Written by Avantika Basu
An analysis of candidates contesting in the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections 2026 shows that 23 per cent have declared criminal cases against themselves and 21 per cent are crorepatis, according to a report by NGO Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and West Bengal Election Watch.
The report is based on the self-sworn affidavits of 1,475 out of 1,478 candidates contesting across 152 constituencies going to polls in the state in the first phase on April 23.
Out of the 1,475 candidates analysed, 345 (23 per cent) have declared criminal cases, while 294 (20 per cent) have declared serious criminal cases. The report further states that 19 candidates have declared cases related to murder, and 105 have declared cases related to attempt to murder. Additionally, 98 candidates have declared cases related to crimes against women, including six who have declared cases related to rape.
The report also provides a party-wise breakdown of candidates with criminal cases. Among major parties, 106 of the 152 (70 per cent) BJP candidates analysed, 63 of 148 (43 per cent) Trinamool Congress candidates, 43 out of 98 (44 per cent) CPI(M) candidates, and 39 of the 151 (26 per cent) Congress candidates have declared criminal cases in their affidavits.
In terms of financial background, the report states that 309 (21 per cent) of the candidates are crorepatis. The average assets per candidate contesting in Phase 1 stands at Rs 1.34 crore.
The distribution of assets shows that 35 candidates (2.4 per cent) have declared assets of Rs 10 crore and above, while 46 candidates (3.1 per cent) have assets between Rs 5 crore and Rs 10 crore. A total of 228 candidates (15.5 per cent) have assets between Rs 1 crore and Rs 5 crore, and 448 candidates (30.4 per cent) have assets between Rs 20 lakh and Rs 1 crore. The largest share, 718 candidates (48.7 per cent) have declared assets below Rs 20 lakh.
The report also includes party-wise data on the crorepati candidates. Among major parties, 106 (72 per cent) out of 148 TMC candidates analysed, 71 (47 per cent) out of 152 BJP candidates, 50 (33 per cent) out of 151 Congress candidates, and 24 (24 per cent) out of 98 CPI(M) candidates have declared assets worth more than Rs 1 crore.
The analysis identifies 66 constituencies or 43 per cent of the total 152 constituencies as ‘red alert constituencies’—where three or more candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves.
Among individual candidates, the report lists Jakir Hossain from Jangipur constituency as having the highest declared assets at Rs 133.52 crore, followed by Gautam Mishra (Shyam) from Barjora at Rs 105.75 crore, and Kabi Dutta from Durgapur Pashchim with Rs 72.74 crore. The report also identifies candidates with minimum declared assets, including Rs 500, Rs 700 and Rs 924, respectively.
The report also notes that 539 (37 per cent) candidates have declared liabilities in their affidavits. Among them, the candidate with the highest declared liabilities has liabilities exceeding Rs 25 crore.
In terms of educational qualifications, 707 (48 per cent) candidates have declared their education levels to be between Class 5 and 12, while 698 (47 per cent) candidates have declared themselves to be graduates or above. The report also notes that 26 candidates are diploma holders, 29 candidates are literate, and 14 candidates are illiterate.
Age-wise, 450 (31 per cent) candidates are between 25 and 40 years old, while 781 (53 per cent) fall in the 41 to 60 age group. A total of 242 (16 per cent) candidates are between 61 and 80 years of age, and two candidates have declared their age to be above 80 years.
In terms of gender representation, 167 (11 per cent) of the candidates contesting in Phase 1 are women.
Avantika Basu is an intern with The Indian Express.