Chandrababu Naidu tops list as India’s wealthiest Chief Minister: report

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has emerged as the richest chief minister in India, with assets valued at over Rs 931 crore, according to a recent report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

In contrast, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is the least wealthy, with assets totaling just Rs 15 lakh.

The ADR report highlights significant disparities in the financial standing of India’s chief ministers. The average asset value among the 31 chief ministers across states and union territories stands at Rs 52.59 crore. Collectively, their total assets amount to Rs 1,630 crore.

For comparison, the average annual self-reported income of a chief minister is Rs 13,64,310—about 7.3 times higher than India’s per capita net national income (NNI) of Rs 1,85,854 for 2023-2024.

After Chandrababu Naidu, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu is the second wealthiest, with assets exceeding Rs 332 crore. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah ranks third with more than Rs 51 crore in assets.

At the other end of the spectrum, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is the second poorest, with assets worth Rs 55 lakh, followed by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, whose assets total Rs 1.18 crore.

The report also sheds light on the liabilities carried by some chief ministers. Pema Khandu has the highest liabilities, amounting to Rs 180 crore, followed by Siddaramaiah with Rs 23 crore and Chandrababu Naidu with over Rs 10 crore in liabilities.

In addition to wealth data, the ADR report reveals that 13 chief ministers (42%) have declared criminal cases against themselves, with 10 (32%) facing serious charges such as attempted murder, kidnapping, bribery, and criminal intimidation.

Of the 31 chief ministers, only two are women: Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal and Atishi of Delhi.