As West Bengal gears up for the 2026 Assembly elections, a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms has highlighted a key concern — several candidates are contesting with massive liabilities, in some cases exceeding their declared assets.
The analysis spans all 294 constituencies and includes candidates from both the All India Trinamool Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party. Topping the list is Ahmed Javed Khan from Kasba, with liabilities above Rs 43 crore, exceeding his assets of around Rs 39 crore. He is followed by Somenath Shyam Ichini with over Rs 40 crore in liabilities.
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Among BJP candidates, Dipankar Jana has declared over Rs 10 crore in debt. Others on the list include Anisur Rahaman Bidesh, Soham Chakraborty, and Dr. Priyanka Tibrewal.
The report notes a concentration of such candidates in and around Kolkata. It also stresses that liabilities, not just assets, are crucial in evaluating financial transparency in elections.
| # | Candidate | Party | Constituency | Liabilities (Rs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ahmed Javed Khan | AITC | Kasba, South 24 Parganas | 43,72,40,035 |
| 2 | Somenath Shyam Ichini | AITC | Jagatdal, North 24 Parganas | 40,37,42,830 |
| 3 | Dipankar Jana | BJP | Kakdwip | 10,27,44,080 |
| 4 | Anisur Rahaman Bidesh | AITC | Deganga | 9,17,59,725 |
| 5 | Soham Chakraborty | AITC | Karimpur | 6,24,87,681 |
| 6 | Dr. Priyanka Tibrewal | BJP | Entally | 5,87,21,074 |
| 7 | Palash Rana | BJP | Raidighi | 5,57,57,040 |
| 8 | Santosh Kumar Pathak | BJP | Chowrangee | 5,50,53,604 |
| 9 | Ratna Chatterjee | AITC | Behala Paschim | 5,46,42,979 |
| 10 | Indranil Sen | AITC | Chandannagar | 4,56,31,654 |
