A new report reveals a concerning trend in the 2026 West Bengal elections, with a significant number of candidates facing criminal charges and substantial wealth declarations, raising questions about electoral integrity and candidate selection.
Nearly one in four candidates contesting the first phase of the 2026 West Bengal assembly elections have declared criminal cases against themselves, a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) said.
Out of 1,475 candidates analysed, 345 (23 per cent) have pending criminal cases, while 294 (20 per cent) face serious charges.
The report flagged that 19 candidates have declared cases related to murder and 105 candidates have cases of attempt to murder. Additionally, 98 candidates face charges related to crimes against women, including six accused in rape cases.
Among major parties, the highest proportion of candidates with criminal cases was found in the BJP, in which 106 out of 152 candidates (70 per cent) have declared such cases.
It was followed by the TMC with 63 candidates (43 per cent), CPI(M) with 43 candidates (44 per cent) and the Congress with 39 candidates (26 per cent).
A similar trend was observed in serious criminal cases, with 63 per cent of BJP candidates, 32 per cent of TMC, 37 per cent of CPI(M) and 22 per cent of Congress candidates facing grave charges.
The report also identified 66 constituencies -- about 43 per cent of those going to polls in phase I -- as "red alert constituencies", where three or more candidates have declared criminal cases.
Despite Supreme Court directions mandating political parties to justify the selection of candidates with criminal backgrounds, the ADR said parties continue to cite "unfounded" reasons such as popularity or claims of politically motivated cases.
"This data clearly shows that political parties have no interest in reforming the electoral system," the report said.
On the financial front, 309 candidates (21 per cent) are crorepatis, with the average assets per candidate pegged at Rs 1.34 crore. The TMC leads in average wealth, with candidates declaring assets worth Rs 5.70 crore on average, followed by the BJP (Rs 2.57 crore), the Congress (Rs 2.06 crore) and the CPI(M) (Rs 92.42 lakh).
The report underscored the role of wealth in candidate selection, noting that 72 per cent of the TMC candidates, 47 per cent of the BJP candidates, 33 per cent of the Congress candidates and 24 per cent of the CPI(M) candidates have assets exceeding Rs 1 crore.
Among the richest candidates, Jakir Hossain of the TMC tops the list with declared assets exceeding Rs 133 crore, followed by Goutam Mishra (over Rs 105 crore) and Kabi Dutta (over Rs 72 crore), both of the TMC.
The three poorest candidates have declared assets of less than Rs 1,000.
Rubiya Begam from Durgapur Purba of the Aam Janata Unnayan Party reported total assets of just Rs 500, followed by SUCI(C) candidates Sushrita Saren from Medinipur with Rs 700 and Jashoda Barman from Jalpaiguri with Rs 924.
All three have declared no immovable assets.
In terms of demographics, only 167 candidates (11 per cent) are women.
Nearly half of the candidates have educational qualifications between Classes 5 and 12, while 47 per cent are graduates or above. A majority -- 53 per cent -- fall in the 41-60 age group.