Itanagar, April 6: The contrast is striking. The uncontested candidate from Palin constituency is the richest among the contestants of the April 9 Assembly election in Arunachal Pradesh but the district from where he hails, Kurung Kumey, is one of the least developed in the state.

With a whopping declared asset, movable and immovable, of more than Rs 187 crore, Takam Pario of the Congress tops the list of contestants in the fray for the Assembly election, according to an analysis report of self-sworn affidavits of 152 candidates by the Arunachal Pradesh Election Watch and the Association of Democratic Reforms.

Of the 152 candidates, 91 are crorepatis.

The next highest asset, Rs 129.57 crore, was declared by another uncontested Congress candidate, Pema Khandu, from Mukto constituency. Independent candidate Tsering Tashi, contesting from Tawang, bags the third place with a total declared asset of Rs 96.43 crore.

People’s Party of Arunachal and Bordumsa candidate Nikh Kamin holds the ninth place with a declared asset of Rs 13.63 crore.

Chief minister Nabam Tuki, who has also been declared uncontested from Sagalee, missed out a place in the list by a few lakhs with assets worth more than Rs 11 crore. He was beaten to the spot by Likabali candidate Jomde Kena.

The list of top 10 candidates having highest assets includes eight Congress candidates. One of them is a woman, Karya Bagang, the sitting MLA from Chayangtajo. She has reported assets worth more than Rs 14 crore.

Former MLA Bida Taku, who is contesting from Lekang on a PPA ticket, is the poorest candidate in the Assembly polls with a total declared asset of Rs 3,540. Just above him on the list is BJP’s Debia Tara with assets worth Rs 5,000. Tara is contesting the Yachuli seat.

Another BJP candidate contesting from Pongchau-Wakka constituency, Holai Wangsa, with an asset of Rs 50,000, is one of the three candidates who have assets less than Rs 1 lakh. Altogether 15 candidates have declared assets less than Rs 10 lakh.

Kamin, apart from being one of the 10 richest candidates, has the highest liabilities of Rs 3 crore. Second on the list of liabilities is Congress candidate and sitting MLA from Koloriang, Lokam Tassar (Rs 2 crore). He is followed by chief minister Nabam Tuki, who has liabilities of more than Rs 2 crore.

Among the female candidates, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate from Yachuli, Taba Nirmali, and the Congress candidate from Dambuk, Gum Tayeng, who have individual assets worth more than Rs 6 crore, occupy the 22nd and 24th positions respectively.

Of the 152 analysed candidates, the only two who have filed their income tax returns are Yachuli sitting MLA Likha Saaya and Kanubari sitting MLA Newlai Tingkhatra. Saaya has the higher declared income of Rs 25.95 lakh. Both are from the Congress.

Of the 58 Congress candidates in the fray in the Arunachal Assembly polls, 51 have been classified as “crorepatis” while 24 of the 42 BJP candidates fall under this category. Five of the 10 NCP candidates and four of the 16 PPA candidates have declared assets worth more than Rs 1 crore.

The affidavits of Congress candidates Chowna Mein and Kameng Dolo and Independent candidate Anita Payeng could not be analysed because these were incomplete and poorly scanned as available at the chief electoral officer’s website, the report said.