Mumbai: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has been named the richest chief minister in India, with assets valued at over Rs 931 crore, according to the latest report from the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) released on Monday. In contrast, West Bengal’s Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is the poorest, with assets amounting to just Rs 15 lakh.
The ADR report highlights the stark contrast in the financial status of India’s chief ministers, revealing that the average asset value of a chief minister across the country stands at Rs 52.59 crore. For context, the average self-income of a chief minister is Rs 13,64,310, significantly higher than India’s per capita net national income (NNI) of Rs 1,85,854 for 2023-2024, with the income of a chief minister being approximately 7.3 times the national average.
According to the report, the combined assets of 31 chief ministers total Rs 1,630 crore. Notable figures on the list include Arunachal Pradesh’s Pema Khandu, who is the second richest with assets worth over Rs 332 crore, and Karnataka’s Siddaramaiah, who ranks third with assets totaling more than Rs 51 crore.
However, Khandu also leads the list in liabilities, with debts amounting to Rs 180 crore. Siddaramaiah’s liabilities stand at Rs 23 crore, while Naidu carries liabilities exceeding Rs 10 crore.
The report also revealed concerning statistics about the criminal backgrounds of some of India’s chief ministers. It noted that 13 chief ministers (42 percent) have declared criminal cases against themselves, and 10 (32 percent) have disclosed serious charges, including attempted murder, kidnapping, bribery, and criminal intimidation.
Regarding gender representation, the report pointed out that only two of India’s 31 chief ministers are women: Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal and Atishi of Delhi.
