Puducherry poll: More than 40% of candidates are ‘crorepatis’; how big is the gap between rich and poor

In the assembly elections in Puducherry, attention has turned not only to the political battle but also to the wealth of the candidates. Many of the campaigners are “crorepatis”, some of whom claim to be extremely wealthy, making finances a key topic in the polls.Of the 291 candidates analyzed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), as many as 119 candidates, or 41 per cent, declared assets of more than Rs 1 crore, underscoring the growing presence of wealth in electoral politics. The total assets declared by all candidates are Rs 2,099 crore, with an average of Rs 721 crore per candidate. Party affiliation also highlights the concentration of wealth. Among the major political parties, all 16 candidates of the All India National Congress and all 10 candidates of the Bharatiya Janata Party analyzed werecrorepatis. Similarly, 11 out of 12 DMK candidates and 17 out of 21 Congress candidates declared assets of over Rs 1 crore.The analysis also showed an increase in candidate wealth compared with previous elections. In 2021, only 23% of candidates were clonepatis, a number that has now risen to 41% in 2026.

richest candidate

At the very top of the wealth ladder is Jose Charles Martin, competing against Kamaraj Nagar. Martin is the founder of Latchiya Jananayaka Katchi (LJK) and has total declared assets of Rs 6,09,09,25,584. His wealth includes movable properties worth Rs 3,39,34,93,484 and immovable properties worth Rs 2,69,74,32,100.This was followed by Ramalingam, the Puducherry BJP president from Raj Bhavan constituency, who declared assets worth Rs 1,15,62,29,179. Home Minister A Namassivayam from Mannadipet, also from the BJP, ranks third with total assets of Rs 85,46,14,473.

In addition to the top three, several other candidates also feature prominently among the richest people. Neyam Makkal Kazhagam’s G Nehru alias Couppoussamy has declared assets worth Rs 77,00,50,328, while the assets of BJP’s GNS Rajasekaran total Rs 68,33,78,507. Johnkumar from the Bharatiya Janata Party followed closely with Rs 59,78,13,050.All India Congress candidates are also among the richest including PV Aroumougame with Rs 50,58,16,200 and former Puducherry Assembly Speaker VP Sivakolundhu with Rs 49,91,94,993. Independent candidate Omsakthisekar has declared assets worth Rs 44,46,38,294 while PRN Thirumurugan has Rs 37,22,53,000.

downward spectrum

On the other hand, the data shows a stark contrast. Three candidates, namely MP Simon Raj from Thirunallar, R Sundarraj from Mannadipet and A Velu from Nettapakkam (SC), have declared zero assets.Among those with the lowest declared assets, Sutham Sundarrajan, an independent candidate from Mudaliarpet, declared assets of just Rs 300. L Manivannan from Ariankuppam claimed prize money of Rs 2,000, while S Amutha from Orleampeth declared prize money of Rs 7,618.The distribution of wealth among the candidates further reflects this disparity. 62 candidates (21%) have assets of Rs 5 crore and above, while another 63 candidates (22%) have assets below Rs 10 lakh. Among them, 79 candidates (27 per cent) have assets between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 50 lakh, while 64 candidates (22 per cent) have assets between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 2 crore.

Puducherry Assembly Elections 2026

More than 940,000 voters will decide the fate of 294 candidates when they go to the polls on April 9. Counting of votes will take place on May 4 in the Union Territory and the states of Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.The Puducherry Legislative Assembly has 33 seats, 30 of which are elected. The remaining three members are nominated by the central government.