Press Release: Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2026: Analysis of Criminal Background, Financial, Education, Gender and other Details of Candidates

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Press Release

Date: April 19, 2026

Dear Friends,

The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Tamil Nadu Election Watch have analysed the self-sworn affidavits of 3992 out of 4023 candidates, who are contesting in the Tamil Nadu 2026 Assembly Elections. Out of 4023 contesting candidates, 185 are from National parties, 640 are from State parties, 990 are from registered unrecognized parties and 2208 candidates are contesting Independently.

The full reports in English and Hindi can be accessed here: https://adrindia.org/content/Analysis-of-Criminal-and-Financial-background-details-of-contesting-candidates-in-Tamil-Nadu-2026-Assembly-elections

Party	Total Contesting Candidates	Total Contesting Candidates Analysed	Candidates with declared Criminal Cases	% of candidates with declared criminal cases	Candidates with declared serious criminal cases	% of candidates with declared serious criminal cases	No. of Crorepatis	Percentage of Crorepati Candidates
National Parties	185	184	34	18%	14	8%	61	33%
State Parties	640	637	268	42%	139	22%	435	68%
Registered Unrecognized Party	990	979	258	26%	148	15%	304	31%
Independent	2208	2192	162	7%	103	5%	181	8%
Total	4023	3992	722	18%	404	10%	981	25%

Table: Party Category Wise Details

Summary and Highlights

Criminal Background

Candidates with Criminal Cases: Out of the 3992 candidates analysed in Tamil Nadu Assembly elections 2026, 722(18%) candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves. In the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections, out of 3559 candidates analysed, 466(13%) had declared criminal cases against themselves.

Candidates with Serious Criminal Cases: 404(10%) have declared serious criminal cases. In 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections, 207 (6%) candidates had declared serious criminal cases against themselves.

Figure: Comparative analysis of Candidates with declared Criminal Cases: 2021 vs 2026

Party wise Candidates with Criminal Cases: Among the major parties,118(69%) out of 170 candidates analysed from AIADMK, 92(40%) out of 231 candidates analysed from Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, 70(40%) out of 175 candidates analysed from DMK, 16(48%) out of 33 candidates analysed from BJP, 14(50%) out of 28 candidates analysed from INC, 9(50%) out of 18 candidates analysed from Pattali Makkal Katchi, 5(50%) out of 10 candidates analysed from Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam, 3(60%) out of 5 candidates analysed from CPI and 4 (80%) out of 5 candidates analysed from CPI(M) have declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits.

Party wise Candidates with Serious Criminal Cases: Among the major parties,60(35%) out of 170 candidates analysed from AIADMK, 43(19%) out of 231 candidates analysed from Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, 32(18%) out of 175 candidates analysed from DMK, 9(27%) out of 33 candidates analysed from BJP, 5(18%) out of 28 candidates analysed from INC, 6(33%) out of 18 candidates analysed from Pattali Makkal Katchi, 1(10%) out of 10 candidates analysed from Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam and 1 (20%) out of 5 candidates analysed from CPI have declared serious criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits.

Figure: Party Wise Percentage of Candidates with Criminal Cases

Candidates with declared cases related to crime against women: 18 candidates have declared cases related to crime against women.

Candidates with declared cases related to murder: 13 candidates have declared cases related to murder (IPC Section-302) against themselves.

Candidates with declared cases related to attempt to murder: 44 candidates have declared cases related to attempt to murder (IPC Section-307) and (BNS Section-109) against themselves.

The directions of the Supreme Court have had no effect on the political parties in selection of candidates in the Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2026 as they have again followed their old practice of giving tickets to around 18% candidates with criminal cases. All major parties contesting in Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2026 have given tickets from 40% to 80 % candidates who have declared criminal cases against themselves. The Supreme Court in its directions dated 13th February, 2020 had specifically instructed political parties to give reasons for such selection and why other individuals without criminal antecedents could not be selected as candidates. As per these mandatory guidelines, the reasons for such selection has to be with reference to qualifications, achievements and merit of the candidate concerned. During the recent State Assembly elections held in 2025, it was observed that political parties gave unfounded and baseless reasons like popularity of the person, does good social work, cases are politically motivated etc. These are not sound and cogent reasons for fielding candidates with tainted backgrounds. This data clearly shows that political parties have no interest in reforming the electoral system and our democracy will continue to suffer at the hands of lawbreakers who become lawmakers.

