As many as 65% of the newly elected legislators in the West Bengal Assembly have a record of declared criminal cases against themselves, highlighting a surge from previous elections, the report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) states.
The reports chronicled the affidavits of all 292 winning candidates in the 2026 Assembly polls and detected that 190 MLAs (65%) have declared criminal cases. In 2021, the data was 142 (49%). Out of the 190 MLAs, 170 legislators (58%) face serious criminal charges. In the previous assembly it was 113 (39%).
When reported about serious offenses, out of the total, 14 winning candidates have declared cases related to murder (IPC Section 302). 54 face charges of attempted murder. When looking at the case related to crimes against women. 63 winners. This includes crimes as serious as rape charges.
Meanwhile, the party-wise analysis shows that 152 of 206 winning candidates (74%) associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party have declared criminal cases and 34 out of 80 (43%) from the All India Trinamool Congress. Both the winning candidates from the Indian National Congress have no criminal cases against them. Similarity is seen for serious criminal cases, with 68% of BJP winners and 31% of Trinamool Congress winners with cases against them.
The Growing Wealth
The report further highlights the growing wealth among elected representatives. Out of the 292 winners, as many as 178 (61%) are crorepatis, showing an increase from 54% in 2021. The total declared assets of the winning candidates are recorded at Rs. 1091 crore. With average assets of Rs 3.73 crore per MLA. The TMC MLAs have average assets of Rs. 5.36 crore, and BJP legislators have Rs. 2.97 crore. And the two Congress MLAs reported the highest average assets of Rs. 17.92 crore.
The Educational Qualification
The educational qualification shows that 63% of the winning candidates are graduates or above, while 32% have studied between class 5 and class 12. The age profile shows that around 63% of MLAs fall in the 41-60 age group. In the meantime, 16% are between 24 and 40 years old, and 20% of the legislators are between 61 and 80. Three candidates are above the age of 80 years.
The report also shows that the women remain underrepresented, with only 37 out of 292 MLAs (13%).
