Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma (left) interacts with supporters during a public rally in support of BJP candidate for Raha Sashi Kanta Das constituency in Nagaon district on March 31, 2026. | Photo credit: PTI
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has the most crorepati candidates – 88% of the 90 fielded – for the April 9 Assam assembly polls, but none of them are among the top five, a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Assam Election Watch revealed.
The report was prepared after analyzing the criminal background, finances, education, gender and other details of 722 candidates, of which 258 are running independently.
According to the report, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma (Jalukbari constituency) is the richest BJP candidate with assets worth more than ₹35 crore. He sits seventh in the list of the 10 richest candidates, about ₹12 crore poorer than sixth-ranked Nandigiri Bhuyan, an independent candidate contesting the Sissiborgaon seat.
Congress candidate from Hailakandi seat Rahul Roy leads the list with over ₹261 crore in movable and immovable assets, followed by All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) president Mohammed Badruddin Ajmal (Binnakandi seat) with over ₹226 crore.
Third on the list is Congress candidate from Rongonadi Jayanta Khaund (over ₹67 crore). Behind him are two women — Bodoland People’s Front or BPF (Kokrajhar) candidate Sewli Mohilary with assets worth over ₹ 63 crore and All India Trinamool Congress (Hajo-Sualkuchi) candidate Roja Ahmed with over ₹ 54 crore.
The AIIUDF leads the list of average wealth by party with ₹9.88 crore, followed by the BPF with ₹9.33 crore, the BJP with ₹7.01 crore and the Congress with ₹6.92 crore.
The report says 285 or 39% of the 722 candidates in the fray are crorepatis. Combined, the candidates have assets worth ₹2,352 crore, which is ₹3.25 crore per capita (up from ₹2.10 crore in 2021).
However, the average hides an unfair distribution of wealth. At least 10 candidates have no immovable assets, their movable assets ranging from ₹ 400 to ₹ 10,115. Three of the poorest candidates – Gautam Nath, Ajit Nunia and Bishal Singha Malakar – are contesting the Hailakandi seat independently.
Less so with criminal cases
Of the 722 candidates, 102 (14%) have declared criminal charges against themselves and 82 (11%) face charges of serious crimes, including murder, theft and crimes against women.
The numbers represent an improvement in both categories since the 2021 polls. Five years ago, 15% of candidates (138 out of 941) faced criminal charges and 12% faced serious charges.
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The analysis shows that major political parties continue to field candidates with criminal records. AUIDF leads in this category with 37% candidates, followed by Congress with 28% and BJP with 9%.
The report said political parties had shown “no serious intention” to reduce the criminalization of politics.
The ADR report shows a slight improvement in the educational profiles of the candidates. One of the 941 candidates in 2021 was illiterate and five were barely literate. None of the 722 for the 2026 term is illiterate; two are literate.
The data shows that 53.19% of the candidates are graduates or above and 44.74% have an education between 5th and 12th class.
The report says criminalization and the power of money remain deeply entrenched in Assam’s electoral landscape, while gender representation and political reforms show little progress.
Published – 31 March 2026 21:26 IST
