ADR says 23 percent of phase one West Bengal poll candidates face criminal cases, BJP has highest share, report also highlights many crorepati nominees and low female representation

Nearly one in four candidates contesting the first phase of the 2026 West Bengal assembly elections have declared criminal cases against themselves, a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) said.

Out of 1,475 candidates analysed, 345 (23%) have pending criminal cases, while 294 (20%) face serious charges.

The report flagged that 19 candidates have declared cases related to murder, and 105 candidates have cases of attempted murder. Additionally, 98 candidates face charges related to crimes against women, including six accused in rape cases.

Among major parties, the highest proportion of candidates with criminal cases was found in the BJP, in which 106 out of 152 candidates (70%) have declared such cases.

It was followed by the TMC with 63 candidates (43%), CPI(M) with 43 candidates (44%) and the Congress with 39 candidates (26%).

A similar trend was observed in serious criminal cases, with 63% of BJP candidates, 32% of TMC, 37% of CPI(M) and 22% of Congress candidates facing grave charges.

The report also identified 66 constituencies — about 43% of those going to polls in phase I — as "red alert constituencies", where three or more candidates have declared criminal cases.

Despite Supreme Court directions mandating political parties justify the selection of candidates with criminal backgrounds, the ADR said parties continue to cite "unfounded" reasons such as popularity or claims of politically motivated cases.

"This data clearly shows that political parties have no interest in reforming the electoral system," the report said.

On the financial front, 309 candidates (21%) are crorepatis, with the average assets per candidate pegged at ₹1.34 crore. The TMC leads in average wealth, with candidates declaring assets worth ₹5.70 crore on average, followed by the BJP (₹2.57 crore), the Congress (₹2.06 crore) and the CPI(M) (₹92.42 lakh).

The report underscored the role of wealth in candidate selection, noting that 72% of the TMC candidates, 47% of the BJP candidates, 33% of the Congress candidates and 24% of the CPI(M) candidates have assets exceeding ₹1 crore.

Among the richest candidates, Jakir Hossain of the TMC tops the list with declared assets exceeding ₹133 crore, followed by Goutam Mishra (over ₹105 crore) and Kabi Dutta (over ₹72 crore), both of the TMC.

The three poorest candidates have declared assets of less than ₹1,000.

Rubiya Begam from Durgapur Purba of the Aam Janata Unnayan Party reported total assets of just ₹500, followed by SUCI(C) candidates Sushrita Saren from Medinipur with ₹700 and Jashoda Barman from Jalpaiguri with ₹924.

All three have declared no immovable assets.

In terms of demographics, only 167 candidates (11%) are women.

Nearly half of the candidates have educational qualifications between Classes 5 and 12, while 47% are graduates or above. A majority — 53% — fall in the 41-60 age group.