Bangalore, May 21: In the four years since Karnakata last went to polls, its politicians have become richer and flashier.

Karnataka Election Watch, an NGO that collated the findings from details furnished by the candidates to the Election Commission, says the last four years have seen rich pickings for politicians and their families. All candidates have to declare their assets and criminal records in a sworn affidavit before the poll panel.

Trilochan Sastry, convener of the NGO and a professor at IIM-Bangalore, said: “This election is all about big money. There has been a decisive shift where, instead of representing people, the candidates are representing their businesses. We can see builders, infrastructure developers, liquor barons and mine owners, each worth crores, in the fray. At this rate, it may soon change the way Indian democracy functions.”

Among those who fall into the high assets category are Anand Singh, a builder and contractor contesting on a BJP ticket, who has declared assets at Rs 74.56 crore while the party’s Harapannahalli candidate G. Karunakar Reddy, a mining magnate, has declared assets worth Rs 34.06 crore.

In Bellary city, Anil H. Lad, another mining biggie who recently shifted loyalties from the BJP to the Congress, declared assets worth Rs 172.72 crore.

The other two super rich candidates from the Congress who figure on this list are full-time politician with assorted businesses, R.V. Deshpande, contesting the Halyal seat, with declaration of Rs 116.29 crore and Davanagere South’s Shamanur Shivashankarappa, promoter of professional colleges, who filed Rs 50.15 crore.

The 415 third phase candidates going to polls in north Karnataka on May 22 have collective assets worth Rs 650 crore. This in spite of the region being relatively poorer than other parts of the state. Among those with high assets — and incidentally all from the Congress — are businessman Feroz Nuruddin Sait, who has declared his worth at Rs 58.55 crore, Ramesh Laxman Rao Jarkiholi, whose family owns breweries and textile mills, at Rs 39.87 crore, mining baron Santosh Lad at Rs 56.08 crore and Ajaykumar Sarnayak, a businessman and politician, who has declared Rs 21.25 crore.

In 2004, Lad had declared assets worth only Rs 3.93 crore, Jarkiholi Rs 3.57 crore and Sarnayak Rs 93 lakh.

The wealth of the politicians in Karnataka has caught the eye of voters. Public sector employee S.K. Mandal, who has watched elections closely in Calcutta, Nainital and Bangalore, says the difference between Bengal and Karnataka is in the way the politicians dress. “In Calcutta, I have seen many with a lot of integrity but in Karnataka, the politicians are rich and flashy,” he said.

The assets declared by politicians in Bengal, primarily those from the CPM, during the 2006 Assembly polls reflect their relatively austere lives.

The actual worth of the Karnataka candidates would be more as some of them have declared jewellery. “We have considered jewellery to be worth zero. Otherwise, we would have had to calculate the value of gold and silver at today’s rates. Once added, the assets could go higher by a few lakhs,” Sastry said.

Mining magnates with moneybags are new entrants to politics. In the last five years, those who entered the mining sector with a few thousand rupees have become quick crorepatis, admits a BJP office-bearer. “They have huge purchasing power and no party can afford to ignore them,” he said.

Apart from the high asset list, there are 17 others who have declared their assets in the region of Rs 5-30 crore. Among well known candidates are the BJP’s G. Somashekhara Reddy, whose family is into mining in Bellary, at Rs 29.23 crore, businessman and BJP candidate Krishna Palemar Rs 27.57 crore and Umesh Krishna Hegde, fighting on a BSP ticket, at Rs 102.82 crore. Udupi’s Pramod Madhwaraj of the Congress, whose family owns businesses and institutions, has declared assets worth Rs 23.96 crore and former chief minister S. Bangarappa’s son Madhu, a candidate of the Samajwadi Party, has shown Rs 15.38 crore.

It’s not just about real estate, jewellery or business income. Anil Lad owns a helicopter and high-end cars and SUVs. Karunakar Reddy, brother of mining baron Janardhan Reddy from Bellary, owns a top-bracket BMW, unheard of in these parts.

In the first phase too, former chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy’s assets stood at Rs 49.72 crore. “What is more surprising is that in 2004, he had declared assets worth just Rs 3.76 crore. It has jumped by Rs 46 crore in four years,” says Sastry.