‘I just have Rs 770 crore’

A father and son reveal astounding amount of wealth while declaring their assets for the Karnataka bypolls

For the 2008 Karnataka Assembly elections, M Krishnappa had the distinction of declaring the largest assets at Rs 147.88 crore. It is now bypoll time and his son, Priya Krishnappa, has revealed he is only five times richer.

The affidavit of Priya, a 30-year-old Congress candidate contesting the Govindaraja Nagar Assembly constituency bypoll in Bangalore, says he has assets worth Rs 770 crore. And he’s taken loans to the tune of Rs 734 crore. Both father and son are in the real estate business.

Trilochan Sastry, an IIM professor and co-founder of Association for Democratic Reforms, which is calling for cleaner public life and keeping tabs on contestants’ wealth and criminal antecedents, is astounded by Priya’s admission. “Though it is not a sin to have money, we’d be interested in knowing how he got it and if there is a conflict of interest,” says Sastry.

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Anil Budur Lulla