Rahul Gandhi to contest from Amethi

Sultanpur: Thousands cheered and showered flower petals on Rahul Gandhi, the scion of Indian politics' first family, as he filed his candidacy yesterday for elections that begin later this month.

Rahul, 38, a fourth-generation political leader, will run for a second term in parliament from the Amethi district in Uttar Pradesh, the country's largest and politically most important state.

The district has been represented by his father, former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, and his mother, Sonia Gandhi, who now heads the ruling Congress party.

Rahul's total assets tally up to nearly Rs2.25 crore (Dh1.6 million), according to an affidavit filed by him on Saturday, which also stated that he does not own a vehicle

A cash deposit he has with the State Bank of India, New Delhi, is not much either - Rs70,000, the affidavit stated. He also declared a Rs742,966 deposit with the National Development Finance Corporation and a Rs341,892 deposit with the Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) in New Delhi. Both non-banking financial institution deposits are long-term deposits.

Rahul's deposits with postal savings, the Life Insurance Corporation and the National Savings Scheme total just over a million rupees.

He also declared that he owns 333 gm of jewellery worth Rs150,000. His other assets, including values of claims and interests, total Rs7,29,621.

He also owns agricultural land in two places - 50 per cent of an as yet undemarcated 4.692 acre plot in Mehrauli, Delhi. The plot was valued at Rs986,244 as on March 31, 2008. The other plot, a six-acre holding in Faridabad, Haryana, is worth Rs2,822,000.

He owns two shops in the Metropolitan Mall in Saket, New Delhi, one valued at Rs5.5 million and the other at Rs10.8 million.

Against liabilities, he filed that he had availed a Rs7 million loan from HDFC in 2006, of which Rs2.3 million has to be returned.

Rahul is not being projected as the prime ministerial candidate of his party but is viewed as a potential leader and eventual candidate for the country's top post.

The Nehru-Gandhi family and the Congress party have dominated India's political history since it gained independence from Britain in 1947.

Rahul has remained ambiguous about his future plans. Reserved compared to many fiery Indian politicians, Gandhi has told his supporters to be patient, arguing that leadership must be developed slowly.

Voting in the national elections will be held April 16, April 23, April 30, May 7 and May 13 and ballots will be counted May 16.

Congress' prospects for re-election are unclear. The global economic slowdown has shifted the focus from its main achievement - rapid growth in the last few years.

It also has faced criticism for the bungled handling of the Mumbai terror attack in November, when 10 gunmen rampaged through the city, killing 165 people.