Assets of re-contesting Telangana MLAs rose by 65% since 2018: ADR report

The 90 re-contesting MPs from the BRS had the greatest average increase in asset value among the major political parties in the election, at 68.56%

The assets of 103 MLAs contesting again in the assembly elections in Telangana increased by an average of 65% between 2018 and 2023, according to a report released by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and the Telangana Election Watch on Sunday.

(Representative Photo)

“Of the 103 re-contesting MLAs, assets of 90 MLAs (87%) have increased ranging from 3% to 1331% and assets of 13 MLAs (13%) have decreased ranging from 1% to 79%,” the report stated.

The average assets of these MPs during the 2018 assembly elections was Rs.14.44 crore, which jumped to Rs.23.87 crore in 2023, said the report.

The 90 re-contesting MPs from the BRS had the greatest average increase in asset value among the major political parties in the election, at 68.56%. According to the report, the wealth of Pailla Shekar Reddy of the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), rose from Rs.91.04 crore in 2018 to Rs.227.51 crores in 2023– an increase of ₹136.47 crore or 150%.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had the lowest increase, at an average of 9.5%. All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen MLAs’ assets increased by nearly 59%, and the Congress’s by 55.12%, according to the ADR report.

The Telangana polls is scheduled for November 30 to elect all 119 members of the state’s legislative assembly. Opinion polls suggest that the election will be a close contest between the incumbent BRS and the Congress, though the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which is gaining influence in the state, is likely to receive a significantly larger share of the vote than in previous years.