80 out of 81 MLAs of Jharkhand are crorepatis, know who has the most assets

Jharkhand Politics: The results of Jharkhand Assembly Elections 2024 have revealed interesting statistics about the financial status of MLAs in the state. According to an analysis done by 'The Jharkhand Election Watch' and 'Association for Democratic Reforms' (ADR), 71 MLAs out of 81 winning candidates are crorepatis. This number is 20% higher than in 2019, when 56 MLAs reported being crorepatis.

Richest MLA: Rameshwar Oraon

Senior Congress leader and MLA from Lohardaga Rameshwar Oraon, with assets worth Rs 42.20 crore, has emerged as the richest MLA in Jharkhand. BJP's Kushwaha Shashi Bhushan Mehta (Rs 32.15 crore) and RJD's Sanjay Prasad Yadav (Rs 29.59 crore) are in second and third place respectively.

Big jump in average assets of MLAs

The average assets of MLAs elected in 2024 stood at Rs 6.90 crore, up from Rs 3.87 crore in 2019. This represents an increase of nearly 78% in assets.

Crorepati MLAs of parties

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM): 28 MLAs.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP): 20 MLAs.

Congress: 14 MLAs.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD): 4 MLAs.

CPI (ML) Liberation: 2 MLAs.

LJP (Ram Vilas), JD(U), and AJSU Party: 1 MLA each.

Poorest MLA: Jairam Kumar Mahto

Jharkhand Loktantrik Kranti Morcha (JLKM) MLA from Dumri, Jairam Kumar Mahto, has assets worth only Rs 2.55 lakh. This establishes him as the poorest MLA in the state.

Liabilities and asset growth figures

14 victorious MLAs have declared liabilities of more than Rs 1 crore.

The average assets of the 42 re-elected MLAs have increased by Rs 2.71 crore in the last five years.

Educational Qualification and Women Representation

28 MLAs have declared their educational qualification between 8th and 12th standard.

50 MLAs have obtained a graduation degree or above.

12 women became MLAs this time, which is a positive progress as compared to 10 women MLAs in 2019.

Political Scenario

In the 2024 elections, JMM won 34 seats, while Congress won 16, RJD 4 and CPI (ML) Liberation won 2 seats. On the other hand, BJP won 21 seats and its allies—LJP (Ram Vilas), JD (U), and AJSU Party—won 1 seat each.

What do these figures say?

The increase in the assets of MLAs in Jharkhand raises many questions. Is this a sign of economic inequality in the state, or evidence of the increasing influence of money in politics? While the number of crorepati MLAs is increasing, it is natural to question their responsibilities towards the poor people.

This trend has become a topic of intense debate in Jharkhand’s political and economic landscape, highlighting the need for balance between public expectations and the responsibilities of legislators.