In Assam, BJP candidates not among richest top 5: report

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 is among the wealthiest top five, a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Assam Election Watch has revealed.

The report was prepared after analysing the criminal background, financial, education, gender, and other details of 722 candidates, 258 of whom are contesting 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 on the list of 10 wealthiest candidates, about ₹12 crore poorer than the sixth-placed Nandigiri Bhuyan, an Independent contesting the Sissiborgaon seat.

Rahul Roy, the Congress candidate from the Hailakandi seat, leads the chart 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’s Rongonadi candidate Jayanta Khaund (over ₹67 crore). Behind him are two women — Bodoland People’s Front or BPF candidate (Kokrajhar) Sewli Mohilary with assets worth over ₹63 crore and All India Trinamool Congress candidate (Hajo-Sualkuchi) Rojy Ahmed with over ₹54 crore.

The AIUDF leads the chart 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. Together, the candidates have assets worth ₹2,352 crore, working out to ₹3.25 crore per head (up from ₹2.10 crore in 2021).

The average, however, hides the inequitable 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.

Fewer with criminal cases

Of the 722 candidates, 102 (14%) have declared criminal cases against themselves, and 82 (11%) are facing serious criminal charges, including murder, theft, and crimes against women. 

The figures convey an improvement in both categories since the 2021 polls. Five years ago, 15% candidates (138 out of 941) faced criminal charges, and 12% faced serious charges.

The analysis shows that major political parties continue to field candidates with criminal backgrounds. The AIUDF leads this category with 37% candidates, followed by the Congress with 28%, and the BJP with 9%.

The report says the political parties have shown “no serious intent” to curb criminalisation of politics.

The ADR report shows a slight improvement in the candidates’ education profiles. One of 941 candidates in 2021 was illiterate, and five were barely literate. None of the 722 for Mandate 2026 is illiterate; two are literate.

The data show that 53.19% of candidates are graduates or above, and 44.74% have an education between Class 5 and 12.

The report says criminalisation and money power remain deeply entrenched in Assam’s electoral landscape, while gender representation and political reform show little progress.