428 crorepati MLAs in 5 states that went to polls: ADR

A day after Assembly poll results of five states for 822 seats announced, it has come to light that a number of crorepati lawmakers are on the rise in the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam, West Bengal and Puducherry. 

According to the findings of a survey conducted by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), there are 428 MLAs, which is nearly half of all the winners, are crorepatis in all five states.

“Puducherry has the maximum 83 per cent of crorepati MLAs, followed by Tamil Nadu (76 per cent) and Assam (57 per cent).  However, only 34 per cent of elected MLAs in West Bengal are crorepatis, while this percentage for Kerala is 44 per cent,” the report said.

The survey included analysis of poll affidavits filed by as many as 812 elected MLAs, ADR said, while adding that the affidavits for some others could not be taken into account as they were ‘badly scanned’.

In 2011, Assam had 39 per cent crorepati MLAs, while Kerala had 25 per cent, Puducherry (63 per cent), Tamil Nadu (51 per cent) and West Bengal (15 per cent).

In Puducherry, 30 MLAs were analysed of which 25 are crorepatis, while in Tamil Nadu 223 MLAs were analysed, with 170 emerging as crorepatis this year. Assam has 72 crorepatis, out of 126 MLAs analysed, Kerala has 61 crorepatis of 140 MLAs analysed and West Bengal has 100 crorepatis of 293 analysed, the survey by ADR added.

In Assam, Naren Sonowal of Asom Gana Parishad has total assets of over Rs 33.94 crore, while in Kerala Thomas Chandy of NCP has total assets of more than Rs 92.37 crore.

In Puducherry, Ashok Anand of All India N.R. Congress (AINRC) has total assets of over Rs 124 crore and in West Bengal Samir Chakraborty of All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) has Rs 40.59 crore of total assets.

In Tamil Nadu, Vasanthakumar H of Congress has Rs 337 crore of total assets and Jayalalithaa has Rs 113 crore in total assets, the survey added.