From Rs 3,400 crore to Rs 1,700: ADR report reveals richest and poorest MLAs

Among parties, the BJP has the maximum number of MLAs but the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MLAs have the maximum average assets.

A recent study by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW) has found that Andhra Pradesh boasts the richest Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) in India, followed by Karnataka with the largest number of billionaire legislators. The study examined the self-sworn affidavits of 4,092 incumbent MLAs in 28 states and three Union Territories, giving us a glimpse into the economic health of India's elected members.

As per the report, the mean assets per MLA in Andhra Pradesh are Rs 65.07 crore and it is the richest state in terms of wealth held by legislators. Karnataka ranks second with a mean of Rs 63.58 crore per MLA, followed by Maharashtra at Rs 43.44 crore. The all-India average of MLA assets is Rs 17.92 crore.

Source: ADR

When it comes to the total assets owned by MLAs, Karnataka leads the pack with Rs 14,179 crore among its 223 members, followed by Maharashtra's 286 MLAs with Rs 12,424 crore and Andhra Pradesh's 174 MLAs with Rs 11,323 crore.

Poorest MLAs in states

At the other end of the wealth scale, Tripura and West Bengal have the minimum asset-owning MLAs. Tripura's 60 MLAs own a total of Rs 90 crore, followed by Manipur's 59 MLAs with Rs 222 crore and Puducherry's 30 MLAs with Rs 297 crore.

The states with the minimum average assets per MLA are:

>> Tripura: Rs 1.51 crore (60 MLAs)

>> West Bengal: Rs 2.80 crore (293 MLAs)

>> Kerala: Rs 3.13 crore (134 MLAs)

The report points out that Karnataka boasts the largest number of billionaire MLAs, with 31 out of 223 (14%) reporting assets worth more than Rs 100 crore. Andhra Pradesh comes next with 27 billionaire MLAs (16%), followed by Maharashtra with 18 (6%). Other states with billionaire legislators are:

>> Telangana: 7 MLAs (6%)

>> Haryana: 5 MLAs (6%)

>> Arunachal Pradesh: 3 MLAs (5%)

>> Delhi: 3 MLAs (4%)

Party-wise wealth distribution

Among parties, the BJP has the maximum number of MLAs but the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MLAs have the maximum average assets.

Source: ADR

The party-wise total assets of MLAs are as follows:

>> BJP: Rs 26,270 crore (1,653 MLAs)

>> Congress: Rs 17,357 crore (646 MLAs)

>> TDP: Rs 9,108 crore (134 MLAs)

>> Independents: Rs 2,388 crore (64 MLAs)

>> Shiv Sena: Rs 1,758 crore (59 MLAs)

>> DMK: Rs 1,675 crore (132 MLAs)

Based on average assets per MLA:

>> TDP: Rs 67.97 crore

>> Shiv Sena: Rs 29.81 crore

>> Congress: Rs 26.86 crore

>> BJP: Rs 15.89 crore

>> AAP: Rs 7.33 crore

>> TMC: Rs 3.73 crore

India's richest MLAs

Among the wealthiest MLAs in the country, Parag Shah of the BJP, representing Mumbai’s Ghatkopar East, is the richest with assets worth nearly Rs 3,400 crore. Following him is Congress leader DK Shivakumar, the MLA from Karnataka’s Kanakapura, with wealth exceeding Rs 1,413 crore.

Source: ADR

Other notable wealthy MLAs include:

>> N. Chandrababu Naidu (TDP, Andhra Pradesh CM): Rs 931 crore

>> Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy (Former Andhra CM, YSRCP): Rs 757 crore

>> KH Puttaswamy Gowda (Independent MLA, Karnataka): Rs 1,267 crore

>> Priyakrishna (Congress MLA, Karnataka): Rs 1,156 crore

>> P. Narayana (TDP MLA, Andhra Pradesh): Rs 824 crore

>> V. Prashanthi Reddy (TDP MLA, Andhra Pradesh): Rs 716 crore

Four MLAs from Andhra Pradesh feature in the top 10 richest list and seven in the top 20, among which are IT Minister Nara Lokesh (Rs 542 crore) and Hindupur MLA N. Balakrishna (Rs 482 crore).

Source: ADR

The assets of India's 4,092 sitting MLAs stand at Rs 73,348 crore, which is higher than the combined annual budgets of Nagaland (Rs 23,086 crore), Tripura (Rs 26,892 crore), and Meghalaya (Rs 22,022 crore) for 2023-24. The BJP's 1,653 MLAs own a total of Rs 26,270 crore, which is higher than the combined annual budgets of Sikkim, Nagaland, and Meghalaya.