Financial Background

Figure: Share of wealth among the contesting candidates

Share of wealth among candidates: The share of wealth amongst the candidates contesting in the Tamil Nadu assembly elections 2026 is as follows:

Value of assets (Rs.)	Number of candidates	Percentage of Candidates
5 cr and above	415	10.40%
2 crores to 5 crores	286	7.16%
50 lakhs to 2 crores	716	17.94%
10 lakhs to 50 lakhs	1204	30.16%
less than 10 lakhs	1371	34.34%

Table: Share of wealth amongst contesting candidates

Billionaire Candidates: Out of the 3992 candidates analysed, 22 (0.55%) are Billionaires.

Party wise Billionaire Candidates: The role of money power in our elections is evident from the fact that all major political parties give tickets to wealthy candidates. Among the major parties 2(7%) out of 28 candidates analysed from INC, 7(4%) out of 175 candidates analysed from DMK, 3(2%) out of 170 candidates analysed from AIADMK, 1(6%) out of 18 candidates analysed from Pattali Makkal Katchi, 1(9%) out of 11 candidates analysed from Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazagam and 8(3%) out of 231 candidates analysed from Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam have declared assets valued more than Rs 100 crore.

Crorepati Candidates: Out of the 3992 candidates analysed, 981(25%) are crorepatis. In 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections, out of 3559 candidates, 652(18%) were crorepatis.

Figure: Comparative Analysis of Crorepati Candidates: 2021 Vs 2026

Party wise Crorepati Candidates: The role of money power in our elections is evident from the fact that all major political parties give tickets to wealthy candidates. Among the major parties 27(96%) out of 28 candidates analysed from INC, 170(97%) out of 175 candidates analysed from DMK, 160(94%) out of 170 candidates analysed from AIADMK, 31(94%) out of 33 candidates analysed from BJP, 16(89%) out of 18 candidates analysed from Pattali Makkal Katchi, 10(100%) out of 10 candidates analysed from DMDK, 156(68%) out of 231 candidates analysed from Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam and 3(60%) out of 5 candidates analysed from CPI have declared assets valued more than Rs 1 crore.

Figure: Party Wise Percentage of Crorepati Candidates

Total assets of candidates: The total assets of 3992 analysed candidates are Rs. 20,678 Crores.

Average assets: The average of assets per candidate contesting in the Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2026 is Rs 5.17 Crores. In 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections, average assets per candidate for 3559 Candidates was Rs. 1.72 Crores.

Party wise average assets: Among major parties, the average assets per candidate for 28 INC candidates analysed is Rs. 27.37 Crores, 175 DMK candidates analysed is Rs 21.37 Crores, 170 AIADMK candidates have average assets of Rs 53.02 Crores, 33 BJP candidates have average assets of Rs 14.82 Crores, 18 Pattali Makkal Katchi candidates have average assets of Rs 15.01 Crores, 10 DMDK candidates have average assets of Rs 17.15 Crores, 231 Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam candidates have average assets of Rs 16.04 Crores, 5 CPI candidates have average assets of Rs 2.65 Crore and 5 CPI(M) candidates have average assets worth Rs 53.23 Lacs.

Highest assets candidates: The details of top 3 candidates with highest declared assets, contesting in the Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2026 are given below:

S.No.	Name	District	Constituency	Party Name	Movable Assets (Rs)	Immovable Assets (Rs)	Total Assets (Rs)	PAN Given
1	Leemarose Martin	Tiruchirappalli	Lalgudi	AIADMK	36,27,20,21,371	22,36,52,64,767	58,63,72,86,138 5863 Crore+	Y
2	**C. Joseph Vijay	Chennai	Perambur	Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam	4,26,20,28,397	2,22,65,62,010	6,48,85,90,407 648 Crore+	Y
2	**C. Joseph Vijay	Tiruchirappalli	Tiruchirappalli (East)	Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam	4,26,20,28,397	2,22,65,62,010	6,48,85,90,407 648 Crore+	Y
3	Aadhav Arjuna	Chennai	Villivakkam	Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam	3,44,88,68,546	1,90,01,68,189	5,34,90,36,735 534 Crore+	Y

