CHENNAI: Nearly one in five candidates contesting the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections has declared criminal cases, while a quarter are crorepatis, according to an analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Tamil Nadu Election Watch (TNEW).
At a press conference in Chennai, P Joseph Victor Raj, state coordinator, TNEW, and V Jayaram, Arappor Iyakkam and TNEW member, gave details about the candidates contesting in TN.
The ADR analysed affidavits of 3,992 out of 4,023 candidates. Of these, 722 (18%) have declared criminal cases, up from 466 (13%) of 3,559 candidates in 2021. Similarly, 404 (10%) candidates face serious criminal cases, compared to 207 (6%) in 2021.
There are 981 crorepati candidates, a 7% rise from 2021. The DMK has the highest number (170), followed by AIADMK (160) and TVK (156). The BJP has 31, Congress 27, PMK 16, DMDK 10 and CPI 3.
The total assets of the 3,992 candidates amount to Rs 20,678 crore. The richest candidates are Leemarose Martin, C Joseph Vijay and Aadhav Arjuna. Four candidates — M Mohan Kumar (Vilavancode), T Selvaraj (Kulithalai), P Gunasekaran (Kovilpatti) and A Jegan Salamondoss (Lalgudi) — have declared zero assets.
Regarding education, 1,711 (43%) candidates studied between Class 5 and 12, while 1,822 (46%) are graduates or above; 301 hold diplomas, 95 are illiterate, 56 are just literate, and seven have not disclosed their qualifications.
Age-wise, 1,424 (36%) are 25-40 years old, 2,034 (51%) are 41-60 years old, 526 (13%) are 61-80 years old, and eight are over 80 years old. Women account for 442 (11%) candidates, unchanged from 378 (11%) in 2021.
