Bihar Phase II: Candidates Twice As Rich As 2020 State Elections

Almost half the candidates fielded in the second phase of voting for the Bihar assembly election are crorepatis. This is more than double the number of crorepatis in the 2020 state elections.

Candidates' affidavits reveal that 562 out of the 1297 analysed candidates, or 43 per cent, are crorepatis. In contrast, in phase II of the 2020 state election, out of the 1463 candidates analysed, only 34 per cent were crorepatis. 

The data of 1297 out of the total 1302 phase II candidates this year, as checked by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Bihar Election Watch, show that on average, the candidates’ assets amounted to ₹ 3.44 crores. In comparison, the Phase One candidate had average assets of ₹ 3.26 crore per candidate. Furthermore, the 2020 Phase II candidate had an average asset amount of ₹ 1.72 crores.

However, there is an unequal distribution of wealth among the candidates, with around eight per cent of them holding the majority of the assets. Ninety-eight candidates, or 7.6 per cent, possess assets worth ₹ 10 crores and above, while 100 candidates have assets between ₹ 5 crores and ₹ 10 crores. 

A substantial 364 candidates declared assets ranging from ₹ 1 crore to ₹ 5 crores. Another 374 candidates fall within the ₹ 20 lakh to ₹ 1 crore bracket, whereas 361 candidates, making up 27.8 per cent, reported assets below ₹ 20 lakhs. 

Individual candidates

Among the wealthiest candidates contesting in the Bihar assembly elections 2025, at the top is Ran Kaushal Pratap Singh from Paschim Champaran’s Lauriya constituency, representing the Vikassheel Insaan Party. He has declared total assets worth over ₹ 368 crores, including ₹ 27.42 crores in movable assets and ₹ 341.56 crores in immovable assets.

In comparison, INC’s Sanjeev Singh, the 2020 assembly election candidate who topped the list in Phase II, had assets worth ₹ 56 crore. 

Second on the 2025 phase II candidate list is Nitish Kumar, contesting from Gaya’s Gurua constituency on a Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party ticket. He reported assets totalling over ₹ 250 crores. 

The Association for Democratic Reforms mentioned that the aforementioned two candidates have “not provided the total in their affidavits; it has been calculated on the basis of details provided by them in the same.”

Manorma Devi of the JD(U), contesting from Belaganj in Gaya district, declared assets valued at more than ₹ 75 crore.

Ajeet Sharma, the sole Indian National Congress candidate to feature among the top ten richest contenders this year, is contesting from Bhagalpur with declared assets of at least ₹ 55 crores. He is the only candidate to appear in the top ten list for two consecutive assembly elections. In 2020, Sharma ranked fourth, declaring assets exceeding ₹ 43 crores.

Among the candidates with the lowest declared assets in the Bihar assembly elections 2025, Suresh Rajvanshi of the Moolniwasi Samaj Party from Gaya’s Wazirganj constituency tops the list with total assets of just ₹ 1,100. 

He is followed by two Independent candidates—Pankaj Kumar Ram from Benipatti in Madhubani and Rajmangal Prasad from Pipra in Purvi Champaran—each declaring assets worth ₹ 2,000.

Almost half of the candidates in phase II have declared liabilities. Niraj Singh, the Jan Suraaj Party candidate from Sheohar in the Sheohar district, has the highest liabilities, exceeding ₹ 18 crores. He declared total assets of ₹ 58.32 crores. 

Sunil Kumar Choudhary, a candidate of the BSP contesting from the Pirpainti (SC) constituency, has declared zero assets.

Party-wise Crorepatis

Building on the pattern seen in the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections, the Jan Suraaj Party once again appears to have fielded the highest number of wealthy candidates. Among 86 of 117 Jan Suraaj Party candidates, or 74 per cent, are crorepatis. 

The Rashtriya Janata Dal has 59 crorepatis among its 70 analysed candidates, making up 84 per cent. The BJP has 44 out of 53 candidates, with assets exceeding ₹ 1 crore. 

Forty out of 44 JD(U) candidates, 91 per cent, declared assets exceeding ₹ 1 crore. JD(U) does not top the list in terms of the total number of crorepati candidates, which is the Jan Suraaj Party with 86, but it does have the highest proportion of its candidates being crorepatis. 

In 2025 Phase II, the Indian National Congress followed JD(U) closely with 31 out of 37 candidates, or 84 per cent, in the crorepati category. In contrast, the Bahujan Samaj Party has 30 out of 91 candidates who are crorepatis. 

All 15 candidates analysed from the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) are crorepatis, representing 100 per cent. 

Among smaller parties, 13 out of 39 AAP candidates, three out of six CPI(ML)(L) candidates, two out of four CPI candidates, and the sole CPI(M) candidate have declared assets worth more than ₹ 1 crore.

Party-wise Average Assets  

Among the major parties contesting in the Bihar assembly elections 2025, the 15 candidates from the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) have the highest average wealth at ₹ 14.98 crores each. The JD(U) leads among major parties, with an average of ₹ 9.18 crores per candidate, making it the wealthiest among the major parties fielding a large number of candidates. 

The Jan Suraaj Party’s 117 analysed candidates have an average of ₹ 5.35 crores in assets each, while the 91 BSP candidates possess an average of ₹ 2.33 crores. 

The RJD’s 70 candidates have average assets of ₹ 6.49 crores, and the BJP's 53 candidates have an average of ₹ 6.40 crores. 

The 39 AAP candidates have an average of ₹ 2.16 crores in assets, while the 37 INC candidates have an average of ₹ 7.41 crores. Meanwhile, the six CPI(ML)(L) candidates report an average of ₹ 1.29 crore in assets, and the four CPI candidates report an average of ₹ 4.01 crore.