The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has released a report detailing the assets, liabilities, income and educational qualifications of the Chief Ministers of all 28 states and three Union Territories. According to the report, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu is the wealthiest Chief Minister in North India, followed by Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini.
According to the ADR report, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has declared total assets worth Rs 7.81 crore, while his liabilities stand at around Rs 22 lakh. His annual income is reported to be Rs 17 lakh, and he is also a pensioner. The report states that the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister is a postgraduate with a law degree. ADR has also noted that four criminal cases are pending against Sukhu. In his affidavit filed for the 2022 Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections, he declared assets worth over Rs 7.81 crore, including agricultural land valued at around Rs 24 lakh. His declaration also included Rs 2 lakh in cash, LIC investments, bank deposits, gold and silver jewellery, vehicles and other movable assets worth around Rs 5 crore. Among the vehicles listed in his affidavit are an Alto and a Mahindra Scorpio.
While Sukhu is the richest Chief Minister in North India, he ranks sixth among the wealthiest Chief Ministers in the country. The ADR report notes that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is among those ranked above him. At the other end of the list, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has declared assets worth Rs 55 lakh, making him the least wealthy Chief Minister covered in the report.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini is the second richest Chief Minister in North India, with declared assets worth Rs 5.80 crore and liabilities of around Rs 74 lakh. According to ADR, Saini earns an annual income of approximately Rs 13 lakh and also owns a stone crusher business.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta ranks third in North India with total declared assets worth Rs 5.31 crore and liabilities of Rs 1.20 crore. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has declared assets worth Rs 4.64 crore, while Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has declared assets worth Rs 1.54 crore, according to the report. The report also triggered political reactions. BJP MLA from Dharamshala Sudhir Sharma took a swipe at Sukhu on social media, writing, “Those who had high hopes for you should complain, but we never trusted you.” Dharamshala Municipal Corporation councillor Praveen Prakash Sharma also reacted, posting, “May God grant such blessings to everyone.”
Sukhu’s wife, Kamlesh Thakur, who represents the Dehra Assembly constituency, declared assets worth Rs 9.14 crore in her affidavit filed for the 2024 Assembly by-election. Her declaration included movable assets worth Rs 90.88 lakh and immovable assets worth Rs 8.23 crore. The affidavit also states that some of these assets are jointly held with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and their two daughters.
Kamlesh Thakur’s affidavit lists gold and jewellery worth Rs 20.70 lakh, a flat in New Chandigarh valued at Rs 51.79 lakh, a HIMUDA flat in Chhota Shimla, and land holdings in Nadaun, Shimla and Baddi (Solan district). She separately declared immovable assets worth Rs 2.91 crore and movable assets worth Rs 54.65 lakh. According to the affidavit, Chief Minister Sukhu has also declared immovable assets worth Rs 5.31 crore and movable assets worth Rs 3.12 crore. (Representative Image)
The ADR report provides a comparative snapshot of the financial disclosures made by Chief Ministers across India based on their election affidavits and other publicly available declarations, offering an overview of their assets, liabilities, income and educational qualifications.
