Sitaram Yechury’s Surprising Net Worth – What His Election Affidavit Reveals

So, I was reading about Sitaram Yechury, the well-known CPI (M) leader, and I found out some interesting stuff about his net worth. Yechury, who was a two-time Rajya Sabha MP, had a pretty notable life. He passed away on September 12, 2024, after battling a long illness. But what really caught my eye was how much he was worth. It was more than I expected!

His Political Journey

Yechury started out as a student leader before joining the Communist Party of India (Marxist) back in 1975. He really made a name for himself during the crazy coalition politics years and even became the general secretary of the CPI (M) in 2015. He was in the Rajya Sabha from 2005 to 2017, representing West Bengal. And you know what? Being in politics for so long definitely added to his wealth.

How Much Was He Worth?

So, here’s the deal – while Yechury never exactly flaunted his money, his election affidavit did give us a peek into his finances. According to that, he had assets worth over $98,505.50 (INR 82,71,066). This included about $42,119.93 (INR 35,36,622) in declared assets. He didn’t have property in his name, but his wife did. She owned property valued at around $23,521.56 (INR 19,75,000). Pretty impressive, right?

His Earnings as an MP

As an MP, Yechury earned a base salary of about $1190.97 (INR 1,00,000) per month, plus allowances. MPs get $833.68 (INR 70,000) as a constituency allowance, and then there’s office allowance, daily allowances during sessions, and even perks like free flights and phone usage. All of that definitely added up, contributing a lot to his net worth.

What He Owned

Yechury also had two cars registered under his wife’s name – a Maruti Zen 2000 model and a Maruti Zen Estillo. And yeah, his wife had some jewelry too, worth about $5954.83 (INR 5,00,000). Together, they had some nice savings, with bank deposits and mutual funds in their names. So, while he wasn’t living a flashy lifestyle, he definitely wasn’t short on cash.

Family and Personal Life

Sitaram Yechury was born on August 12, 1952, in Madras (now Chennai). His dad was an engineer, and his mom worked as a government officer. He married Seema Chisti, a journalist who works as an editor for The Wire. He also had two kids with his first wife, Indrani Mazumdar – a son, Ashish, and a daughter, Akhila. Sadly, Ashish passed away in 2021 due to COVID-19.

Final Thoughts

Even though Yechury was a lifelong communist, his wealth was still pretty significant, especially considering his years as a Rajya Sabha MP. His election affidavit gives us a glimpse of his assets, and it’s clear that he had a comfortable life, though not extravagant.