Know India's wealthiest CMs. CMs in Himalayan states are not far behind, reveals ADR Report released to media .Karnataka CM richest in India. HP CM is not far behind
Shimla: The ADR (Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW) have revealed their report that has created a stir in the corridor of power in 31 states and UTs across the nation.
In their analysis of the affidavits of all 31 sitting Chief Ministers across 28 states and three Union Territories, ADR and NEW report found that the combined assets of the Chief Ministers stood at ₹3,660 crore, with an average wealth of ₹118.07 crore per Chief Minister.
According to the report, 14 Chief Ministers (45%) have declared criminal cases, while 11 (35%) face serious criminal charges, including cases related to attempt to murder, bribery and criminal intimidation. Four Chief Ministers are billionaires, while two have assets of less than ₹1 crore.
The richest Chief Minister in the country is Karnataka's D.K. Shivakumar with declared assets worth ₹1,413.80 crore, followed by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu (₹931.83 crore), Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay (₹648.85 crore) and Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu (₹332.56 crore).
Among the least wealthy Chief Ministers are Jammu and Kashmir's Omar Abdullah with assets of ₹55.24 lakh, West Bengal's Suvendu Adhikari with ₹85.87 lakh, and Rajasthan's Bhajan Lal Sharma with ₹1.46 crore.
The report places Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu in the middle of the pack with declared assets of ₹7.81 crore, liabilities of ₹22.42 lakh, and a self-declared annual income of ₹17.22 lakh. His affidavit lists his profession as pensioner, private contractor, self-employed and party leader, while his educational qualification is postgraduate.
ADR further noted that 11 Chief Ministers have liabilities exceeding ₹1 crore, with D.K. Shivakumar topping the list at ₹265 crore, followed by Pema Khandu (₹180 crore) and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma (₹16.86 crore).
The report also paints a picture of India's political leadership dominated by men, with only one woman Chief Minister among the 31. Most Chief Ministers are in the 51-60 years age group, while nine are postgraduates and three hold doctoral degrees.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu dismissed the latest Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) report on the assets of Chief Ministers as "politically motivated".
The Chief Minister, who figured among the wealthier state leaders in the report, said he had nothing to hide and welcomed any investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) or any other agency.
Sukhu, however, maintained that the disclosures in his election affidavit were already in the public domain and said he had no objection to any scrutiny by central investigative agencies, asserting that the report was being used to create a misleading political narrative.
