The heat’s on in East Delhi

In the past five years, market value of Congress MP from East Delhi Sandeep Dikshit’s (42) property grew exponentially. But he sold off his two cars, a Tata Sumo and a Tata Indica, and just has two TVS Suzuki motorcycles (2001 model) and a Scooty in his name.

In the past five years, market value of Congress MP from East Delhi Sandeep Dikshit’s (42) property grew exponentially. But he sold off his two cars, a Tata Sumo and a Tata Indica, and just has two TVS Suzuki motorcycles (2001 model) and a Scooty in his name.

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BJP’s candidate from East Delhi Chetan Chauhan (61), on the other side, though added a sports utility vehicle (a Mahindra Scorpio), a sedan (Honda Civic) in his fleet, he came to file his nomination in a cycle rickshaw.

Dikshit and Krishna Tirath of the Congress and BJP’s Chetan Chauhan were among the 13 candidates who filed their candidature on the second day of filing nominations.

The assets declared by them contain some interesting details. The value of Dikshit’s five-acre plot in Tehsil Huzur, Bhopal, increased by whopping 24 times. It was valued at just Rs 2.5 lakh when Dikshit fought his first election in 2004. The plot now cost Rs 60 lakh.

Dikshit, however, said his capital base has not increased. “The election commission has now made it mandatory for us to declare market value of our properties, which was not the case in 2004. I had mentioned the purchase value of this plot in 2004 and now it is the market value calculated on the basis of the existing circle rate,” Dikshit said.

On the other hand, while the rest of Delhi saw real estate prices going though the roof, Dikshit’s two basement properties, in upmarket Nizamuddin East and Jaipur Estate, did not register 100 per cent increase.

Market value of agricultural land that Chauhan owns has remained stagnant.