Number of crorepati MLAs almost 5-times in Assam compared to 2006

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Guwahati: Fifty-six per cent of the sitting MLAs in the Assam Legislative Assembly are crorepatis, a report from Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Assam Election Watch said on Monday.

Of the 119 sitting MLAs, 67 are crorepatis, i.e., with declared assets worth Rs 1 crore and above, the report said.

Comparatively in 2006, the Assembly only had 15 (12%) crorepati MLAs. It tripled in 2011 to reach 47 (37%). At present, however, the number of crorepati MLAs in the Assembly stands at 67, almost five times that in 2006.

The richest of them all, however, is Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) MLA Naren Sonowal from Naharkatia, with total declared assets worth Rs 33.94 crore. The poorest of all MLAs is AIUDF MLA Sahab Uddin Ahmed from Jaleswar constituency, with total declared assets worth Rs 1.81 lakh.

On an average, the assets per sitting MLA is Rs 2.47 crore, the report said.

In a party-wise breakup, 34 (58%) out of 59 MLAs from BJP, 11 (55%) out of 20 MLAs from Congress, 10 (77%) out of 13 MLAs from Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), 7 (58%) out of 12 MLAs from BPF and 5 (36%) out of 14 MLAs from AIUDF have declared assets valued more than Rs 1 crore.

ADR and Election watch analysed the financial details of 119 of the 126 MLAs based on the affidavit details as submitted by candidates prior to the 2016 Assembly elections and bye-elections conducted thereafter. In the present Assembly, 6 seats are vacant, and one MLA, Mansing Rongpi of BJP, was not analysed due to unclear affidavit available on the ECI website.

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