Among the major parties, TMC MLAs have average assets of ₹5.36 crore, followed by BJP legislators at ₹2.97 crore. Representative file image. | Photo credit: Manvender Vashist Lav
As many as 65% of newly elected legislators in the West Bengal Assembly have declared criminal charges against themselves, a sharp increase from the previous election, according to a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).
The report, which analyzed the affidavits of all 292 winning candidates in the 2026 Assembly polls, found that 190 MLAs (65%) reported criminal cases, up from 142 (49%) in 2021. Of these, 170 legislators (58%) are facing serious criminal charges, compared to 113 in the previous assembly (39%).
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Among serious offences, 14 winning candidates cited cases related to murder (Section 302 IPC) while 54 face charges of attempted murder. Cases related to crimes against women have been declared by 63 winners, including two candidates who have gone public with allegations of rape.
A party analysis showed that 152 of the 206 winning candidates (74%) from the Bharatiya Janata Party reported criminal cases, followed by 34 out of 80 (43%) from the All India Trinamool Congress.
All the winning candidates from smaller parties such as Aam Janata Unnayan Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist) and All India Secular Front declared criminal cases. In contrast, both the winning candidates from the Indian National Congress have no criminal records.
The trend is similar for serious criminal cases, with 68% of BJP winners and 31% of Trinamool Congress winners facing such cases.
The ADR report also highlighted growing wealth among elected representatives. Of the 292 winners, 178 (61%) are crorepatis, up from 54% in 2021. The total declared assets of all winning candidates are ₹1,091 crore, with an average asset of ₹3.73 crore per MLA, significantly higher than the ₹2.53 crore recorded in the previous assembly.
Among the major parties, TMC MLAs have average assets of ₹5.36 crore, followed by BJP legislators at ₹2.97 crore. The two Congress MLAs reported the highest average assets overall at ₹17.92 crore.
In terms of education, 63% of the winning candidates are graduates or above, while 32% studied between 5th and 12th grade. A small number of legislators reported minimal formal education, including one candidate who declared himself illiterate.
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The age profile shows that the majority of MLAs (63%) fall in the 41-60 age group, while only 16% are in the 25-40 age group. About 20% of legislators are between the ages of 61 and 80, with three candidates over 80.
Women remain underrepresented, with only 37 of 292 MLAs (13%) being women, down slightly from 14% in 2021, the report said.
The ADR report highlighted lingering concerns about the criminalization of politics and the growing concentration of wealth among elected representatives in one of India’s key states.
Published – 07 May 2026 06:44 IST
