Maharashtra Farmers: Maharashtra’s Wealthy Politicians: Crorepati Farmers and Social Workers Revealed | Nagpur News

NAGPUR: While farm suicides and agrarian crisis are often synonymous with Maharashtra, poll affidavits of prominent netas show they have identified themselves as farmers or social workers and their assets run into crores of rupees.
Prominent crorepati farmers in the fray include chief minister Eknath Shinde, deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, Leader of Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar, state BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Nana Patole, former minister Aditya Thackeray among others.
TOI scrutiny reveals Shinde and his family have assets of Rs 37.67 crore, including movable assets worth Rs 9.21 crore and immovable assets worth Rs 28.46 crore. Similarly, former chief minister and current deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is a five-time MLA, and Ajit Pawar boast of assets of Rs 13.27 crore and Rs 124.54 crore respectively. Pawar also has the highest assets among top the three Maharashtra leaders. The top three ministers of Mahayuti identify farming as a profession.
Similarly, leader of Opposition and Congressman Vijay Wadettiwar, whose highest qualification is Class 10, boasts of family assets of Rs 94.54 crore and identifies farming as his primary profession.
Another Congressman and MPCC president Patole, who is HSC pass, is also a crorepati with assets of Rs 5.28 crore and calls himself a farmer and runs farm-related business. Both state presidents of national parties — BJP’s Bawankule and Congress’ Patole — are crorepati farmers.
Three-time MLA Bawankule has assets of Rs 48.55 crore, including Rs 43.82 crore immovable assets in the name of his wife. Former state cabinet minister Aditya Thackeray, who’s son of Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray, has assets of Rs 23.43 crore and identifies himself as a social worker. He earned Rs 6.04 crore in last five fiscals from 2019-20 to 2023-24.
Former home minister and current co-operation minister Dilip Walse Patil, who filed nomination from Ambegaon constituency on NCP (Ajit) ticket, has assets of Rs 6.06 crore and is a farmer by profession, as per his affidavit. Veteran Maharashtra leader and current food and civil supply consumer affairs minister Chhagan Bhujbal, who filed nomination from Yeola on NCP (Ajit Pawer) ticket, boasts of assets worth Rs 30.93 crore, while his occupation is agriculturist, reveals his poll affidavit.
Chartered accountant Julfesh Shah said if someone displays pure agricultural income, he or she gets complete income tax relief. “Similarly, if agricultural income is shown along with other income, then the person gets marginal relief,” said Shah.