Maharashtra Election 2024: After the results of Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Maharashtra Election Watch conducted an in-depth analysis of the criminal record, financial status, education level and other information of the winning candidates. Both these organizations have studied the affidavits filed by 286 out of 288 winning candidates.
Out of 286 winning candidates, 187 i.e. 65% have given information about criminal cases registered against them. While when 285 MLAs were analyzed in the 2019 Maharashtra elections, at that time 176 i.e. 62% MLAs had declared criminal cases. In the 2024 elections, 118 i.e. 41% winning candidates have given information about serious criminal cases against themselves. In the 2019 assembly elections, this figure was 113 i.e. 40%.
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Serious criminal cases include serious charges such as murder, attempted murder, crimes against women and corruption. Such cases raise questions on public safety and democracy. The number of MLAs with criminal cases has increased in 2024 compared to 2019.
Maharashtra Elections 2024: Percentage of Winning Candidates with Criminal Cases by Party
| Party | Criminal Cases (%) | Serious Criminal Cases (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Samajwadi Party | 100% | 100% |
| BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) | 70% | 40% |
| Shiv Sena | 67% | 47% |
| Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) | 65% | 40% |
| NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) | 63% | 50% |
| Congress | 56% | 38% |
| NCP | 49% | 29% |
Source: ADR (Association for Democratic Reforms)
Murder case against 3 MLAs
Many candidates who won this year have been accused of serious crimes like murder. Three of these candidates have been directly accused of murder under Section 302 and Section 303 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). 11 winning candidates have been accused of attempt to murder under IPC Section 307. Not only this, some have also been accused of crimes against women. One of these candidates has also been accused of rape under IPC Section 376.
Which party’s winning candidates have the most criminal cases?
- BJP
- Total Winning Candidates: 132
- Criminal Cases Declared: 92 candidates (70%)
- BJP has the highest number of winning candidates with criminal cases among major parties.
- Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction)
- Total Winning Candidates: 57
- Criminal Cases Declared: 38 candidates (67%)
- Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray)
- Total Winning Candidates: 20
- Criminal Cases Declared: 13 candidates (65%)
- Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)
- Total Winning Candidates: 41
- Criminal Cases Declared: 20 candidates (49%)
- NCP (Sharad Pawar faction)
- Total Winning Candidates: 8
- Criminal Cases Declared: 5 candidates (63%)
- Indian National Congress (INC)
- Total Winning Candidates: 16
- Criminal Cases Declared: 9 candidates (56%)
- Samajwadi Party (SP)
- Total Winning Candidates: 2
- Criminal Cases Declared: Both candidates have criminal cases.
Candidates involved in serious criminal cases
Serious criminal cases are also registered against many of the winning candidates. 53 (41%) candidates of BJP have disclosed serious criminal cases in their affidavits. Apart from this, 27 (47%) candidates of Shiv Sena, 8 (40%) of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), 12 (29%) of NCP, 4 (50%) of NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar), 2 (100%) of Samajwadi Party winning candidates have serious criminal cases registered against them.
Maharashtra Elections: Criminal Cases Against Winning Candidates
| Assembly Election Year | Criminal Cases (% of Winning Candidates) | Serious Criminal Cases (% of Winning Candidates) |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 146 (51%) | 56 (10%) |
| 2014 | 165 (57%) | 115 (40%) |
| 2019 | 176 (62%) | 113 (40%) |
| 2024 | 187 (65%) | 118 (41%) |
Source: ADR
How many winning candidates are crorepatis?
This time 277 or 97% MLAs reaching the Maharashtra Assembly are crorepatis. This figure is even higher than the last assembly elections of 2019, when 264 (93%) out of 285 MLAs were crorepatis. Compared to 2019, the number of crorepati MLAs has increased by 4% in 2024. This clearly means that the dominance of rich people is increasing in politics.
If we look at the numbers in the party, the maximum number of 129 winning candidates of BJP are crorepatis. After this, 56 of Shiv Sena, 41 of NCP, 19 of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), 15 of Congress, 7 of NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) and 2 MLAs of SP are crorepatis. Now if we look at the percentage, 100% winning candidates of NCP, SP and Jan Surajya Shakti are crorepatis. 98%-98% of Shiv Sena and BJP are crorepatis.Â
In terms of property, 163 winning candidates have property worth Rs 10 crore and above, which is 56.99% of the total winners. After this, 63 winners have property worth Rs 5 crore to Rs 10 crore, which is 22.03% of the total winners. There are 51 winners whose property ranges from Rs 1 crore to Rs 5 crore. This is 17.83% of the total winners. The property of 8 winners is between Rs 20 lakh and Rs 1 crore. There is only 1 winner whose property is less than Rs 20 lakh.
