It pays to be an MLA in Karnataka

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 16

Amid allegations of horse-trading and offers as big as Rs 100 crore to legislators to switch sides in Karnataka, election watchdog ADR has come up with an interesting analysis of assets and background check of winning candidates.

As per Karnataka Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms, who analysed self-sworn affidavits of 221 out of 222 newly elected MLAs in the May 12 Karnataka polls on education, criminal records and assets, average assets of MLAs rose from Rs 10.05 crore in 2008 to Rs 34.59 crore in 2018.

Assets of 94 re-elected MLAs (2013 to 2018) increased by 90 per cent.

Clearly, politics is a profitable profession.

ADR says average assets of re-elected MLAs in 2013 were Rs 28.07 crores and in 2018 Rs 53.40 crores.

Barring a couple (who also have assets worth lakhs), 215 of the 221 newly elected MLAs (97 per cent) are crorepatis.

Of the 218 MLAs analysed during 2013 elections, 203 (93 per cent were crorepatis.

Top three are all from the Congress—N Nagaraju from Hosakote constituency (Rs 1015 crore plus) DK Shivakumar from Kanakapura (Rs 840 crore plus) and Suresh BS from Hebbal (Rs 416 crore plus).

The ones with lowest assets are SA Ramadas from Krishnaraja (BJP, Rs 39 lakh plus), AS Ravindra from Shrirangapattana (JD(S), Rs 68 lakh plus) and N Mahesh from Kollegal (BSP, Rs 75 lakh plus)

As many as 80 MLAs (36%) declared their educational qualification as between Class V and Class XII, 135 (61%) graduate or above. There is one who is also literate.

Of the 221 MLAs analysed, 77(35%) MLAs had declared criminal cases against themselves. This number had also increased from 2013.

As many as 54(24%) legislators have serious criminal cases, including related to attempt to murder and kidnapping, against them.

Four MLAs have cases related to attempt to murder (IPC Section 307) and six to hate speech—promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence and language against them.