Will link rivers in Tirunelveli: Richest candidate

Retaining his place as the riches candidate in the state, Congress' H Vasanth Kumar, owner of consumer electronic chain Vasanth & Co, has declared assets worth Rs 337.3crore while filing his nomination for the upcoming election.
This year, Vasanth Kumar is contesting from Nanguneri in Tirunelveli district, which he won in 2006.During the 2014 Lok Sabha election, he was the only Congress candidate who did not lose his deposit.Vasanth Kumar, a native of Kanyakumari district, has been contesting assembly and Lok Sabha elections since 2001 when he made an unsuccessful bid for mayor of Chennai.
In 2006, Vasanth Kumar declared assets valued at Rs 36.2 crore, which went up to Rs 285.8 crore ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. In the affidavit he's filed this time, he says his movable investments include Rs 12.5 crore in Vasanth TV . “I pay income tax regularly and have no problem declaring my assets. As I am a businessman, people know me,“ Vasanth Kumar told TOI from Nanguneri where he is campaigning.
He feels he has a good chance as he has the support of the Muslim and dalit communities, unlike last time. “Nanguneri has a good percentage of Muslims and dalits. This time, Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK) and Puthiya Tamilagam are part of our alliance and I am confident of their support,“ he says. He's also hoping to complete some unfinished business if he wins. “When I was MLA, I built bridges and rolled out a project to link Tamirabarani, Pachaiyaru and Karumeni rivers for farmers in Nanguneri, Radhapuram and Srivaikuntam. The work started and more than Rs 350 crore was spent but it was stopped after 2011.“ That year, he says, he lost “because people believed the 2G scam“.