47% Bengal MLAs face criminal cases, over 50% are crorepatis: ADR

The Election Commission of India (ECI) may have promised to keep the polls in West Bengal free from criminal elements, but an analysis has found that 47% of the MLAs in the State have declared criminal cases against themselves. Also, more than 50% are crorepatis, a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and West Bengal Election Watch released on Monday (March 16, 2026) said.

The report analysed the criminal, financial and other background details of 291 out of the 294 sitting MLAs in the State. It found that 136 MLAs (47%) have declared criminal cases, while 109 legislators (37%) 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.

The party-wise analysis showed that 92 out of 223 MLAs (41%) from the Trinamool Congress and 42 out of 64 MLAs (66%) from the BJP have declared criminal cases in their affidavits.

The report also highlighted the financial background of the legislators, noting that 152 out of the 291 MLAs analysed (52%) are crorepatis.

The total assets of the sitting MLAs amount to ₹821.5 crore, with the average assets per MLA standing at ₹2.82 crore, it said.

Among the legislators, Jakir Hossain, the MLA from Jangipur, tops the list with declared assets worth over ₹67 crore, followed by Ahmed Javed Khan of Kasba with assets of over ₹32 crore, and Vivek Gupta of Jorasanko with assets exceeding ₹31 crore.

The analysis further showed that 45 MLAs, or about 15% of the House, are women, while 246 legislators are men. In terms of education, 182 MLAs (63%) have declared themselves as graduates or above, while 104 legislators (36%) have educational qualifications between Classes 8 and 12.

The report is based on affidavits submitted by candidates during the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections and subsequent bypolls, ADR said.