Telangana MLAs' Assets Surge By 65% Since 2018: ADR Report

Between the Telangana assembly elections of 2018 and 2023, the assets of 103 re-contesting MLAs surged by an average of 65 per cent, as per a joint report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and the Telangana Election Watch released on Sunday.

The report highlighted that among these re-contesting MLAs, 90 saw their assets grow, ranging from 3% to a staggering 1331%, while 13 experienced a decrease ranging from 1% to 79%.

During the 2018 assembly elections, these MPs possessed an average asset value of Rs.14.44 crore, a figure that escalated to Rs.23.87 crore in 2023.

Within the re-contesting MLAs, those from the BRS demonstrated the most substantial average increase in asset value at 68.56%. Notably, Pailla Shekar Reddy of the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) witnessed a staggering rise from Rs.91.04 crore in 2018 to Rs.227.51 crore in 2023, marking an eye-opening increase of ₹136.47 crore or 150%.

Contrastingly, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) showed the lowest increase, averaging at 9.5%. Meanwhile, assets of All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen MLAs soared by nearly 59%, and the Congress's assets grew by 55.12%, according to the ADR report.

The forthcoming Telangana polls, slated for November 30, will determine all 119 members of the state legislative assembly. Predictions suggest a tight contest between the incumbent BRS and the Congress. However, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), gaining traction in the state, is anticipated to garner a notably larger portion of the vote compared to previous years.