While Kerala has the highest share (70%) of MLAs with declared criminal cases, Karnataka has the highest share (14%) of billionaires among its MLAs
Around 44 per cent of MLAs across India have declared criminal cases against themselves, a recent analysis conducted by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has revealed.
The analysis, conducted by the ADR and the National Election Watch (NEW), examined the self-sworn affidavits of current MLAs in state assemblies and Union Territories. The data was extracted from the affidavits filed by the MLAs before they contested their most recent elections.
The analysis covered 4,001 MLAs out of the 4,033 serving across 28 state assemblies and two Union Territories.
Of the MLAs analysed, 1,136, or about 28 per cent, have declared serious criminal cases against themselves, including charges related to murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, and crimes against women, among others, the ADR said.
States and criminal charges
In Kerala, 95 of the 135 MLAs, accounting for 70 per cent, have declared criminal cases against themselves.
Similarly, 161 of 242 MLAs (67 per cent) in Bihar, 44 of 70 MLAs (63 per cent) in Delhi, 175 of 284 MLAs (62 per cent) in Maharashtra, 72 of 118 MLAs (61 per cent) in Telangana, and 134 of 224 MLAs (60 per cent) in Tamil Nadu have self-declared criminal cases in their affidavits.
Additionally, the ADR reported that 37 of 70 MLAs (53 per cent) in Delhi, 122 of 242 MLAs (50 per cent) in Bihar, 114 of 284 MLAs (40 per cent) in Maharashtra, 31 of 79 MLAs (39 per cent) in Jharkhand, 46 of 118 MLAs (39 per cent) in Telangana, and 155 of 403 MLAs (38 per cent) in Uttar Pradesh have declared serious criminal cases against themselves.
The analysis also unveiled disturbing statistics related to crimes against women. As many as 114 MLAs have declared cases pertaining to crimes against women, with 14 of them specifically declaring cases related to rape (IPC Section 376), as highlighted in the report.
States and assets
Apart from criminal records, the analysis also examined the assets of the MLAs.
The average assets per MLA from state assemblies were found to be Rs 13.63 crore. However, the average assets of MLAs with declared criminal cases stood higher at Rs 16.36 crore, compared to Rs 11.45 crore for those with no criminal cases.
The ADR analysis further revealed the states with the highest and lowest average assets per MLA.
Karnataka topped the list with an average asset value of Rs 64.39 crore for its 223 MLAs, followed by Andhra Pradesh with Rs 28.24 crore for 174 MLAs, and Maharashtra with Rs 23.51 crore for 284 MLAs. In contrast, Tripura had the lowest average assets with Rs 1.54 crore for its 59 MLAs, followed by West Bengal with Rs 2.80 crore for 293 MLAs, and Kerala with Rs 3.15 crore for 135 MLAs.
Of the 4,001 MLAs analysed, 88 (2 per cent) were found to be billionaires, possessing assets worth more than Rs 100 crore.
Karnataka had the highest number of billionaires among its MLAs, with 32 of 223 (14 per cent), followed by Arunachal Pradesh with 4 of 59 (7 per cent), and Andhra Pradesh with 10 of 174 (6 per cent). Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh also had MLAs with assets surpassing the Rs 100-crore mark.
