West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026: Early disclosures from election affidavits show that wealth and criminal records remain key features of the candidate profile in the West Bengal assembly elections.
Data released by election watchdogs indicates that a significant number of candidates contesting the polls are crorepatis, while several have also declared pending criminal cases against them.
The figures highlight the continued dominance of money power and the presence of candidates with criminal backgrounds in the state’s electoral contest, raising concerns among transparency advocates about the quality of political representation.
A report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and West Bengal Election Watch said that nearly half of the West Bengal MLAs have declared criminal cases against themselves, while over half are crorepatis.
The report analysed the criminal, financial and other background details of 291 out of the 294 sitting MLAs in the state, with three seats currently vacant. It found that 136 MLAs (47 per cent) have declared criminal cases, while 109 legislators (37 per cent) face serious criminal charges.
According to the report, eight MLAs have declared cases related to murder, while 29 legislators face cases of attempt to murder. Additionally, 22 MLAs have declared cases related to crimes against women, including one case related to rape.
A party-wise analysis revealed that 92 of the 223 MLAs (41%) from the Trinamool Congress and 42 of the 64 MLAs (66%) from the BJP have declared criminal cases in their affidavits.
Financial Background
The report also shed light on the financial background of legislators, revealing that 152 of the 291 MLAs analysed (52 per cent) are crorepatis. The total declared assets of the sitting MLAs stand at Rs 821.50 crore, with the average assets per MLA pegged at Rs 2.82 crore.
Among them, Jangipur MLA Jakir Hossain tops the list with declared assets worth over Rs 67 crore, followed by Kasba’s Ahmed Javed Khan with assets exceeding Rs 32 crore, and Jorasanko MLA Vivek Gupta with assets of more than Rs 31 crore.
Other wealthy sitting legislators include Manoj Tiwary (Shibpur, AITC) and Bayron Biswas (Sagardighi, AITC), with declared assets of about Rs 20.3 crore and Rs 20.1 crore respectively. Both have substantial property holdings along with cash and investments.
In Kalimpong, Ruden Sada Lepcha of the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha declared assets totaling over Rs 18.2 crore, placing him among the top ten richest candidates.
Pradip Mazumdar (AITC, Durgapur Purba) — Rs 18.1 croreNandita Chowdhury (AITC, Howrah Dakshin) — Rs 15.7 croreDr. Asok Kumar Chattopadhyay (AITC, Hansan) — Rs 14.7 crore
Dulal Chandra Das (AITC, Maheshtala) — Rs 13.7 crore
Most of these candidates have indicated on their affidavits that they possess a Permanent Account Number (PAN), a key identifier for tax compliance in India.
The analysis further noted that 45 MLAs, or around 15 per cent of the Assembly, are women, while 246 legislators are men.
Impact On Assembly Polls
The high number of candidates with significant personal wealth and pending criminal cases, as revealed by the affidavit data, could have a measurable effect on both voter behaviour and governance outcomes in the West Bengal Assembly elections.
Research shows that candidates with substantial personal wealth are often more competitive, as they can self-finance campaigns and mobilise resources more effectively than less wealthy rivals.
Reportedly, legislators with criminal charges can experience weaker delivery of public services and slower economic development.
