The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) tops the category with 68% (15) of its winning candidates having criminal cases against them, compared to 33% (16) of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s newly-elected legislators
Of the 70 newly elected MLAs, 31 have criminal cases filed against them, as per the latest report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) tops the category with 68% (15) of its winning candidates having criminal cases against them, compared to 33% (16) of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s newly-elected legislators.
The BJP on Saturday secured a decisive victory in the Delhi elections by winning 48 of 70 seats, against the AAP’s tally of 22.
The financial disparities among winners are stark, as per the ADR report. BJP MLAs are significantly wealthier, with an average asset value of Rs 28.59 crore —more than three times the average assets of AAP winners at Rs 7.74 crore. Among the wealthiest, three BJP winners are billionaires: Karnail Singh (Rs 259.67 crore), Manjinder Singh Sirsa (Rs 248.85 crore), and Parvesh Sahib Singh (Rs 115.63 crore). By contrast, AAP’s Sanjeev Jha from Burari reported the lowest assets at just Rs 14.47 lakh.
The ADR report on the Delhi Assembly Elections 2025 highlights that 24% of the winning candidates (17) face serious charges — 45% (10) of AAP MLAs and 15% (7) of BJP winners. Serious criminal cases include offences that are non-bailable, carry a maximum punishment of five years or more, or relate to crimes such as murder, kidnapping, and crimes against women and children.
When compared to previous Assembly elections, the proportion of winners with criminal cases has declined — from 61% (43) in 2020 to 44% (31) in 2025. Similarly, the number of winners facing serious charges has dropped from 53% (37) in 2020 to 24% (17) this year.
In terms of education, 64% (45) of winners have qualifications at the graduate level or higher, with 23 candidates holding postgraduate degrees and one possessing a doctorate. However, 33% (23) of candidates declared their educational attainment as between 5th and 12th pass.
The Assembly also remains predominantly male, with only 7% (5) of 70 female leaders getting elected — a decline from 2020 when female members accounted for 11% (8) of the total strength of the Assembly.
The age distribution shows that 67% (47) of winners are between 41 and 60, while 20% (14) are aged 61 or older. The youngest winner, BJP’s Umang Bajaj, is 31, while the oldest, Tilak Ram Gupta of BJP, is 73.
