Of the 1,303 candidates contesting in the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections, 519 (40 per cent) are crorepatis, with an average asset value of Rs 3.26 crore, according to the ADR and Bihar Election Watch report.
BJP candidate Kumar Pranay from Munger tops the list with assets over Rs 170 crore, while Mojahid Alam and Shatrudhan Varma declared the lowest at Rs 1,000 each; RJD’s Shambhu Nath Yadav reported liabilities exceeding Rs 66 crore.
In Bihar, 40 per cent of all candidates in Phase I are crorepati candidates, taking the tally up to 519 of the 1,303 candidates analysed. Of these BJP tops the list followed by JD(U) and then RJD. Congress candidates are no longer in the top 10 and CPI-ML's candidates are amongst the poorest candidates.
The data, analysed by the Association for Democratic Reforms and Bihar Election Watch, show average assets of Rs 3.26 crore per candidate.
A significant concentration of wealth is visible among the candidates. About 8 per cent of them have declared assets worth over Rs 10 crore, while 7 per cent fall in the Rs 5 crore to Rs 10 crore range.
A greater number of candidates, around 25 per cent, possess assets valued between Rs 1 crore and Rs 5 crore.
Candidates with assets ranging from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 1 crore make up the largest group, accounting for 32 per cent of the total. Meanwhile, 28 per cent of the contestants have declared assets below Rs 20 lakh, reflecting a notable mix of economic backgrounds among those in the electoral fray.
Individual candidates:
The highest declared assets belong to BJP candidate Kumar Pranay from Munger, with over Rs 170 crore. Independent candidate Raj Kishor Gupta from Maharajganj follows with assets exceeding Rs 137 crore, while JD(U)’s Anant Kumar Singh from Mokama ranks third with more than Rs 100 crore.
Among RJD candidates, Tarapur’s Arun Kumar tops the list with assets worth Rs 83 crore, and Jan Suraaj Party’s Randip Kumar Singh from Maner stands sixth with Rs 80 crore.
Anant Kumar Singh from Mokama, ranked third among candidates in Phase I of the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, had topped the list in 2020 with declared assets of around Rs 68 crore while contesting on an RJD ticket.
Notably, no woman features in the top ten richest candidates this time. In 2020, JD(U)’s Manorama Devi from Gaya’s Atri constituency had secured the third position with assets worth approximately Rs 50 crore.
The current top ten list does not have any candidate from the Indian National Congress, unlike in 2020 when Gajanand Shahi from Sheikhpura’s Barbigha, an INC candidate, had declared assets of about Rs 61 crore, second on the list.
The candidate with the highest assets amongst the INC candidates this year is Kaushalendra Kumar from Nalanda, with more than Rs 30 crore, ranking 19 on the overall list.
The lowest assets in 2025 are of Mojahid Alam from Darbhanga and Shatrudhan Varma from Patna, Barh, contesting from Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) and Peoples Party of India (Democratic) respectively. Their total assets are at Rs 1,000 each.
Alam, who was the face of JD(U) in Bihar’s Muslim-dominated Seemanchal area, quit the party after the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, came into effect, as he accused Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of compromising on secularism.
Varma had not provided the total in his affidavits, “it has been calculated on the basis of details provided by them in the same,” the report mentioned.
Shambhu Nath Yadav from Buxar’s Brahampur has the highest liability, at more than 66 crores. He is contesting from RJD, with total assets above 12 crore.
Party-wise crorepatis:
The influence of money power in elections is underscored by the tendency of major political parties fielding wealthy candidates. In the first phase of the Bihar Assembly polls, 81 out of 114 candidates from the Jan Suraaj Party, 97 per cent from the RJD, 52 out of 57 from the JD(U), and 92 per cent from the BJP have declared assets exceeding Rs 1 crore.
Similarly, 27 out of 89 candidates from the BSP, 18 out of 23 from the INC, 13 out of 44 from the AAP, and 77 per cent from the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) fall into the same category.
Among the Left parties, 3 out of 5 CPI candidates, 2 out of 3 from CPI(M), and 2 out of 14 from CPI(ML)(L) have also reported assets worth over Rs 1 crore.
The campaigning in the state is in full swing, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing two rallies in Muzaffarpur and Chhapra on October 30.
Multiple high-profile politicians have joined the campaign for the elections, including Home Minister Amit Shah, UP’s Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi too held a rally on Wednesday in Muzaffarpur and Darbhanga.
Rahul, along with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, is likely to address around 15 rallies in poll-bound Bihar.
The first phase of Bihar assembly elections are scheduled on November 6 and the second on November 11. The election results will be out on November 14.
