Jaswant Singh ahead of Hamid Ansari on assets' front

LUCKNOW: The stakes are undoubtedly high in the 14th vice-presidential election as a career diplomat is pitched against a former officer of the Indian Army. Interestingly, both the contestants had served terms in the Rajya Sabha, while Congress-backed Mohammad Hamid Ansari is the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Jaswant Singh was the leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha in 2004.Academically, both the political veterans are well qualified and enjoy worldwide exposure. However, when it comes to the comparison of assets, Jaswant Singh is far ahead of his rival.
According to the asset details of the Vice-President put up by the office of the Vice-President of India, Ansari's totals assets amount to Rs 77,66,780.62. This excludes the un-assessed and undivided share (alongwith six others) in ancestral property consisting of a house built around 1922 and a mango garden located at Qasba Yusufpur, district Ghazipur, UP.
On the other hand, the total assets of Jaswant Singh, as per the information displayed on myneta.info put up by Delhi-based Association for Democratic Reforms after the 2009 general elections, hover in the range of Rs 8 crore (Rs 8,35,71,845). The BJP-supported vice-presidential candidate, who is also the sitting MP from West Bengal's Darjeeling constituency, has a liability of Rs 7 lakh (Rs 7,44,864), which he had taken from HDFC Bank.
Even the total worth of silver and gold jewellery owned by Jaswant's wife Sheetal Kumari is more than that of Hamid Ansari's wife Salma Ansari. The total worth of 583 gm jewellery and 7 kg silver utensils, which Sheetal possess is Rs 8,86,160, while the purchase coast of Salma Ansari's jewellery is Rs 6,00,000. While, Jaswant and Sheetal own a TAFE 35 tractor, a Fiat car, and Innova & Uno respectively, the current Vice-President does not own any vehicle.
The Vice-President owns a 120-sq metre apartment at IFS Cooperative Group Housing Society, Mayur Vihar Phase-I, Delhi.
The year of acquisition is 1989 and its purchase cost was Rs 3,75,000. Similarly, the cost of the plot situated in Dehradun, which measures 752 sq metres and was purchased in 1997 is Rs 3,00,000. He also has an un-assessed and undivided share (alongwith six others) in ancestral property consisting of a house built around 1922, and a mango garden in Ghazipur's Qasba Yusufpur.
Ansari also has Rs 46,00,000 as investments in mutual funds. He has fixed deposits in SBI worth Rs 17,22,228. The Vice-President has three bank accounts (two in SBI and one with Standard Chartered Bank), and as per his office's website, he possesses total cash of Rs 7,09,552.62.
The total cash with BJP-supported Jaswant Singh and his wife after 2009 Lok Sabha elections were Rs 41,300, while the deposits in the bank are worth Rs 63,15,999. They also have Rs 10,19,716 as bonds, debentures and shares in companies, and motor vehicles (four) worth Rs 11,05,000.
The combined worth of the jewellery is Rs 11,91,260. They also have deposits with a Jodhpur-based hotel group worth Rs 16,23,570. On the immovable assets' front, Singh and his wife have agriculture land, whose value is Rs 71,25,000. The total worth of houses which the couple possess is Rs 6,51,50,000.