Copyright thehindubusinessline
Wealth declared by candidates contesting the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections reflects the wide disparity in the state. While the richest among them are very wealthy, 60 per cent have declared wealth of less than ₹1 crore. A few of the richer candidates, however, account for most of the wealth declared by the candidates. Only 8 per cent of the candidates have an income of more than ₹10 crore, but five of the richest candidates have collectively declared assets of ₹1,025 crore. At the other end of the spectrum, one-third have a wealth of less than ₹20 lakh. Lowest declarations Mojahid Alam of SUCI(C) and Shatrudhan Varma of Peoples Party of India (Democratic) declared the lowest assets. Both reported only ₹1,000 in cash and no immovable assets. Suresh Rajvanshi of Moolniwasi Samaj Party declared a bank deposit of ₹1,100, while independents Pankaj Kumar Ram and Rajmangal Prasad reported total assets of ₹2,000 each, held either in cash or in bank deposits. None of these candidates reported owning any land, house, or other immovable property. The candidates with the highest assets were Vikassheel Insaan Party’s Ran Kaushal Pratap Singh with ₹368 crore and Nitish Kumar of the Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party with ₹250 crore. Utsav Dwivedi, Political Consultant and Analyst, said that affidavits offer a detailed snapshot of declared wealth. “They include business interests linked to the candidate, but do not capture assets or liabilities held through proxies… Many candidates are newcomers with limited wealth. Inaccuracies in declarations can attract serious legal consequences, including disqualification,” he said. Sajjan Kumar, a Political Analyst, however, states that declared wealth could reflect strategic under-reporting rather than full disclosure. “In India, there is a tendency to declare conservatively. While bank accounts and registered property are traceable, assets such as gold, cash reserves, or benami holdings fall outside routine verification.” Rising fortunes The rich candidates have also seen a notable increase in their wealth in the last four years. Ran Kaushal Pratap Singh’s declared income rose from approximately ₹2 crore in 2021 to over ₹10 crore in 2025, peaking in 2024. Anant Kumar Singh also saw a sharp rise, from ₹8 lakh in 2021 to ₹39 lakh in 2025. Others, including Nitish Kumar, Kumar Pranay, and Raj Kishore Gupta, also reported steadier, incremental increases in their incomes. Party-wise trends indicate that larger parties such as the BJP, RJD, and JD(U) fielded candidates with higher average assets than smaller or regional parties. Published on November 7, 2025
