Puducherry polls: Over 40% candidates are 'crorepatis'; how big is the wealth gap

In Puducherry’s assembly elections, attention is turning not just to the political fight, but also to the wealth of the candidates. Many of those contesting are "crorepatis," with some declaring very high personal assets, making finances a key talking point in the polls.Out of the 291 candidates analysed by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), as many as 119, or 41%, have declared assets exceeding Rs 1 crore, underlining the growing presence of wealth in electoral politics. The total declared assets of all candidates stand at Rs 2,099 crore, with an average of Rs 7.21 crore per candidate. Party-wise trends also highlight the concentration of wealth. Among major parties, all 16 candidates from the All India NR Congress and all 10 BJP candidates analysed are crorepatis. Similarly, 11 out of 12 DMK candidates and 17 out of 21 Congress candidates have declared assets above Rs 1 crore.The analysis also shows that wealth among candidates has increased compared to previous elections. In 2021, only 23% of candidates were crorepatis, a figure that has now risen to 41% in 2026. At the very top of the wealth ladder is Jose Charles Martin, contesting from Kamaraj Nagar. Martin, who founded the Latchiya Jananayaka Katchi (LJK), has total declared assets amounting to Rs 6,09,09,25,584. His wealth includes movable assets worth Rs 3,39,34,93,484 and immovable assets valued at Rs 2,69,74,32,100.He is followed by Puducherry BJP president VP Ramalingam from Raj Bhavan constituency, who has declared assets worth Rs 1,15,62,29,179. Home minister A Namassivayam, also from the BJP and contesting from Mannadipet, ranks third with assets totalling Rs 85,46,14,473. Beyond the top three, several other candidates also feature prominently among the wealthiest. G Nehru alias Couppoussamy of Neyam Makkal Kazhagam has declared assets worth Rs 77,00,50,328, while BJP’s GNS Rajasekaran has assets totalling Rs 68,33,78,507. A Johnkumar from the BJP follows with Rs 59,78,13,050.Candidates from the All India NR Congress also appear among the wealthiest, 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.At the other end of the spectrum, the data reveals stark contrasts. Three candidates, 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, has declared assets of just Rs 300. L Manivannan from Ariankuppam follows with Rs 2,000, while S Amutha from Orleampeth has declared Rs 7,618.The distribution of wealth among candidates further reflects this divide. While 62 candidates (21%) have assets of Rs 5 crore and above, another 63 candidates (22%) have assets below Rs 10 lakh. A significant number, 79 candidates (27%), fall in the Rs 10 lakh to Rs 50 lakh range, while 64 candidates (22%) have assets between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 2 crore.Over 9.4 lakh voters will determine the fate of the 294 candidates when polling takes place on April 9. Counting of votes in the Union territory will be held on May 4, along with Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.The Puducherry legislative assembly has 33 seats, of which elections are conducted for 30. The remaining three members are nominated by the central government.