31% of Rajya Sabha MPs have criminal cases, 14% hold assets above Rs 100 crore: ADR

Millat Times Desk

03 November 2026 (Publish: 09:01 AM IST)

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Nearly one-third of Rajya Sabha members have declared criminal cases against themselves, while 14% have assets exceeding Rs 100 crore, according to a report released on Monday by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

The analysis of 230 MPs found that their combined declared wealth exceeds Rs 26,500 crore, with an average of Rs 115 crore per member.

Criminal cases

Of the 230 MPs examined, 72, or 31%, have declared criminal cases in their election affidavits. This includes 37 members, or 16%, facing serious criminal charges.

ADR classifies serious offences as those punishable by five years or more in prison, non-bailable offences, and cases involving losses to the public exchequer. The category also covers offences such as murder, assault, kidnapping, rape, crimes against women and corruption.

The study covers 230 members of the 245-seat Upper House. The Rajya Sabha currently has 241 members, but 11 MPs elected in October were not included in the analysis.

Among political parties, 31 of the BJP’s 111 MPs, or 28%, have declared criminal cases. The corresponding figure for the Congress is 12 of 29 members, or 41%.

Two of the nine Trinamool Congress MPs, or 22%, have declared criminal cases. The proportion stands at 40% for the Samajwadi Party and 25% for the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.

Three of the Telugu Desam Party’s four MPs have also declared criminal cases.

At the state level, Telangana has the highest proportion, with 71% of its Rajya Sabha MPs facing criminal cases. Delhi follows at 67%, Maharashtra at 53%, Andhra Pradesh at 45% and Bihar at 44%.

The affidavits also show that one MP has declared a murder case, while four have cases related to attempted murder. Four members have declared cases involving crimes against women.

Wealth of MPs

The ADR analysis found that 32 of the 230 MPs, or 14%, have declared assets exceeding Rs 100 crore.

Seven of the BJP’s 111 MPs, or 6%, fall into this category, compared with six of the Congress’s 29 members, or 21%.

Half of the YSR Congress Party and Telugu Desam Party MPs analysed have assets above Rs 100 crore. The proportion is 67% for the Bharat Rashtra Samithi.

Telangana again tops the state-wise list, with 57% of its Rajya Sabha MPs declaring assets above Rs 100 crore. Andhra Pradesh follows at 45%, Odisha at 30%, Punjab at 29% and Gujarat at 8%.

Overall, 45% of the MPs analysed have declared assets worth at least Rs 10 crore.

The findings come amid concerns over wealth concentration in India. The World Inequality Report 2026, released in December 2025, estimated that the richest 1% of Indians own 40% of the country’s wealth, while the top 10% hold around 65%.