Hardeep Puri’s wife wealthier than him, owns ₹34-crore Geneva apartment: RS bypoll affidavit

Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri’s wife earns ₹1.69 crore annually, more than double his income of ₹75.57 lakh, and owns a Geneva apartment worth around ₹34 crore, according to his Rajya Sabha bypoll affidavit. Hardeep Singh Puri filed his nomination on Saturday for the November 12 Rajya Sabha by-election from Madhya Pradesh.

The BJP announced his candidature on October 28. (ANI)Laxmi Puri, a retired Indian foreign service officer who has also served as a diplomat and United Nations official, has declared movable assets worth ₹10.66 crore, while her husband has declared assets worth ₹6.54 crore.

Her bank deposits of around ₹1.02 crore are also higher than Puri's ₹22.20 lakh, news agency PTI reported. Puri, the union minister for petroleum and natural gas, filed his nomination on Saturday for the November 12 Rajya Sabha by-election from Madhya Pradesh.

The BJP announced his candidature on October 28. Laxmi's immovable assets are valued at ₹9 crore and include an apartment in Switzerland's Geneva worth 3 million Swiss francs (approximately ₹34 crore), and a house in Greater Noida valued at ₹19.52 lakh.

She has also declared foreign currency holdings of $290,658 (around ₹2.75 crore). ALSO READ | Hardeep Puri files nomination for Rajya Sabha by-election from Madhya Pradesh According to the affidavit, Laxmi Puri's annual income increased from ₹ 15.39 lakh to ₹1.69 crore over the past five years.

Her income sources include pensions from the Indian government and the United Nations, rental earnings from her Geneva property and interest on bank deposits. Puri's annual income rose from ₹63.36 lakh to ₹75.57 lakh during the same period.

His sources of income include his pension, salary as a Union minister, rent from his Delhi property and interest on bank deposits. The Union petroleum and natural gas minister has declared immovable assets worth ₹20 crore, including a residential property in Delhi's West End area.

The affidavit, filed along with his nomination papers on Saturday, also details the couple's other assets. Puri has ₹10,000 in cash and a vehicle valued at around ₹32 lakh, while his wife has ₹20,000 in cash and jewellery worth ₹45 lakh.

Both have investments in Public Provident Fund (PPF) and Senior Citizens' Savings Scheme (SCSS) accounts, amounting to ₹20.54 lakh and ₹30 lakh, respectively. Neither has any outstanding loans or liabilities from banks or financial institutions.

ALSO READ | Hardeep Puri nominated for bypoll from Madhya Pradesh Rajya Sabha seat vacated by L Murugan The affidavit states that no criminal case is pending against Puri and that he has never been convicted in any case.

The Rajya Sabha seat fell vacant after Union minister of state for Parliamentary Affairs L Murugan resigned on October 13. His term was scheduled to end in April 2030, but his early resignation necessitated the November 12 bypoll.

Before submitting his nomination papers, Puri offered prayers at a gurudwara and sought the blessings of Sant Sudesh Shandilya Maharaj at Karuna Dham Ashram, HT reported earlier. Minister of state Krishna Gaur signed the consent letter as a proposer for his candidature.

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav, BJP state president Hemant Khandelwal and deputy chief ministers Jagdish Deora and Rajendra Shukla were among the leaders present during the nomination process. Yadav said Madhya Pradesh was set to receive a pre-Diwali gift in the form of a parliamentarian like Puri.

Puri's candidature has also drawn criticism from the Congress, which accused the BJP of "shamelessly promoting a man with links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein". Puri has acknowledged meeting Epstein three or four times in a professional context before joining the Union Cabinet in 2017 and denied any wrongdoing.