Several chief ministers across India have declared assets worth hundreds of crores, but the latest analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) offers a broader picture of the financial profiles of the country's state leaders. The report compares the declared wealth of all 31 chief ministers and highlights the significant gap between the highest and the lowest asset holders.
Along with their declared assets, the report also examines how many chief ministers are billionaires or crorepatis, the average wealth among them, and the number of sitting CMs who have declared criminal cases in their election affidavits.
How much wealth do India's 31 chief ministers have?
According to ADR, the combined declared assets of the country's 31 chief ministers stand at Rs 3,660 crore.
The report states that four chief ministers are billionaires, while 25 are crorepatis.
ADR is a non-governmental organisation that works on electoral and political reforms.
Omar Abdullah has the lowest declared assets among CMs
The findings are based on an analysis of self-declared election affidavits by ADR and National Election Watch.
The study, which examined affidavits submitted by chief ministers from 31 states and Union Territories, found that Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has the lowest declared assets at Rs 55.24 lakh.
West Bengal Chief Minister Shubhendu Adhikari has the second-lowest declared assets among the country's chief ministers at Rs 85.87 lakh. His affidavit includes Rs 24.57 lakh in movable assets and Rs 61.30 lakh in immovable assets.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma has the third-lowest declared assets, with more than Rs 1.03 crore.
Who is India's richest chief minister?
At the other end of the spectrum is Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who has declared assets worth more than Rs 1,413 crore, making him the richest chief minister in the country.
He is followed by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, with declared assets of Rs 931 crore.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay has the third-highest declared assets, worth Rs 648 crore.
Four chief ministers have assets worth over Rs 1 billion
The ADR analysis found that four out of 31 chief ministers, or around 13 per cent, have declared assets worth more than Rs 1 billion.
The report also states that the average declared assets of the 31 chief ministers stand at Rs 118.07 crore.
14 chief ministers have declared criminal cases
The report also examined the criminal background of chief ministers.
According to ADR, 14 of the 31 chief ministers have declared criminal cases against themselves, while 11 chief ministers have disclosed serious criminal cases.
(With inputs from PTI)
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