Chandrababu Naidu Is India’s Richest CM With ₹931 Crore, Third Highest in Criminal Cases

With declared assets worth over Rs 931 crore, TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu has retained his position as the wealthiest Chief Minister in the country, according to the latest report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

The report also highlighted that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee continues to be the poorest among all State heads, with declared assets of just over Rs 15 lakh.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu follows Naidu with assets valued at Rs 332 crore. These two remain the only billionaires among the 31 Chief Ministers.

The combined wealth of all 31 Chief Ministers is estimated at around Rs 1,630 crore, as per ADR’s findings.

It has also emerged that Mamata Banerjee’s declared assets have declined over the years. As per her income tax returns in 2020-21, her wealth stood at Rs 15.4 lakh, compared to Rs 30.4 lakh declared during the 2016 Assembly polls.

ADR’s report further revealed that 40% of the country’s Chief Ministers have declared criminal cases against themselves.

A total of 12 Chief Ministers face criminal charges, with Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy leading with 89 cases. He is followed by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin with 47 and Chandrababu Naidu with 19.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has declared 13 cases, while Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren has five.

Maharashtra and Himachal Pradesh Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Sukhvinder Singh have four each, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has two, while Punjab CM has declared one case.

These revelations come as the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre has proposed three bills in Parliament, seeking the automatic removal of the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, and Ministers arrested for 30 days on serious criminal charges.

It is notable that 10 Chief Ministers face serious criminal cases, including charges of attempt to murder, kidnapping, bribery, and criminal intimidation.