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A party-wise breakdown shows that 152 of 206 winning candidates from the BJP (74%) have declared criminal cases. In contrast, 34 of 80 winners (43%) from TMC have such cases.
Former West Bengal BJP President Sukanta Majumdar with party leader Suvendu Adhikari and others takes part in a protest. (PTI File Photo)
The newly elected West Bengal Assembly has seen a sharp rise in the number of legislators with criminal backgrounds, alongside a growing concentration of wealth among lawmakers, according to a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).
The ADR report, which analysed affidavits of all 292 winning candidates in the 2026 Assembly elections, found that 190 MLAs, or 65 per cent, have declared criminal cases against themselves. This marks a significant jump from 49 per cent in the previous election in 2021.
A party-wise breakdown shows that 152 of 206 winning candidates from the Bharatiya Janata Party (74 per cent) have declared criminal cases. In contrast, 34 of 80 winners (43 per cent) from the Trinamool Congress have such cases.
Of these, 170 legislators (58 per cent) face serious criminal charges, compared to 39 per cent in the last Assembly. A party-wise breakdown shows that 141 winning candidates from the BJP and 25 from the TMC have declared serious criminal cases.
Smaller parties also show similar trends, with all winning candidates from the Aam Janata Unnayan Party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and the All India Secular Front declaring criminal cases. Both Congress winners, however, have no criminal cases.
Among serious offences, 14 MLAs face murder charges, while 54 are booked for attempt to murder. Cases related to crimes against women were declared by 63 legislators, including two with rape charges.
Wealth concentration
The report also highlights a rise in wealth among elected representatives. Of the 292 MLAs, 178 (61 per cent) are crorepatis, up from 54 per cent in 2021. The total declared assets stand at ₹1,091 crore, with an average of ₹3.73 crore per MLA.
TMC legislators have the highest average assets at ₹5.36 crore, followed by BJP MLAs at ₹2.97 crore. Congress MLAs reported the highest average wealth at ₹17.92 crore.
On education, 63 per cent of MLAs are graduates or above, while 32 per cent studied between Class 5 and Class 12. Women remain underrepresented at 13 per cent of the House.
The ADR report underscored persistent concerns about the criminalisation of politics and the rising concentration of wealth among elected representatives in one of India’s key states.
(With inputs from PTI)
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