On the other hand, the average assets of the winning candidates in Maharashtra is Rs 43.42 crore. This figure is much higher than the 2019 elections, when the average assets were Rs 22.42 crore. This means that the average assets have doubled in the last five years. This may be because election expenditure has increased in politics now.
Which party has the most wealth?
Winners of different parties in Maharashtra have different assets. The average assets of only two winners of Samajwadi Party is Rs 158.52 crore. This figure is the highest. Whereas the average assets of 132 winners of BJP is Rs 59.68 crore.Â
On the other hand, the average assets of all the winners of Shiv Sena is Rs 30.61 crore, NCP is Rs 22.32 crore, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) is Rs 10.43 crore, Congress is Rs 43.91 crore, NCP-Sharad Pawar faction is Rs 51.31 crore.
Maharashtra Elections 2024: Assets Owned by Winning Candidates
| Wealth (in ₹) | Number of Winning Candidates | Percentage (%) |
|---|---|---|
| ₹10 crore or more | 163 | 56.99% |
| ₹5 crore to ₹10 crore | 63 | 22.03% |
| ₹1 crore to ₹5 crore | 51 | 17.83% |
| ₹20 lakh to ₹1 crore | 8 | 2.80% |
| Less than ₹20 lakh | 1 | 0.35% |
Source: ADR
Big Names with the Most Assets
- Parag Shah (BJP, Ghatkopar East)
- Total Assets: ₹3,383 crore+
- Details: Includes movable and immovable assets, making him the wealthiest MLA.
- Prashant Thakur (BJP, Panvel)
- Total Assets: ₹475 crore+
- Total Assets: ₹475 crore+
- Mangal Prabhat Lodha (BJP, Malabar Hill)
- Total Assets: ₹447 crore+
Winners with Minimal Assets:
- Sajid Khan Pathan (Congress, Akola West)
- Total Assets: ₹9 lakh
- Details: No immovable property, showcasing victory through public support and electoral strength.
- Shyam Ramcharan Khode (BJP, Washim)
- Total Assets: ₹31 lakh
- Total Assets: ₹31 lakh
- Gopichand Kundlik Padalkar (BJP, Jat)
- Total Assets: ₹65 lakh
- Details: Immovable property constitutes a significant portion of his assets.
These are the candidates who have huge debts
Some winners not only have huge assets but also huge debts. BJP leader Mangal Prabhat Lodha is the winning candidate with the third highest assets in Maharashtra, but he also has huge debts. His total assets are more than Rs 447 crore, while he also has a debt of more than Rs 306 crore. Apart from this, there is also a disputed debt of Rs 2.5 crore.
The second biggest debt is on Shiv Sena leader Pratap Baburao Sarnaik, who won from Ovala Majiwada seat. He has assets worth more than Rs 333 crore, but his debt is Rs 199 crore. The good thing is that he does not have any disputed debt, but still the debt is very high. On the other hand, Congress leader Vishwajeet Patangrao Kadam has assets worth more than Rs 299 crore, but also has a debt of more than Rs 115 crore.
What is the age, how many women, what is the educational level?
According to the ADR report, many winning candidates have completed only up to 12th standard, while many have received higher education as well. 105 (37%) winning candidates have declared their education between 5th to 12th. 165 (58%) have declared their education as graduate or higher. 14 have claimed to have a diploma degree. 2 winning candidates have claimed to be only educated, which means they have received very little or no formal education.
The age of the winning candidates is also interesting. 24 (8%) are between 25 and 40 years of age. 187 (65%) are between 41 and 60 years of age and 75 (26%) are between 61 and 80 years of age. There is also a difference in the number of winning candidates on the basis of gender. Out of 286, only 22 i.e. 8% are women. This number was almost the same in the 2019 elections, where 24 (8%) out of 285 were women MLAs.
How many MLAs were re-elected in 2024?
In Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024, a total of 183 MLAs won the re-election and reached the assembly. The MLAs re-elected in 2019 had an average property worth Rs 27.28 crore. But in 2024, this figure has increased significantly to Rs 56.81 crore. That is, there has been a big jump in the property of these MLAs. Over time, their property has more than doubled. The property of the re-elected MLAs has increased by an average of Rs 29.52 crore from 2019 to 2024, which is an increase of about 108%.Â
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