461CR ASSETS, EX-BIRLA EXEC IS RICHEST ODISHA CANDIDATE

BHUBANESHWAR: Santrupt Misra (58), former HR head of Aditya Birla Group who is contesting the Lok Sabha election on a BJD ticket from Cuttack, has declared assets worth about Rs 461 crore in his poll affidavit, making him the richest candidate to have filed nomination so far in Odisha.

Misra joined BJD in Feb after opting for voluntary retirement from Aditya Birla Group. His ITRs showed his income at Rs 76.23 crore in 2021-22 and Rs 66.21 crore in 2022-23. According to his affidavit, submitted while filing his nomination papers on Friday, Misra owns movable assets to the tune of Rs 408 crore and immovable assets worth Rs 53 crore. These include Rs 4 crore in bank deposits.

The total current value of his investments in mutual funds, alternate investment funds, bonds and shares is around Rs 308 crore. He owns a fleet of luxury cars worth over Rs 2.3 crore. The affidavit puts the value of his wife’s movable assets at Rs 11.72 crore.

Misra does not have any immovable property in Odisha, but owns agricultural land in Raigad district of Maharashtra, and one flat each in Hyderabad and Mumbai.

Another super-rich politician in fray is former Union minister and BJP nominee for Rourkela assembly seat, Dilip Ray (71), who became eligible to contest after Delhi high court recently stayed his conviction in an alleged coal block allocation scam in Jharkhand in 1999. He owns assets worth around Rs 300 crore, according to his poll affidavit.

BJD candidate from mineral-rich Champua assembly seat, Sanatan Mahakud, declared assets worth nearly Rs 152 crore.