Table: Top three candidates with highest declared assets

**Candidate is contesting from more than one constituency

Zero assets candidates: There are 4 candidates who have declared zero assets. The details of these candidates are given below:

S.No.	Name	District	Constituency	Party Name	Movable Assets (Rs)	Immovable Assets (Rs)	Total Assets (Rs)	PAN Given
1	Mohan Kumar M	Kanniyakumari	Vilavancode	All India Jananayaka Makkal Kazhagam	0	0	0	Y
2	T. Selvaraj	Karur	Kulithalai	IND	0	0	0	Y
3	Gunasekaran.P	Thoothukudi	Kovilpatti	IND	0	0	0	N
4	A. Jegan Salamondoss	Tiruchirappalli	Lalgudi	IND	0	0	0	Y

Table: Candidates with declared zero assets

Lowest assets candidates: The details of three candidates with lowest assets (excluding zero assets candidates) are given below:

S.No.	Name	District	Constituency	Party Name	Movable Assets (Rs)	Immovable Assets (Rs)	Total Assets (Rs)	PAN Given
1	Maheshkumar N	Namakkal	Tiruchengodu	IND	15	0	15	Y
2	Nelson.W.	Coimbatore	Sulur	Tamilaga Makkal Nala Katchi	500	0	500 5 Hund+	Y
3	S. Dharmaraj	Tiruppur	Palladam	Tamilaga Makkal Nala Katchi	500	0	500 5 Hund+	Y

Table: Candidates with declared lowest assets

Candidates with highest liabilities: 2102(53%) candidates have declared liabilities in their affidavits. The details of top three candidates with highest liabilities are given below:

S.No.	Name	District	Constituency	Party Name	Total Assets (Rs)	Liabilities (Rs)	Disputed liabilities (Rs)	PAN Given
1	Leemarose Martin	Tiruchirappalli	Lalgudi	AIADMK	58,63,72,86,138 5863 Crore+	3,40,18,43,738 340 Crore+	77,19,78,903 77 Crore+	Y
2	Karthik Mohan	Chennai	Villivakkam	DMK	3,46,18,41,452 346 Crore+	1,44,31,60,131 144 Crore+	0	Y
3	K.R. Jayaram	Coimbatore	Singanallur	AIADMK	1,72,57,36,000 172 Crore+	77,05,24,373 77 Crore+	0	Y

Table: Top three candidates with highest liabilities

Candidates with highest income as declared in the ITR*: The details of top 3 candidates with highest income declared in ITR are given below:

S.No.	Name	Party Name	Constituency	District	Total Assets (Rs)	Self Source of Income	Spouse's Source of Income	The financial year for which the last income tax return has been filed by candidate	Total income shown by candidate in ITR (Self+Spouse+Dependent) (Rs)	Self income shown by candidate in ITR (Rs)
1	C. Joseph Vijay	Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam	PERAMBUR	CHENNAI	6,48,85,90,407 648 Crore+	Self-Employment, Interest and Rental Income from Properties	House Wife	2024-2025	1,84,53,56,290 184 Crore+	1,84,53,56,290 184 Crore+
1	C. Joseph Vijay	Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam	TIRUCHIRAPPALLI (EAST)	TIRUCHIRAPPALLI	6,48,85,90,407 648 Crore+	Self Employed, Interest and Rental Income from Properties	Housewife	2024-2025	1,84,53,56,290 184 Crore+	1,84,53,56,290 184 Crore+
2	Leemarose Martin	AIADMK	LALGUDI	TIRUCHIRAPPALLI	58,63,72,86,138 5863 Crore+	Rental Income, Share Of Profit From Firms/ LLP, Capital Gains And Interest Income	Rental Income, Business Income , Share Of Profit From Firms /LLP, Capital Gains, Interest And Dividend Income	2024-2025	40,78,26,330 40 Crore+	9,82,44,850 9 Crore+
3	Aadhav Arjuna	Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam	VILLIVAKKAM	CHENNAI	5,34,90,36,735 534 Crore+	Business	Business and Income From Properties	2024-2025	17,96,59,160 17 Crore+	11,10,73,590 11 Crore+

Table: Top 3 candidates with highest income as declared in ITR

**Candidate is contesting from more than one constituency

Other Background Details

Education details of candidates:1711(43%) candidates have declared their educational qualifications to be between 5^th and 12^thstandard while 1822(46%) candidates have declared having an educational qualification of graduate or above. 301 candidates are Diploma holders. 95 candidates are Illiterate and 56 candidates are just literate. 7 candidates have not given their educational qualification.

