CHENNAI: A report released by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and the National Election Watch (NEW) has revealed that nearly half of the country’s chief ministers face criminal cases. According to the findings, 14 (45%) of the 31 chief ministers, nearly half of them, have declared criminal cases against themselves.More concerning is that 11 chief ministers (35%), one-third of them, face serious criminal charges, including offences carrying maximum punishments of five years or more, non-bailable cognizable offences, assault, murder, kidnapping, crimes against women, and violations under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Notably, two chief ministers have declared cases related to ‘attempt to murder’.The average assets per chief minister stand at a staggering Rs 118.07 crore. Out of the 31 chief ministers analysed, four (13%) are billionaires with declared assets crossing Rs 100 crore. Karnataka chief minister D K Shivakumar tops the list as the wealthiest, with total assets exceeding Rs 1,413 crore, followed by Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu (Rs 931 crores+), Tamil Nadu’s C Joseph Vijay (Rs 648 crores+), and Arunachal Pradesh’s Pema Khandu (Rs 332 crores+).The average assets per chief minister stand at a staggering Rs 118.07 crore. Out of the 31 chief ministers analysed, four (13%) are billionaires with declared assets crossing Rs 100 crore. At the other end of the spectrum, Jammu and Kashmir’s Omar Abdullah declared the lowest assets at Rs 55.24 lakhs, followed by West Bengal’s Suvendu Adhikari (Rs 85.87 lakh) and Rajasthan’s Bhajan Lal Sharma (Rs 1.46 crore). Out of the 31 chief ministers evaluated, Rekha Gupta (Delhi) is the sole woman chief minister.
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Majority of chief ministers are well-educated. Postgraduates form the largest segment at 29% (nine), followed by graduates at 23% (seven), graduate professionals at 19% (six), doctorates at 10% (three), and Class 10 or 12 pass accounting for the remainder.The analysis based on self-sworn affidavits filed by all 31 incumbent chief ministers before contesting their respective last elections has brought to light striking details regarding their criminal backgrounds, financial status and education across India’s 28 states and 3 Union territories. The ADR report aims at bringing transparent, verified self-disclosures directly to voters, emphasising the intersection of criminal backgrounds and financial dominance in Indian electoral politics.
