A common belief that politics and money go hand-in-hand is nowhere better understood than between the careers of these businessmen-turned-politicians. Industrialists usually do not prefer to enter the political class as they deem it too messy and uncertain at certain points in time. Moreover, they additionally get more responsibility from the people who they are supposed to serve. Therefore, most businessmen like to watch the battles of politics from afar though they maintain a friendly relationship with politicians cutting across ideologies. Some of these businessmen chose to cross the line and jump on the other side to test their hand in politics. Some survived, others decided to opt-out. Here're India's Top 10 businessmen-turned-politicians:
1. Naveen Jindal: Naveen Jindal is an Indian industrialist and a former Member of Parliament from Kurukshetra in Haryana. He currently serves as the Chairman of Jindal Steel and Power Limited and Chancellor of O. P. Jindal Global University. His net worth is around $4 billion.
2. Savitri Jindal: Savitri Jindal is an Indian businesswoman and former Cabinet Minister from Hissar constituency with the Indian National Congress. Her current net worth is around $1.4 billion.
3. Jayadev Galla: Also known as Jay Galla, he is an Indian industrialist and politician. He is the managing director of Amara Raja Group and TDP Parliamentary Party Leader. His net worth is around ₹683 crores.
4. Mangal Prabhat Lodha: Founder of Mumbai based Macrotech real estate firm, Mangal Prabhat Lodha is a businessman and politician. He is the president of the BJP unit in South Mumbai. His net worth is around Rs 25,200.
5. Anil H. Lad: Anil Lad is an industrialist and a politician based in Karnataka for the Indian National Congress. He is currently a Member of the Legislative Assembly from Bellary and is worth around Rs 289 crores.
6. Rajkumar Dhoot: Rajkumar Dhoot is an Indian businessman and politician. He is currently a Member of Parliament with the Shiv Sena based in Maharashtra. Dhoot is also the promoter and co-owner of the diversified Videocon group of companies, which was founded by his father N.M Dhoot. He is reportedly worth about Rs 289 crores.
7. Nama Nageswara Rao: Nama Nageswara Rao is a renowned businessman and one of the wealthiest politicians in the country. He is currently a Member of Parliament with Telangana Rashtra Samithi. His net worth is reportedly around Rs217 crores.
8. Rahul Bajaj: Rahul Bajaj is an industrialist from the Bajaj family and is worth about $8 billion. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Bajaj Group that his father found. He was a Rajya Sabha member from 2006 to 2010 with the Indian National Congress.
9. Ravindra Kishore Sinha: Ravindra Kishore Sinha is an Indian businessman and politician. He founded a private security solution provider called Security and Intelligence Services. Sinha was elected to the Rajya Sabha to represent Bihar State by the Bhartiya Janata Party in 2014.
10. Mahendra Prasad: One of the richest MPs in India, Mahendra Prasad is a businessman and politician from Bihar. owns two pharmaceutical companies, Aristo Pharmaceuticals and Mapra Laboratories Pvt Ltd. His net worth is reportedly around $2 billion.
