According to the ADR, a staggering 158 MLAs (66%) have declared criminal cases against themselves. More alarmingly, 119 MLAs (49%) face serious criminal charges, including murder, attempted murder, and crimes against women.

It is a story of India’s fraying democratic fabric. A new report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Bihar Election Watch has laid bare some disturbing criminal and financial details about Bihar’s sitting MLAs, highlighting a political system where crime, wealth, and power go hand in hand.

Consider this: Out of 241 sitting MLAs analysed from Bihar’s 243-member Assembly, a staggering 158 MLAs (66%) have declared criminal cases against themselves. More alarmingly, 119 MLAs (49%) face serious criminal charges, including murder, attempted murder, and crimes against women.

Of the 241 sitting MLAs whose affidavits were analysed, 66% have criminal cases filed against them. That’s two out of every three lawmakers. And these are not just minor run-ins with the law. Nearly half of them (49%) are facing serious charges, including murder, attempted murder, and crimes against women. Think about that — the people responsible for making the laws are, in many cases, accused of breaking the most serious ones.

Sixteen MLAs have declared murder charges under IPC Section 302. Thirty more are facing charges for attempted murder. Eight are charged with crimes against women. Apparently it is not an aberration, it is a norm.

Across party lines

No single political party can claim moral high ground here. Every major party in Bihar is steeped in this pattern of criminality.

BJP: 64% of its MLAs face criminal cases; nearly half face serious charges.

RJD: 74% with criminal cases; 60% with serious ones.

JD(U): 45% criminal cases, 28% serious.

Congress: 82% of its MLAs have criminal records.

Smaller parties like CPI, CPI(M), and AIMIM? In some cases, 100% of their MLAs have criminal cases.

And then, there’s money

Bihar is said to be a poor state but in the Assembly, the rich don’t just run the show — they own it. Out of the 241 MLAs, 194 are crorepatis—that’s 80%. And the average wealth per MLA—a cool Rs. 4.65 crore.

The total assets of 241 sitting MLAs are Rs. 1121.61 Crores.

Party-wise as many as 72 (87%) out of 83 MLAs from BJP, 63 (88%) out of 72 MLAs from RJD, 39 (83%) out of 47 MLAs from JD(U), 13 (76%) out of 17 MLAs from INC, 2 (50%) out of 4 MLAs from Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), 1 (50%) out of 2 MLAs from CPI(M), 1 (50%) out of 2 MLAs from CPI, 1 (9%) out of 11 MLAs from CPI(ML)(L) and 2 (100%) out of 2 Independent MLAs have declared assets valued more than Rs 1 crore.

Here’s how it looks party by party:

JD(U) tops the wealth chart with an average of Rs. 7.08 crore per MLA

RJD follows with Rs. 5.21 crore

Congress: Rs. 5.57 crore

BJP: Rs. 3.51 crore

Even independent MLAs are crorepatis — both of them.

The message is clear: to get elected in Bihar, you either need deep pockets, a criminal network, or both.

The question is when lawmakers walk into the Assembly hall with murder charges pending and crores in their bank accounts, what kind of governance can people expect? And the issue is that it is not just Bihar, the pattern repeats across many Indian states.