Berth secured: Wealthy candidates get to be ministers after state elections

A minister in Assam, Kerala and West Bengal is richer than a legislator of ruling alliance; Tamil Nadu bucks trend but has more minsters charged with crimes.

Political parties tend to select wealthy electoral candidates as ministers for state cabinets, ‘Business Standard' has found by analysing data that first showed the average assets of MLAs had nearly doubled in states that voted this year.

An analysis of data from Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) about Cabinets in Assam, Kerala and West Bengal found a minister was on average wealthier than a winning MLA in terms of assets declared in affidavits given to the Election Commission. Tamil Nadu held elections this year but it bucked the trend.

In Assam, the average assets of a ruling alliance MLA was Rs 3.83 crore (BJP, along with its allies, returned to the power in the state for a second term). The average assets of a Cabinet minister was Rs 4.78 crore, 25% higher than a legislator.

In West Bengal, the average wealth of a minister was 44 per cent higher than the average assets of a winning party MLA (Trinamool Congress).

In Kerala, the average wealth of a minister (at Rs 2.55 crore) was 69 per cent higher than the average assets of a ruling CPI-M MLA (Rs 1.51 crore). 

In Tamil Nadu, the average wealth of ministers at Rs 11.71 crore was 10 per cent lower than the average wealth of a ruling DMK MLA (Rs 12.96 crore). 

However, Tamil Nadu’s Cabinet had more ministers facing criminal charges.

As many as 77 per cent of ruling DMK electoral candidates had a criminal charge against them, and 31 per cent had a serious criminal charge. At least 88 per cent of Tamil Nadu ministers had criminal charges against them, and 50 per cent face serious criminal charges. Serious charges include crimes of murder, attempt to murder, or crimes against women. 

In Assam and West Bengal, the proportion of Cabinet ministers with serious criminal charges and criminal charges was higher. One-fourth of Cabinet ministers in West Bengal face serious criminal charges: a proportion that has increased by 16 per cent since 2016 when elections were held last. 

Tamil Nadu had 28 per cent of its ministers facing criminal charges in 2016; this year nearly the entire Cabinet faces criminal charges. The number of ministers facing serious criminal charges has shot up from to 50 per cent in 2021 from 14 per cent in 2016.

Ministers in the four states have become 1.9 times wealthier since 2016. Kerala’s Cabinet is three times richer since 2016. That is is important to note about Kerala, for only chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and forest minister A K Saseendran retained their berths and rest of the Cabinet comprises new ministers.

Saseendran reported in his election affidavit that his wealth had increased 43% jump since 2016 to Rs 2.1 crore. Vijayan’s wealth increased 10.8% to Rs 1.2 crore.

In West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reported that her wealth had diminished by 45% to Rs 16.7 lakh from 2016. As per her affidavit, she has no immovable assets to her name.