A new report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), released on May 7, 2026, reveals that 58 percent of West Bengal’s 292 newly elected legislators face serious criminal cases. The report shows that 170 lawmakers are accused of grave offenses such as murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, crimes against women, rape, corruption, and misuse of public funds. In total, 190 legislators, or about 65 percent, have some form of criminal case pending against them. The number of serious cases has risen significantly from 113 in 2021.

The ADR analysis also highlights major disparities among political parties. Of 206 BJP legislators, 141 face serious charges, compared with 25 of 80 from the Trinamool Congress. All winning candidates from CPI(M), All India Secular Front, and Aam Janata Unnayan Party have serious cases, while Congress’s two legislators have none. The report further notes a sharp rise in declared assets, with 178 lawmakers owning over one crore rupees each and average wealth increasing from 2.5 crore in 2021 to 3.7 crore.

ADR concludes that the growing number of criminally accused legislators and their rising wealth raise new concerns about transparency and ethics in West Bengal politics.