Bengaluru (PTI): Considered to be one of the richest politicians in the country, Karnataka Minister N Nagaraju (MTB) has declared total assets worth Rs 1,609 crore, while filing the nomination for May 10 Assembly polls in the state.

He filed the papers on Monday as the ruling BJP's candidate from the Hoskote Assembly segment, on the outskirts of Bengaluru.

In his election affidavit, Nagaraju, who has mentioned his occupation or profession as agriculturist and business, along with his wife M Shanthakumari, a housewife, together own movable assets worth Rs 536 crore.

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The couple's immovable assets are worth Rs 1,073 crore,

Nagaraju, who is currently a MLC, in June 2020, while contesting the Legislative Council election, had declared assets worth about Rs 1,220 crore, along with his wife.

In the affidavit filed today along with nomination, the couple have declared total liabilities of Rs 98.36 crore.

Nagaraju (72), who has studied up to Class 9, has detailed his source of income as agriculture, house property, business and other sources, and that of his wife also to be house property and other sources.

Nagaraju in the 2018 Assembly polls had won from Hoskote Assembly segments from Congress. He was one of the 17 MLAs who later defected from the party that led to the collapse of Congress-JD(S) coalition government in 2019.

In the subsequently held bypolls he lost from Hoskote against independent candidate Sharath Bachegowda, who is now with Congress. Both who have turned out to be bitter rivals, are facing each other once again.

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Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said that Congress would force the Centre to include caste count in the national census next year to pave the way for providing "political, education and employment reservations" by breaching the 50 per cent cap on quotas.

Speaking at the Children's Day celebrations organised here on Thursday, he said the state government's ongoing caste survey should be made successful to realise its objectives, including increasing reservations and allocation of resources proportionate to population.

Some are spreading false information that the government benefits would be stopped if the details are furnished as part of the survey but the exercise would only increase the benefits to eligible beneficiaries, he said.

Describing the caste survey as a "mega health check up for the society", he said the government intends to provide welfare schemes to all after collecting relevant details from the people.

Highlighting the government's initiatives in education sector, Reddy asserted that those who supply inferior quality items to government residential schools would be sent to jail.

He said the government has increased the allocation of funds for providing food and other basic needs to the students of the residential schools. The Telangana government's "historic" comprehensive socio-economic, employment, political and caste survey, an election promise of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, got underway on November 6.