Lok Sabha will now have over 500 crorepatis, up from 88% in 2019: ADR

The share of crorepati MPs in the 18th Lok Sabha has reached 93 per cent, up from 88 per cent in 2019, data from the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) revealed.

In 2014, it was 82 per cent.

And in 2009, around 58 per cent of MPs had assets of Rs 1 crore or above. (chart 1).

This time, the average assets of winners are Rs 46.3 crore, compared to Rs 14.7 crore in 2014.

The average assets of the candidates have also been rising with time. It was Rs 6.23 crore in 2024, Rs 4.14 crore in 2019, Rs 4.92 crore in 2014 and Rs 1.11 crore in 2009.

 

The richest candidate in 2009 was VM Singh with assets of Rs 632 crore. In 2014, Nandan Nilekani, co-founder of Infosys, was the wealthiest candidate with total assets valued at over Rs 7710 crore.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the richest candidate was Ramesh Kumar Sharma, with total assets worth Rs 1108 crore.

This year, the richest candidate was Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, a doctor and TDP nominee whose total assets are valued at Rs 5705 crore.

Meanwhile, MPs above the age of 55 years accounted for 52 per cent of the total, shows data from PRS Legislative Research. Those aged 40 or below accounted for 11 per cent (chart 2).

There are 58 winners who are 40 years old or younger.

Shambhavi from Samastipur in Bihar, Pushpendra Saroj from Kaushambi in Uttar Pradesh, and Priya Saroj from Machhlishahr constituencies in Uttar Pradesh are the youngest winners this time around. All of them are 25 years old, and contested from constituencies reserved for the scheduled caste community.

TR Baalu from Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu is the oldest winner. He is 82.

The education profile of those elected has also moved towards those with greater college education, according to PRS Legislative Research data.

The share of graduate MPs is 78 per cent in 2024. It was 72 per cent in 2019. This remains lower than the 79 per cent seen in 2009 (chart 3).

More men populate the ranks of India’s 18th Lok Sabha than the previous one shows a breakup from PRS Legislative Research.

Out of a total of 797 women who contested in the Lok Sabha elections this time, 74 or less than a tenth won the poll. This translates into lower representation than in the previous election. Representation of women is below the eventual target of 33 per cent of all the seats being reserved for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislatures under the Women’s Reservation Bill (chart 4).