CONGRESS candidate Priya Krishna (25), one of the youngest and richest candidates contesting elections in India, owns a fleet of luxury vehicles, but can't drive
CONGRESS candidate Priya Krishna (25), one of the youngest and richest candidates contesting elections in India, owns a fleet of luxury vehicles, but can't drive.
His stable includes such expensive buys as the Mercedes E220 and the Mitsubishi Montero SUV. Most of his cars bear the same registration number, but he has no driving licence.
Krishna is the richest poll candidate in Karanataka with declared assets worth over Rs 770 crore.
He is also in the news for using personalised greeting cards to greet voters on Ganesh Chaturthi, one of the first politicians to use the festive season as electoral opportunity.
Krishna's passion for cars means that his family now possesses a fleet of high-end cars, including a Audi (Rs 75 lakh), a Mercedes E220 (Rs 31 lakh) and E270 (Rs 38), and a Mitsubishi Montero (Rs 35 lakh).
"I love the Mercedes and the Audi," said Krishna. "I bought two Mercs four years ago and an Audi a year ago. The number is the same, 9279, as it's a lucky number to my family."
Besides these, he owns more than 15 four wheelers including SUVs and MUVs, all bearing the same registration number. The penchant for 9279 comes from the fact that it's the number of the car that started his craze, a Fiat 118 NE Krishna believes has brought luck to their family.
Politics by accident?
Krishna, son of legislator A Krishnappa, is running for Govindrajnagar by-polls, to be held on August 18.
He is taking on the four time MLA and current housing minister V Somanna, although he claims that his entry into the electoral fray is purely accidental rather than pre-determined.
He told MiD DAY: "Our by-polls were declared after I turned 25. My party forced me to start off. It's the toughest assignment I have ever faced and I hope I will win the race."
For a politician who loves cars, this is one 'accident' that he will take in his stride.
Candidate who 'cares'
Krishna is reportedly posting greeting cards to over 2.6 lakh voters in the constituency to greet them during the coming festival season, although the party symbol has been avoided to avoid trouble from the Election Commission.
"We have been residing here for the last ten years but no politician has sent us a greeting card before," said Shivkumar S, a resident of Amarjyothinagar. Curiously, Krishna denies any self-interest in sending the cards, saying that they were sent prior to his nomination.
However, some voters said that the cards wouldn't influence them. "Getting such cards is a new concept, but we will still vote for the better candidate," said Vishwanath G, a resident.
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