An analysis of the election affidavits of 31 sitting Chief Ministers across 28 states and 3 Union Territories of India, conducted jointly by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW), has found that a significant proportion of the country's top elected leaders face criminal cases, while their collective wealth runs into thousands of crores of rupees.
The study is based on self-sworn affidavits filed by the Chief Ministers with the Election Commission of India at the time of their nominations, and is intended to inform voters and promote transparency in public life.
According to the report, 14 out of the 31 Chief Ministers, or 45 percent, have declared criminal cases against themselves. Of these, 11 Chief Ministers, or 35 percent, have declared serious criminal cases, involving charges such as attempt to murder, kidnapping, bribery, and criminal intimidation, among other grave offences.
The affidavits reviewed for the report also detail numerous cases under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, ranging from charges of rioting, criminal intimidation, and defamation to more serious allegations including forgery, breach of trust, and offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Many of these cases remain pending, with charges not yet framed in the majority of instances, and a smaller number of cases have seen appeals filed in higher courts.
On the financial front, the average declared wealth of the country's Chief Ministers stands at Rs 118.07 crore, with the combined declared assets of all 31 Chief Ministers amounting to approximately Rs 3,660 crore. Four Chief Ministers in the country are worth over Rs 100 crore, effectively making them crorepati leaders many times over.
Karnataka's Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar tops the list with declared assets of Rs 1,413 crore, making him the wealthiest Chief Minister in the country. He is followed by Andhra Pradesh's N. Chandrababu Naidu, whose assets are valued at Rs 931 crore, and Tamil Nadu's C. Joseph Vijay, who holds the third spot with assets worth Rs 648 crore. At the other end of the spectrum, three Chief Ministers were found to have the lowest declared assets in the country.
Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee's declared assets stand at approximately Rs 15.38 lakh, the lowest, followed by Jammu and Kashmir's Omar Abdullah's at around Rs 55 lakh, followed closely by and Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan, with assets amounting to a little over Rs 1.18 crore. The report also found that 11 Chief Ministers have declared outstanding liabilities exceeding Rs 1 crore each.
A state-wise breakdown of assets in the report shows wide disparities, with Chief Ministers from states such as Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Nagaland reporting some of the highest asset values, while several others, including those from West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, and Kerala, reported comparatively modest wealth.
In terms of the distribution of wealth among the Chief Ministers as a group, the data shows that 9 Chief Ministers, or 30 percent, hold assets between Rs 11 crore and Rs 49 crore, while 16 Chief Ministers, or 53 percent, fall in the Rs 1 crore to Rs 10 crore bracket. Only 2 Chief Ministers, or 7 percent, have declared assets of less than Rs 1 crore.
On educational qualifications, the report notes considerable diversity among the country's Chief Ministers. Of the 31 leaders analysed, 9 are postgraduates, 7 hold basic graduate degrees, 6 have professional graduate qualifications, 3 hold doctorates, 3 have passed only up to the 12th standard, 2 have studied only up to the 10th standard, and 1 holds a diploma.
The age profile of the Chief Ministers largely clusters in the middle-aged to senior bracket, with the majority, 17 Chief Ministers, falling between 51 and 60 years of age, while the remaining fall across the 41-50, 61-70, and 71-80 age groups.
Individual profiles in the report also touch upon the professional and political backgrounds of the Chief Ministers, describing them variously as career politicians, social workers, agriculturists, pensioners, private contractors, and party leaders, reflecting the varied paths through which they have risen to their current positions.
The report additionally catalogues detailed case-wise information for those Chief Ministers facing pending criminal cases, listing FIR numbers, police stations, relevant IPC sections, and the current status of charges, though it notes that in most instances, formal charges have not yet been framed by the courts, and only a small number of cases have proceeded to conviction or appeal stages.
Commenting on the findings, ADR stated that it is a basic requirement of democracy for voters to have complete and correct information about the candidates they elect, and that analysis of details disclosed in election affidavits serves as an important tool for increasing transparency in the political process.
The organisation noted that the fact that nearly half of the country's Chief Ministers have criminal cases against them, combined with their notably high average assets, should be a matter of concern for voters. ADR reiterated that its objective is not to favour or oppose any particular political party or individual, but rather to promote transparency, accountability, and informed voting in public life.
The organisation also cautioned that while it exercises due diligence in compiling and disseminating this information from self-sworn affidavits, users of the report should exercise similar care while interpreting the data, and that ADR bears no responsibility for any misuse, misinterpretation, or distortion of the findings by any party.
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