Overview
- ADR, in reports released Monday and Tuesday, examined 3,992 affidavits in Tamil Nadu and 1,445 for West Bengal’s second phase ahead of voting on April 23 and April 29.
- In Tamil Nadu, 18% of candidates disclosed criminal cases and 10% face serious charges, while 25% reported assets above Rs 1 crore and the average wealth rose to Rs 5.17 crore from 2021.
- AIADMK’s Leema Rose Martin declared assets of more than Rs 5,800 crore and actor-politician C. Joseph Vijay reported over Rs 640 crore, underscoring a sharp rise at the top end of wealth filings.
- Party-wise in Tamil Nadu, ADR found high shares with criminal cases including 69% in AIADMK, about 40% in DMK and TVK, 48% in BJP, and 50% in Congress.
- In West Bengal’s Phase II, 23% of candidates reported criminal cases and 20% face serious charges, 22% are crorepatis, and ADR flagged 63 of 142 seats as “red alert” constituencies where three or more candidates have criminal cases, part of 201 such seats across the two states.