Of the top 10 chief ministers in India with the highest assets, only three are from the BJP. The saffron party’s share, however, increases if you take alliance partners into consideration.
It’s election season in India and the battle lines have been drawn as the BJP and the Opposition heads into polls in five states ahead of the big battle in 2024. With lots at stake for all sides, political parties and their leaders are bound to topics of high interest as polls draw closer.
While the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party continues to be the richest party with the highest share of political donations, the Congress comes in second followed by regional parties. As per a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms, the BJP bagged over 86 per cent of all political donations in the two years leading to the Lok Sabha elections in 2019.
However, the case is starkly different when it comes to chief ministers. Of the top 10 chief ministers in India with the highest assets, only three are from the BJP. The saffron party’s share, however, increases if you take alliance partners into consideration. Interestingly, of the 30 Chief Ministers, 29 CMs have assets worth over Rs 1 crore. The only exception in this list is West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee who has declared assets worth around Rs 15 lakh.
According to a recent ADR report, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy tops the list of the richest chief ministers in India with assets totalling a staggering Rs 510 crore. He is followed by Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu with total assets of Rs. 163 crore.
India’s Richest Chief Ministers: Here are the top 10
YS Jagan Mohan Reddy
Topping the list is 46-year-old Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. The chief of Yuvajana Shramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP), the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister has declared wealth of Rs. 510 crore, according to ADR. He took charge as the chief minister of the state in 2019.
Pema Khandu
BJP leader and Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu has total assets of over Rs. 163 crore. As per the ADR data, Khandu reported zero liabilities in his election affidavit. Khandu took charge as the CM of the state in 2016.
Naveen Patnaik
Biju Janata Dal head and Chief Minister of Odisha has a total net assets worth Rs. 63 crore and has total liabilities of Rs. 15 lakh, as per his election affidavit filed ahead of the elections in 2019. A five-term chief minister since 2000, Patnaik achieved a significant milestone in July this year when he became the second-longest serving chief minister in India, surpassing former West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu.
Neiphiu Rio
Nagaland CM and Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party leader Neiphiu Rio has a cumulative net worth of Rs. 46 crore. Rio was appointed the Chief Minister of the state after he allied with the BJP in the elections held earlier this year.
N. Rangasamy
A former Congress leader, the 70-year-old is a graduate professional and the Chief Minister of Puducherry, a Union Territory. Rangasamy has a net assets worth over Rs. 38 crore. He took oath as the Chief Minister for his fourth term on the post in 2021.
K. Chandrashekar Rao
Next on the list is Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao with total assets worth over Rs. 23 crore and Rs. 8 crore listed as liabilities. A prominent face of the Opposition, he recently rebranded his party, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti as the Bharat Rashtra Samiti with the aim to make take it national. He has served as the Chief Minister of the state for the second term. He is the first and the only chief minister of the state which was carved out of Andhra Pradesh in June 2014.
Bhupesh Baghel
The Congress veteran and Chief Minister of Chhatisgarh has declared total assets worth Rs. 23 crore. He is the third chief minister of the state and has previously served as the president of the state unit of the Congress party. He assumed charge as the CM of the state in 2018 and is credited with leading his party to victory in the elections held that year.
Himanta Biswa Sarma
The BJP’s pointsperson in the northeast, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma ranks eighth in the list of richest CMs in India with net assets worth over Rs. 17 crore. A former Congress leader, Sarma is known for his resourcefulness and has proven his abilities by striking alliances with parties in the North East to register the BJP’s imprint in the region which was formerly a Congress bastion.
Conrad Sangma
The National People’s Party (NPP) leader and Meghalaya CM has declared assets worth Rs. 14 crore. Having cut his teeth in politics as the campaign manager for his father, former Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma, Conrad moved up the ranks and handled various responsibilities with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). He joined the NPP, a party floated by his father in 2012, and has also served as the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly from 2008 to 2013.
Manik Saha
A postgraduate by qualification, 70-year-old Manik Saha is a professor at Tripura Medical College as a dental surgeon by profession. The Tripura CM has reported assets worth over Rs. 13 crore in his affidavit filed ahead of his elections as an MLA in 2022. A Rajya Sabha member prior to contesting the Assembly election, Saha was appointed as the CHief Minister, replacing Biplab Deb who eventually moved to the Rajya Sabha.