A recent report highlights that 89% of the newly elected Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) in Jharkhand are crorepatis, with Congress leader Rameshwar Oraon leading as the wealthiest among them, holding assets valued at Rs.42.20 crore.

The analysis was conducted by the Jharkhand Election Watch and the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). They reviewed the affidavits of 80 out of the 81 successful candidates in the 2024 assembly elections. Findings revealed that 71 of the newly elected MLAs are crorepatis, a 20% increase compared to the 2019 election when 56 MLAs fell into this category. In the 2014 elections, only 41 MLAs were crorepatis.

Among the 71 wealthy MLAs, 28 are from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), 20 from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), 14 from the Congress, four from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), two from the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, and one each from the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Janata Dal (United), and AJSU Party.

In the recent elections, JMM secured 34 seats, while its allies Congress, RJD, and CPI(ML) Liberation captured 16, four, and two seats respectively. The BJP won 21 seats, with its allies LJP (Ram Vilas), JD(U), and AJSU Party winning one seat each.

The average asset value per winning candidate in the 2024 elections was Rs.6.90 crore, a significant rise from Rs.3.87 crore in 2019.

Among the winners, Rameshwar Oraon from Congress, who represents the Lohardaga constituency, was the wealthiest with assets totaling Rs.42.20 crore. He was followed by BJP’s Kushwaha Shashi Bhushan Mehta, who won the Panki seat, with assets valued at Rs.32.15 crore. RJD’s Sanjay Prasad Yadav, elected from Godda, ranked third with assets worth Rs.29.59 crore.

On the opposite end, the candidate with the lowest declared assets was Jairam Kumar Mahato of the Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM), who won the Dumri seat, with assets of approximately Rs.2.55 lakh.

In addition, 14 of the winning candidates reported liabilities exceeding Rs.1 crore. In total, 42 MLAs were re-elected in this cycle, with an average asset growth of Rs.2.71 crore over the past five years.

In terms of educational background, 28 of the elected MLAs have qualifications ranging from Class 8 to 12, while 50 hold degrees at the graduate level or higher. One winner possesses a diploma, and another declared himself literate. The number of female legislators in the Jharkhand Assembly rose to 12 from 10 in the previous term.

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