Himachal MLA worth Rs 3.3 billion commutes by helicopter, has own helipad

Prakash Rana, an independent candidate has won from the Joginder Nagar constituency of Mandi district in the recently held Himachal Pradesh assembly elections by a margin of over 10 thousand votes. 

Rana has studied up to class 10 and is a diamond trader in Saudi Arabia and owns several companies. He handed over his business to his sons to come back to his ancestral village to contest state elections. 

Rana uses a helicopter to go out from and visit his village and for that, he has constructed a helipad outside his palatial house.   

In the affidavit he filed with his nomination Rana declared his movable and immovable assets are worth Rs 3 billion and 32 crores. 

He says he approached major political parties but they did not give him a ticket hence he decided to contest as an independent.

Rana went to Saudi Arabia in 1985 as a small time employee and today he owns several businesses including transport, construction, diamond, and engineering equipment in partnership. His elder son Rahul Rana is handling his empire. 

He has employed about 700 Indians including 80 people from his village. Rana uses a helicopter to commute between Delhi and his village. 

He has 47 bank accounts and 13 life insurance policies whose value is Rs 2.65 crores.