Delhi Election 2025: Out of 65 sitting members of legislative assembly (MLAs) in Delhi, only one is a billionaire, an analysis by election watchdog Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has revealed. Five seats in the 70-member Delhi house are vacant at present.
The total assets of 65 sitting MLAs in Delhi assembly is ₹829.21 crores. The report, released on January 9, said the total assets for 58 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs analysed is ₹777.02 crores.
The average assets per MLA for 58 AAPs sitting lawmakers is ₹13.39 crores, the report said.
The richest MLA in the outgoing house is an AAP leader. And it is not Arvind Kejriwal, Atishi or Manish Sisodia. It is Dharampal Lakra, the AAP MLA from Mundka.
Lakra has declared ₹292 crore net worth in his election affidavit filed in the 2020 assembly polls. A businessman from Mundka near the outskirts of Delhi, Lakra's family owns agricultural land. His movable assets amount to over ₹3.24 crore, and his immovable assets are worth ₹243 crore, according to the affidavit filed in 2020.
Lakra is three times richer than the next wealthiest candidate in the outgoing Delhi Assembly – Pramila Tokas, another AAP candidate. The ADR report said Tokas has a declared net worth of ₹80 crore.
Lakra quit the Congress to join the AAP in 2014. Mund's 2020 assembly poll victory was his first electoral fight. The AAP had replaced its sitting MLA, Sukhbir Singh Dalal, and fielded Lakra in 2020.
Lakra has been a member of the Food Corporation of India and a former local office-bearer of the Congress. He was born and raised in Mundka village and describes himself as an agriculturist.
In other details revealed in the ADR report, sixty-six per cent of lawmakers in the Delhi assembly have criminal cases against them. The analysis revealed that Fifty-five per cent of MLAs have declared severe criminal cases against them.
Out of 65 sitting MLAs analysed, 43 (66 per cent) sitting MLAs have declared criminal cases against themselves. Five of the 70 seats in the Delhi assembly are vacant at present.
Catch all the live action on Elections and get exclusive coverage on Assembly Election Results 2024 with Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.