Age details of candidates: 1424(36%) candidates have declared their age to be between 25 to 40 years while 2034 (51%) candidates have declared their age to be between 41 to 60 years. There are 526 (13%) candidates who have declared their age to be between 61 to 80 years. There are 8 candidates who have declared their age to be above 80 years.

Gender details of candidates: 442(11%) female candidates are contesting in the Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2026. In 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections, 378(11%) out of 3559 candidates analysed were women.

Recommendations of ADR

To remedy the existing problem of criminalization is to immediately act upon the plausible solutions offered by various committees, civil society and citizens. The Supreme Court of India being the ultimate custodian of “Justice and Rule of Law” should reprimand political parties and politicians for their complete lack of will, reprehensible predilection and absence of required laws.
Permanent disqualification of candidates convicted for heinous crimes like murder, rape, smuggling, dacoity, kidnapping etc.
Disqualification of persons from contesting elections to the public offices against whom charges have been framed for having committed serious criminal offences punishable by imprisonment of at least 5 years, and the case is filed at least 6 months prior to the election in question.
Cancellation of tax exemptions given to the political parties who field such tainted candidates.
Bringing political parties under the Right to Information Act.
De-register and de-recognise any political party if it knowingly puts up a candidate with a tainted background.
Political parties should annually file the information on criminal antecedents of their Office Bearers and make such records available to the public, including NIL records.
Disqualification of candidates furnishing false information in the election affidavit (Form 26).
Ensure trial of cases in which the politicians are accused to be concluded in a time bound manner.
Implementation of SC judgment dated 23^rd September, 2013 (i.e provision of NOTA buttons on the EVMs) in its letter and spirit by ensuring a) if NOTA gets more votes than any of the candidates, none of the candidates should be declared elected, and a fresh election should be held; b) in the fresh election, none of the candidates in the earlier election, in which NOTA got the highest number of votes, should be allowed to contest.
Implementation of the 25^th September, 2018 and 13^th February, 2020 SC orders on 'publication of criminal cases against candidates selected by political parties along with reasons for such selection' in its letter and spirit by directing the Election Commission of India a) to list out names of such tainted candidates selected by the political parties along with such reasons for such selection C8 including diligent publication of reasons in newspapers, T.V channels, party website etc, b) strict and constant reminders by ROs to the defaulters, c) list needs to be religiously prepared and submitted to the Supreme Court after every election, d) uploading of this list on ECI’s website for public inspection, e) a suitably heavy financial penalty levied on political parties for making insufficient disclosures, invalid and common reasons, selection of candidates based on winnability and f) Officer in-charge of a political party pertaining to submission of a compliance report should also be held accountable for such a breach.
The Election Commission of India and all State Election Commissions should make it mandatory in all elections; Parliamentary, Assembly and Local Body elections to carry display boards outside each and every polling booth showing a summarised version of candidates’ affidavits. The polling booths should essentially display details of candidate’s criminal records, assets and liabilities and education qualification.
The Election Commission of India under its ‘Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation’ (SVEEP) as well as through other national campaigns on voter awareness held before every election should inform and aware the voters that (i) taking and giving cash or gifts/freebies for votes is a criminal offense, (ii) such instances should be brought to the notice of the ECI through its web application, (iii) inform voters that information on criminal records of candidates is available on the ECI website, outside polling booths and other sources that the ECI may use.
Political parties in India should be required to announce/publish the list of candidates contesting elections at least 3 months prior to elections.
Role of money and muscle power is evident from the fact that all major political parties in Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2026 have fielded 34% to 97% candidates who are crorepatis and 40% to 80 % candidates who have declared criminal cases against themselves. This close and alarming nexus between money power and muscle power has got so ingrained in our electoral system that the citizens are left hostage to the current situation. Money and muscle power hurt the principles of 'free and fair elections', 'participatory democracy' and 'level playing field'. The present circumstances therefore demand an extensive deliberation by the voters so that sanctity of elections is not ridiculed by tenacious entry of tainted candidates and candidates with abnormal multiplication of assets.