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Meet Janardan Parab, the Maharashtra assembly poll candidate with ‘zero’ assets
Janardan (Babu) Parab is contesting the Maharashtra assembly polls as an Independent candidate from the Charkop constituency.
Amid candidates across prominent political parties declaring assets worth crores, Janardan (Babu) Parab, 61, an independent candidate from Charkop, stands out. Reason: He has declared zero movable and immovable assets, making him the poorest candidate this election.
Parab calls himself a social worker, who has contested Assembly elections four times so far. He said that by contesting from Charkop, he wants to underline the significance of the democratic process of elections. “The house I live in is a Mhada house that belongs to my mother. That too is a leased property so she is not the owner. We have only one bank account in my wife’s name and I have no savings,” he said. Parab hails from Sindhudurg and has completed his schooling upto Class 9.
Working as a part-time estate agent, he said he wants to solve people’s issues. “Sometimes I make some money from my work, but currently I have nothing. The only intention behind standing for these elections is to make my voice heard.”
Some of the areas where he wants to work include education, sanitation and environment. “Currently, big politicians own half the state’s educational institutes, which is in the way of equal access to quality education for all. If given a chance, I would like to change this. I also want to do something for the protection of our environment to ensure people get to breathe clean, unpolluted air,” he said.
When asked about how he would carry out his campaign with no money, he said “An autorickshaw owner helps me go from door-to-door in the neighbourhood, which will not cost me at all.”
Meanwhile, a CPI (M) candidate, Narayanan Kiddappil, from Andheri West, declared assets worth ₹7,200. The 51-year-old social worker has mentioned no income for the last annual year and has six criminal cases pending against him, four of which include of unlawful assembly.
(Inputs from Steffy Thevar )
