Telangana CM Revanth Reddy faces 89 criminal cases highest among Indian CMs

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is the richest among India’s 31 current Chief Ministers with assets worth over Rs 931 crore according to a report released on Monday. Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on the other hand, has the highest number of declared criminal cases totaling 89 including 72 serious charges. The report, prepared by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW) analysed the self-sworn affidavits of all Chief Ministers based on their declarations prior to their most recent elections. The total assets of these 31 Chief Ministers amount to Rs 1,630 crore with an average of Rs 52.59 crore per Chief Minister. In comparison India’s per capita net national income for 2023-2024 was Rs 1,85,854, making the average self-income of a Chief Minister roughly 7.3 times the national average. Naidu with assets of Rs 931 crore is followed by Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu whose assets exceed Rs 332 crore and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah who has assets over Rs 51 crore. However Khandu also holds the highest liabilities at Rs 180 crore while Siddaramaiah’s liabilities stand at Rs 23 crore. Naidu’s liabilities are Rs 10 crore.

On the other end of the spectrum Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal is the poorest Chief Minister with assets of only Rs 15 lakh. Jammu and Kashmir's Omar Abdullah follows with assets worth Rs 55 lakh while Kerala’s Pinarayi Vijayan has assets of Rs 1.18 crore. The report also highlights the criminal records of the Chief Ministers. Thirteen have declared criminal cases with ten facing serious charges, including murder attempts kidnapping, bribery and intimidation. Revanth Reddy leads with 89 cases of which 72 are serious. Tamil Nadu’s M. K. Stalin follows with 47 cases including 11 serious charges. Naidu has 19 criminal cases against him. Regarding gender representation only two of the 31 Chief Ministers are women: Mamata Banerjee and Delhi's Atishi. In terms of age 12 Chief Ministers are between 51 and 60 years old seven are aged between 41 and 50 and six are aged 71-80. One Chief Minister is between 31 and 40 years old. In terms of education ten Chief Ministers are graduates nine hold post-graduate degrees one has completed Class 10 and three are Class 12 pass-outs. This analysis sheds light on the diverse profiles of India’s state leaders highlighting both their wealth and legal challenges while also reflecting on the educational and demographic diversity of the nation’s governance.