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Tamil Nadu elections: Over 400 candidates face serious criminal cases
20 Apr 2026

The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has revealed that over 400 candidates contesting in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections have serious criminal cases against them.

The report analyzed the self-sworn affidavits of 3,992 out of 4,023 candidates and found that 722 (18%) had declared criminal cases.

This is a significant increase from the last state elections in 2021, when 13% of candidates had similar declarations.

AIADMK tops list of candidates with declared criminal cases
Criminal cases

The ADR defines serious criminal offenses as those punishable with five years or more, non-bailable offenses, or those involving loss to the exchequer.

These include assault, murder, kidnapping, rape, crimes against women, and offenses under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Among major parties, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) has the highest percentage of candidates (69%) with declared criminal cases.

Candidates' wealth on the rise
Crorepatis

The ADR report also highlighted a sharp rise in the wealth of candidates. The average assets have risen to ₹5.17 crore from ₹1.72 crore in 2021.

A total of 981 candidates declared assets worth over ₹1 crore, with AIADMK's Leemarose Martin being the richest at over ₹5,863 crore.

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam's C Joseph Vijay follows with assets over ₹648 crore.

Political parties ignore Supreme Court's guidelines on candidate selection
Party influence

Despite a 2020 Supreme Court directive mandating political parties to give clear and merit-based reasons for selecting candidates with criminal records, the ADR found that parties still field such candidates.

The report noted that parties continue to cite generic justifications like popularity or politically motivated cases, which do not meet the court's standard of "sound and cogent reasons."

Money power's growing influence in politics
Election trends

The ADR report also noted that judicial directions have had little impact on candidate selection, with parties prioritizing winnability over clean records.

The total assets of all candidates amount to ₹20,678 crore.

The report concludes by highlighting the growing influence of money power in politics, with major parties overwhelmingly fielding wealthy candidates.