Contrary to expectations and perceptions, Indian chief ministers are relatively poor. Just about half of the 30 individuals, who rule the States and Union Territories, possess wealth ranging between Rs 1 crore and Rs 10 crore. Such figures match with most of the urban middle-class families that own a house in the megapolises. The market price of a reasonable-size house in Delhi, Mumbai or Bengaluru is more than a crore of rupees.
Although such households struggle with daily expenses, in terms of wealth, they are as rich or richer than the chief ministers (CMs). The difference: CMs are entitled to official accommodations, vehicles, tour and travel reimbursements, medical benefits and pensions, among other perks and allowances. Not to forget most of the official expenses are taken care of by the state exchequer.
In terms of personal wealth, only three CMs have assets of over Rs 50 crore each; the third barely manages to cross the figure. Almost a third of them are reasonably rich. Their riches range between Rs 11 crore and Rs 49 crore. The richest trio includes Chandrababu Naidu (Rs 932 crore) of Andhra Pradesh, Pema Khandu (Rs 333 crore) of Arunachal Pradesh and Siddaramaiah (Rs 52 crore) of Karnataka. Among the second creamy layer are Neiphiu Rio (Rs 47 crore) of Nagaland, Mohan Yadav (Rs 42 crore) of Madhya Pradesh, N Rangasamy (Rs 38 crore) of Puducherry and Anumula Revanth Reddy (Rs 30 crore) of Telangana.
Of the top 10 wealthy CMs, it is ironic that eight belong to the smaller states. Even more intriguing: Four of the eight rule the states in the Northeast. Some of the rulers of new states, which were born in this century, figure among the top 10. Apart from Naidu and Revanth Reddy, it includes Hemant Soren (Rs 25 crore) of Jharkhand. Bigger states may be rich in terms of GDP or per capita, but their CMs are no match in front of the smaller counterparts. While we talk about the North-South divide, the Northeast is ahead.
The financial background of a politician is obviously a matter of immense interest, and intense debate. The above analysis, which is based on the election affidavits from the respective last-held polls, was recently released by the election watchdog, Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). It states that the average asset per chief minister stands at Rs 54.42 crores, and their average self-income is Rs 13 lakh. The combined asset base of the 30 CMs amounts to Rs 1,632 crore. If one takes out the top three, the others have assets of just over Rs 300 crore. Incidentally, the average salary of a chief minister works out to Rs 2.2 lakh a month.
It can be argued that self-declaration of assets or building wealth simply on official income, especially in the case of a ‘neta,’ is utopian. But information about a public figure’s assets does ignite reactions. It is about perception, which creates a narrative among the masses. Consider Naidu, who is invariably attired in clean, crisp clothes. When dressed in pristine white, he dons a sleeveless jacket in a darker shade for the benefit of TV cameras. He is perceived as more urban-centric, although his policies shifted from tech-oriented to pro-poor. His salary is Rs 4 lakh a month, which is peanuts compared to his assets. Data meets the perception.
In comparison, West Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee has projected an image of a commoner. Her assets reflect it. Her residence at 30 B, Harish Chatterjee Street, Kolkata, is a humble abode. Every monsoon, swirling waters spew out of an adjoining canal, where the two-storied house is situated. Before she became the chief minister in 2011, when the address was comparatively easier to access, she was seen wading through ankle-deep water after heavy showers.
Even though she has ruled the state continuously for three terms and 14 years, she has refused to relocate to an official accommodation. Security details have been increased in the narrow lane housing her family’s abode. According to the ADR report, Mamata declared assets of a mere Rs 15 lakh, with no immovable properties in her name. Her salary: Rs 2.1 lakh a month. Although her monthly income may be on the higher side, her assets may be lower than many of our readers, and most urban middle-class homes.
The report includes Mamata among the three poorest CMs. She was below Omar Abdullah (Rs 55.2 lakh) of Jammu and Kashmir, and Pinarayi Vijayan (Rs 1.2 crore) of Kerala. The financial backgrounds of netas are woven into their personalities. In these times of public-relation strategies, statistics-based tactics, careful image makeovers and narrative building at the hustings, perception matters.
The author is a senior journalist with over three decades experience across print, TV and digital media