Eighty-nine per cent of the newly elected Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) in Jharkhand are 'crorepatis', according to a report released on Monday. Rameshwar Oraon of the Congress has been identified as the richest legislator, with total assets worth Rs 42.20 crore.
The report, compiled by Jharkhand Election Watch and the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), analysed the affidavits of 80 out of 81 winning candidates. It revealed that 71 of the newly elected MLAs in 2024 are 'crorepatis', a 20 per cent increase from the 56 such legislators elected in 2019. In 2014, only 41 MLAs had declared assets exceeding Rs 1 crore.
Among the 71 'crorepati' MLAs this year, 28 belong to the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), 20 to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), 14 to the Congress, four to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), two to the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation (CPI(ML) Liberation), and one each to the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP, Ram Vilas), Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)), and All Jharkhand Students Union Party (AJSU Party).
The JMM won 34 seats, Congress secured 16, RJD won four, and CPI(ML) Liberation claimed two constituencies. The BJP won 21 seats, with its allies—LJP (Ram Vilas), JD(U), and AJSU Party—securing one seat each.
The average asset value for all winning candidates in the 2024 Jharkhand Assembly elections is Rs 6.90 crore, a significant increase from the average of Rs 3.87 crore in 2019.
Among the wealthiest winning candidates, Congress MLA Rameshwar Oraon of Lohardaga leads with Rs 42.20 crore, followed by BJP’s Kushwaha Shashi Bhushan Mehta, who won from Panki, with assets totalling Rs 32.15 crore. RJD's Sanjay Prasad Yadav, victorious in Godda, ranks third with assets worth Rs 29.59 crore.
The legislator with the lowest assets is Jairam Kumar Mahato of the Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM), who secured the Dumri seat with assets valued at around Rs 2.55 lakh.
The report also found that 14 of the winning candidates have declared liabilities exceeding Rs 1 crore. Of the 42 re-elected MLAs, the average asset growth over the last five years is Rs 2.71 crore.
Regarding educational qualifications, 28 winning candidates are between Class 8 and 12 pass, 50 have a graduate degree or higher, while one is a diploma holder and another is self-reported as 'just literate'. Also, the number of women candidates in the state assembly has increased from 10 to 12.
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