Sanatan Mahakud is Richest MLA, 73% Newly Elected Odisha MLAs are Crorepatis

Bhubaneswar: Out of the 147 newly elected MLAs of Odisha, 73% are ‘crorepatis’, stated a report of Odisha Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). BJD’s Champua MLA Sanatan Mahakud is the richest legislator with assets worth Rs 227.67 crore.

This report analyzed the self-sworn affidavits of all 147 elected MLA candidates.

As per the report, 65% MLAs elected in 2019 polls were crorepatis.

Out of 107 crorepati MLAs elected in 2024, a total of 52 candidates are from the BJP, 43 from the BJD, 9 from the Congress, 1 from the CPI (M) and 2 independent candidates.

In the recently concluded Assembly polls in Odisha, the BJP is all set to form the government by winning 78 Assembly seats while BJD has won in 51, Congress 14, as well as three independent winners, and CPI (M) with one seat.

The average assets per winning candidate in the Odisha Assembly elections is Rs 7.37 crore while it was Rs 4.41 crore in the 2019 Assembly elections.

While Sanatan Mahakud (BJD) is the richest MLA in Odisha, BJD’s Subasini Jena, who won from Balasore, is the second richest MLA with total assets of Rs 135.17 crore.

BJP’s Sanjali Murmu having assets worth only Rs 35,076, won from the Bangriposi Assembly seat. The other MLAs with low assets were the Congress candidate Mangu Khilla (Rs 1.47 lakh) from Chitrakonda assembly segment and Congress’ Pabitra Saunta (Rs 2.90 lakh) who won from Lakshmipur Assembly constituency, the report said.