention for the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat against three-time Congress heavyweight Shashi Tharoor and CPI's Pannian Raveendran.
Shashi Tharoor, expressing confidence in securing victory for the fourth consecutive time, views the main competition as between the Congress and BJP. Polling is slated to commence on April 26, with vote counting scheduled for June 4, marking the culmination of India's seven-phase elections.
Meanwhile, Shashi Tharoor submitted his nomination on Wednesday from the Thiruvananthapuram constituency, marking his fourth consecutive bid in the Lok Sabha elections. Accompanied by notable party members including MLA M Vincent, former minister V S Sivakumar, and Thiruvananthapuram DCC president Palode Ravi, Tharoor arrived at the district collectorate in the afternoon. Supporters draped shawls around him, expressing solidarity as he greeted well-wishers en route to the Collectorate complex. Before filing his nomination papers, Tharoor visited revered shrines in the constituency, including the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple and Pazhavangadi Ganapathi Temple.
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