No new real estate assets acquired by Sonia Gandhi

RAE BARELI: Congress President Sonia Gandhi has acquired no new real estate assets in the last 15 years although the value of her properties has nearly doubled since the 2009 Lok Sabha polls.

According to an affidavit submitted by her before the Returning Officer here yesterday when she filed her nomination papers for the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat, the value of her properties has gone up from Rs 3.30 crore in 2009 to Rs 6.50 crore in 2014, a 95 per cent increase.

A senior Congress leader explained today that Gandhi had chosen voluntarily to adopt the government circle rates to value her properties although nomination papers require candidates to report "current market value" of their assets. Circle rates are higher than market value.

"Showing the way to other political leaders, Sonia has chosen to adopt the circle rate to value her property," Union Minister and Congress leader Rajiv Shukla said.

Congress sources said that Gandhi's real estate properties remain unchanged and are the same since 1999.

Among the immovable assets, she has declared an ancestral property in Italy worth Rs. 19.90 lakh besides land valued at Rs. 4.86 crore in Deramandi village, another land worth Rs. 1.40 crore in Sultanpur village, the affidavit said.