With Rs 103 crore in his kitty, A Narayanan of the AIADMK is the richest MLA in the just concluded assembly elections in five states (Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam, West Bengal and Puducherry). The numbers of crorepatis in assembly elections have increased since the 2006 elections.

Around 52 percent of the newly elected MLAs (120 of them) from Tamil Nadu are crorepatis, according to a survey released by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW).

Among all the winners in the latest assembly elections, a total of 268 MLAs out of the 820 analysed, i.e. 33 percent, are crorepatis. According to the report, “63 percent of MLAs analysed from Puducherry are crorepatis followed by 52 percent of MLAs from Tamil Nadu and 37 percent of MLAs from Assam.”

The report findings said that 97 re-contesting members of the Tamil Nadu assembly tripled their assets in the last five years. The ADR study also noted that in the 2006 assembly elections, 57 MLAs were crorepatis and the number increased to 120 in the recently concluded elections. The state was also under the election commission’s (EC) scanner as Rs 60 crore was seized as unaccounted money.

Thirty-five MLAs in Kerala are crorepatis.

Though West Bengal has the lowest number of crorepatis, it has the maximum number of MLAs with pending criminal cases. The West Bengal assembly has 102 MLAs with pending criminal cases out of which 75 have serious pending criminal cases, according to the report.

The report said, “257 MLAs i.e. 31 percent (out of 820 analysed) in the new assemblies of Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal have criminal cases pending against them. 133 MLAs (out of the above 257) have declared serious IPC charges like murder, attempt to murder, robbery, extortion, theft etc. against them.”

48 percent of the legislative members from Kerala, 30 percent from Puducherry, 29 percent from Tamil Nadu and 10 percent from Assam face criminal charges.

A total of 824 constituencies went for polls: Assam (126), Kerala (140), Puducherry (30), Tamil Nadu (234) and West Bengal (294) in these assembly elections. ADR said that the report is based on the analysis of the information provided by the MLAs in their self sworn affidavits.