New Delhi, Mar 19: A fresh report by the Association for Democratic Reforms has raised serious questions about the criminal background and extraordinary wealth of a substantial number of sitting Rajya Sabha members, revealing that nearly one in every three MPs in the Upper House has declared criminal cases against himself or herself, while a notable section belongs to the billionaire club.
The ADR report, based on an analysis of affidavits filed by 229 out of 233 sitting Rajya Sabha members, presents a revealing picture of the composition of India’s Upper House. One seat from Jharkhand is presently vacant, while affidavits of three members were not available for scrutiny. The report also includes details of 37 newly elected MPs, making it a significant snapshot of the present character of the Rajya Sabha.
According to the findings, 73 out of the 229 MPs analysed, accounting for nearly 32 per cent, have declared criminal cases in their affidavits. Even more concerning is the fact that 36 MPs, or 16 per cent, have disclosed serious criminal cases. These include one MP facing a murder charge, four with cases related to attempt to murder, and three with cases linked to crimes against women. The figures have once again brought the issue of criminalisation of politics into sharp focus and triggered debate over the quality of representation in one of the country’s highest legislative institutions.
The party-wise data also throws up striking details. Among the 99 BJP MPs analysed, 27 have declared criminal cases. The Congress has 12 such MPs out of 28, while four each from the Trinamool Congress and Aam Aadmi Party have disclosed criminal cases. The report also notes that three MPs each from CPI(M) and Bharat Rashtra Samithi have declared criminal cases. These numbers indicate that the problem is not confined to any one political formation, but cuts across party lines, reflecting a broader structural concern in Indian politics.
The wealth profile of Rajya Sabha MPs is equally striking. The report states that 31 members, nearly 14 per cent of those analysed, have declared assets worth more than Rs 100 crore, placing them in the billionaire category. The average assets of a Rajya Sabha MP stand at a staggering Rs 120.69 crore, underlining the widening distance between ordinary citizens and those occupying legislative office.
Among major parties, the average declared assets vary sharply. BJP MPs have average assets of Rs 28.29 crore, while Congress MPs average Rs 128.61 crore. For TMC, the figure stands at Rs 17.70 crore, while AAP MPs show an average of an astonishing Rs 574.09 crore. Other parties also feature heavily, with YSRCP MPs averaging Rs 522.63 crore, Samajwadi Party MPs Rs 399.71 crore, BJD MPs Rs 105.63 crore, and DMK MPs Rs 11.90 crore.
At the top of the wealth pyramid is BRS MP Bandi Partha Saradhi, who has declared assets exceeding Rs 5,300 crore. He is followed by AAP’s Rajinder Gupta with assets of more than Rs 5,053 crore and YSRCP’s Alla Ayodhya Rami Reddy with over Rs 2,577 crore. At the other end of the spectrum is AAP MP Sant Balbir Singh, whose declared assets stand at around Rs 3 lakh. He is followed by Maharaja Sanajaoba Leishemba of Manipur with nearly Rs 5 lakh and TMC’s Prakash Chik Baraik with about Rs 9 lakh.
The ADR report has once again highlighted two persistent features of Indian electoral politics, the continued presence of criminal cases among lawmakers and the growing concentration of wealth in legislative bodies.