82 out of 119 Telangana MLAs have criminal cases: ADR

Telangana: 82 winning candidates in the state have criminal cases against them.

Of the 119 MLAs analysed during Telangana Assembly elections, 51 winning MLA candidates from the Congress, 19 winning candidates from BRS, seven winning candidates from BJP, one candidate from CPI and four from All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul have criminal cases against them.

A recent survey by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) - analysing the criminal background, financial, and educational details of the winning MLA candidates shows that 50% have severe criminal cases against them.

Criminal cases:

Out of the 119 winning candidates analysed in 2023, 82 (69%) winning candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves, which is high compared to the 2018 election data of 73 (61%) MLAs with criminal cases against them.

59 winning candidates have declared severe criminal cases against themselves, 10% higher than the 2018 election data when 47 MLAs had severe criminal cases against them.

Only one candidate has declared a case related to murder (IPC Section 302).

Seven winning candidates have declared cases of attempt to murder (IPC Section-307).

2 winning candidates have declared cases related to crimes against women.

Party-wise, 31 out of 64 winning candidates from INC, 17 out of 39 winning candidates from BRS, 7 out of 8 winning candidates from BJP, one winner candidate from CPI, and 3 out of 7 All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul winning candidates have declared severe criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits.

Richest MLAs

Chennur Congress MLA Gaddam Vivekanand is the richest winning MLA in the state, with Rs 606 Crore+ assets. Following him is Mungode MLA Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy with Rs 458 Cr assets, and Palair MLA Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy with Rs 433 Cr assets. These three richest MLAs with the highest assets belong to the Congress party, and 60 MLAs (94%) out of 64 from Congress are crorepatis.

Of the 119 winning candidates, 114 (96%) are Crorepatis. The percentage is high compared to the 2018 election data, which shows 106 MLAs were crorepatis.

As per the data, 38 (97%) out of 39 from BRS, 8 (100%) out of 8 from BJP, one from CPI, and 7 out of 7 All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul winning candidates have declared assets worth more than Rs 1 crore.

Three MLAs have the lowest assets as per data. They include Vedma Bhojju from Khanpur with Rs 24 lakhs, Devarakoda MLA Balu Naik Nenavath with Rs 28 lakhs and Adinarayana Jare from Aswaraopeta with Rs 56 lakhs.

Sixty-one winning candidates have declared liabilities of Rs 1 crore. The top three among them are Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender with Rs 49 Cr, Palair MLA Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy with Rs 43 Cr, and Chennur MLA Gaddam Vivekanand with Rs 41 Crore.

Three winning candidates report the highest income as per their Income Tax Returns. They include:

Congress Mungode MLA Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy and his spouse have Rs 71 Crore from Business Income and rentals from Commercial Property (Rs 6 Cr is self-income).

Congress Chennur MLA Gaddam Vivekanand and his spouse have Rs 15 Crore from dividends, agriculture, and Interest (self-income is Rs 6 Cr).

BRS Sircilla MLA candidate Kalvakuntla Taraka Rama Rao and his spouse have Rs 12 Crore income from their salary as a Minister of agriculture (self-income is Rs 1 Cr).

Education:

A total of 40 winning candidates have declared their educational qualification to be between class 5-12, while 72 winning candidates have declared having an educational qualification of graduate and above.

Only five winning candidates are diploma holders, and two are literate.

23 winning candidates have declared their age to be between 25 and 50 years, while 96 winning candidates have declared their age to be between 51 and 80 years.

Out of 119 winning candidates analysed, ten winning candidates are women. The number of female candidates has increased compared to six MLA candidates in 2018.

Comparison of re-elected MLAs

As per the data, 32 MLAs are re-elected candidates in 2023. The average assets of re-elected MLAs in 2023 is Rs 24.21 crores, while it is Rs 14.20 crore in 2018.

The growth in average assets of re-elected MLAs is Rs 10.01 crores i.e. by 71%.