New Delhi: The assets of 73 legislators of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka who are contesting in the coming election in the state increased by 132% on average over the past five years, a new study shows.

This does not include legislators who quit the BJP in the past five years, such as former chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa now heads the Karnataka Janata Party (KJP) that he formed last year.

The analysis, based on the financial details that candidates have to mandatorily declare to be able to contest an election, was done by the Association of Democratic Reforms, a New Delhi-based organization working in the field of electoral and political reforms, and its state unit, Karnataka Election Watch.

Assets of 179 Karnataka legislators across political parties who are contesting in the coming election increased on average to Rs19.87 crore in 2013 from Rs10.59 crore at the time of the previous state election in 2008, it said.

The assets of 57 legislators belonging to the Congress party, the main opposition in Karnataka, increased by 60% on average, it said, while that of 25 Janata Dal (Secular) candidates increased by 198%. Assets of N.Y. Gopalakrishna, the sole Nationalist Congress Party legislator who is re-contesting, increased 507%.

To be sure, these figures cannot be compared for the different political parties as the number of legislators contesting again varies from one party to another.

At least eight members of the legislative assembly, or MLAs, who are contesting again reported a decrease in their assets from 2008.

Elections to the Karnataka assembly are scheduled for 5 May and the votes will be counted on 8 May.