Rahul Gandhi bets big on stock markets; holds 90% of ₹9.25-cr movable assets in stocks, mutual funds, gold bonds

Congress leader and Member of Parliament Rahul Gandhi has turned out to be an astute stock market investor going by his diversified equity portfolio of 25 stocks and 5 MF schemes, his election affidavit for the upcoming General Elections showed.

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Riding on the bull run in stock market in the last one year, his overall stock and mutual fund holdings in aggregate was valued at ₹8.14 crore as of March 15 this year. This coupled with RBI Sovereign Gold Bonds’ holdings of 220 units (valued at ₹15.22 lakh as of March 15) represented nearly 90 percent of his movable assets of ₹9.25 crore, according to the affidavit. 

While the Congress leader, who is again contesting from Wayanad in the 2024 general elections, has no car in his name, he has bet big on mid cap stocks and small-cap focused mutual fund scheme.

Besides the 53-year-old Congress leader has declared cash of ₹55,000 and savings bank deposits of ₹ 25.25 lakh (significant portion of it in a private sector bank).

Other investments

Furthermore, Gandhi also has investments in National Savings Schemes, Postal Savings, insurance policies, and other ventures aggregating ₹61.52 lakh.

According to the latest affidavit, Rahul Gandhi has a net worth of ₹20.4 crore, higher than ₹15.89 crore declared in 2019. This included the value of the immovable assets amounting to ₹ 11.15 crore.

With an annual income exceeding ₹1 crore, Gandhi has also declared ownership of agricultural land and joint ownership of farmhouse with sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Delhi’s Mehrauli, along with an office space in Gurugram valued at about ₹ 11 crore.

Stock portfolio

While the 25 Stocks —which comprised a judicious mix of large cap names and mid cap stocks — had market value of ₹4.34 crore, the mutual fund holdings (equity, debt and hybrid schemes) had value of ₹3.81 crore as of March 15.

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What is interesting and reflecting of Gandhi’s stock picking skills is that his top ten stocks by market value accounted for 65 percent of the overall equity value of ₹ 4.34 crore.

Rahul Gandhi’s top ten equity holdings by market value comprised of Pidilite Industries, Bajaj Finance, Nestle India, Asian Paints, Titan Limited, Hindustan Unilever, ICICI Bank, Divi’s Laboratories and Suprajit Engineering.

Blue chip stocks

Besides these top ten, he also has equity holdings in Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys and ITC among other blue chip stocks. Interestingly, Gandhi has no equity exposure to any of the seven listed Adani Group Companies or to the Mukesh Ambani -led listed companies.

Of the seven mutual fund schemes worth ₹3.81 crore that Gandhi owns, as many as four are from HDFC Asset Management, two from ICICI and one from Parag Parikh Mutual Fund House (PPFAS FCF D Growth). His largest holding in mutual fund scheme by market value is with HDFC Small Cap Reg-G at ₹1.24 crore, the affidavit showed.

Balanced approach

Commenting on Ràhûl Gandhi’s equity portfolio and his stock selection skills, Sonam Srivastava, Founder and Fund Manager at Wright Research said “Rahul Gandhi’s asset portfolio demonstrates a strategy of diversification, with a significant portion of his movable assets allocated to mutual funds and stocks”.

Overall, Gandhi’s asset portfolio reflects a prudent approach to investment, aiming to optimise returns while managing risks effectively, she added.

She noted that the Congress Leader’s investments span across various sectors and market caps, showcasing a balanced approach to wealth management. 

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“While specific details about the performance of his investments are not provided, the inclusion of both established companies and smaller ventures indicates a willingness to leverage opportunities across different segments of the market”, Srivastava added.