Battle in Kerala
With all 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala at stake in the second phase of polling tomorrow, the electoral drama unfolds with its usual intensity, underscoring the unique political landscape of the state.
Marxist leader Manik Sarkar is believed to be India’s poorest Chief Minister with as he only has Rs 1,520 cash in hand and Rs 2,410 in a bank account. CM Sarkar is the longest-serving Chief Minister (since 1998) of Tripura.
According to the reports, Tripura CM donates his entire salary of Rs 26,315 to the CPI(M) fund and in turn, he receives a monthly allowance of Rs 9,700 from the party for his livelihood.
Earlier this week, the 69-year-old CPI-M Politburo member submitted an affidavit along with his nomination papers seeking re-election from his Dhanpur constituency for the February 18 assembly polls. In the affidavit, his assets, including bank balance and immovable assets were declared.
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Reportedly, the declaration showed that he jointly own about 0.0118 acres of land in Krishnanagar with his sister. He doesn’t own a personal car, home, or any other assets.
The chief minister does not even have a mobile phone or an email account and is not active on social media.
Vehemently against the use of a red beacon on his official car, Sarkar’s current bank balance of Rs 2,410 as of January 20 is considerably less than the Rs 9,720 he had in his account ahead of the 2013 assembly elections.
His wife, Panchali Bhattacharjee, never uses the government car and travels in rickshaws, auto-rickshaws and public transport in most cases,” said Das, who maintains the official records of the Tripura CPI-M.
According to Sarkar’s affidavit, his wife, a retired central government officer, has Rs 20,140 cash in hand and Rs 12,15,714 in her bank accounts and fixed deposits. Bhattacharjee too has inherited an immovable asset (a building) with a market value of Rs 21 lakh and 20 grams jewellery valued at Rs 60,000.
Sarkar and his wife live in the official residence of the Chief Minister here. They have no children or dependent.
Opposition parties also occasionally appreciate Sarkar’s simple lifestyle.
(With IANS inputs)
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