Guwahati: Assam’s newly elected Assembly is wealthier, more educated, and has fewer legislators with criminal cases than the previous House, according to an analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Assam Election Watch.
The analysis of affidavits filed by all 126 winning candidates in the 2026 Assam Assembly elections reveals a legislature dominated by crorepatis and middle-aged male politicians, with women continuing to remain severely underrepresented.
ADR and Assam Election Watch prepared the report based on self-sworn affidavits submitted by candidates to the Election Commission during the Assembly polls.
The BJP emerged as the dominant force in the Assembly with 82 seats, followed by the Congress with 19 seats. The Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) won 10 seats each, while the AIUDF and Raijor Dal secured two seats each. The Trinamool Congress won one seat.
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One of the most striking features of the new Assembly is the sharp rise in wealthy legislators.
According to the report, 107 of the 126 MLAs — or 85 per cent — are crorepatis, a steep increase from 67 per cent in the 2021 Assembly. The average assets of winning candidates have nearly doubled in five years, rising from Rs 4.59 crore in 2021 to Rs 8.82 crore in 2026.
Altogether, the total declared assets of the new Assembly amount to Rs 1,112 crore.
AIUDF MLA Mohammed Badruddin Ajmal from Binnakandi emerged as the richest legislator in the Assembly, with declared assets worth over Rs 226 crore, followed by BPF’s Sewli Mohilary with assets worth Rs 63 crore and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma with assets worth Rs 35 crore.
At the other end of the spectrum, BJP MLA Milon Das from Hailakandi declared assets of just over Rs 20,000, making him the least wealthy MLA in the House.
The report also indicates a decline in the number of legislators with criminal backgrounds compared to the previous Assembly.
Out of the 126 MLAs, 21 legislators — or 17 per cent — declared criminal cases against themselves, down from 27 per cent in 2021. Nineteen MLAs face serious criminal charges.
Congress recorded the highest proportion of MLAs with criminal cases, with 47 per cent of its legislators facing such charges, while all BPF MLAs were found to have clean records.
The Assembly is also significantly educated on paper.
The ADR analysis found that 89 MLAs, or 71 per cent, possess graduate or higher qualifications, including six doctorate holders. Thirty-six MLAs have educational qualifications between Class 10 and Class 12, while one legislator is a diploma holder.
Age-wise, the Assembly remains dominated by experienced politicians. About 71 per cent of MLAs are between 41 and 60 years old, while only 11 legislators are below 40 years of age.
Despite repeated calls for greater representation, women continue to occupy only a marginal space in Assam politics.
The new Assembly has just seven women MLAs — only one more than the previous House — accounting for merely six per cent of the total strength.
The report further found that the average assets of re-elected MLAs increased by 88 per cent over the last five years, rising from Rs 4.25 crore in 2021 to Rs 8.02 crore in 2026.
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