Karnataka Congress lawmaker DK Shivakumar has declared assets of Rs 840 crore
At least 215 of the 221 newly elected lawmakers in Karnataka --- a whopping 97 per cent --- are crorepatis, says a report by Karnataka Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), an advocacy and research group.
The average assets per lawmaker in the state stands at nearly Rs 35 crores, that's Rs 11 crores more than that of legislators who were elected in the last assembly polls in 2013.
Half the lawmakers elected this time own assets worth more than Rs 10 crore, said the report that analysed the election affidavits filed by the candidates.
Congress tops the list of wealthy lawmakers, with 99 per cent of its elected legislators being crorepatis. The average assets per lawmaker stands at over Rs 60 crores.
BJP is a notch below, with 98 per cent crorepati lawmakers. The average assets per legislator is way below that of the Congress, at over Rs 17 crores.
JD(S) comes third on the list, with 95 per cent of the party's lawmakers having declared assets worth crores. The average assets per JD(S) lawmakers is higher than that of the BJP, at nearly Rs 24 crores.
According to the report, seven of the top 10 wealthy lawmakers are from the Congress.
Topping the list is N Nagaraju who won the Hosakote seat. His total declared assets stand at Rs 1,015 crores. DK Shivakumar, a minister in the Congress government, comes next, with assets worth Rs 840 crore. Suresh BS who has won the Hebbal seat is third on the list, having assets worth Rs 416 crore.
And it's not just about money. Of the 221 lawmakers whose affidavits were analysed by ADR, 35 per cent face criminal cases.
While 41 per cent of BJP lawmakers have declared criminal cases, for the Congress and the JD(S) that figure stands at 30 per cent, according to the report.