Tamil Nadu: 404 candidates have serious criminal cases, nearly double from last polls

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The proportion of candidates with serious criminal cases in Tamil Nadu elections, charged with offences carrying penalties of five years or more, has nearly doubled, from 6% in 2021 to 10% in 2026. The number has gone up to 404 candidates (10%), from 207 (6%) in 2021. 

The wealth picture is even more striking. Average candidate assets have tripled, from Rs 1.72 crore in 2021 to Rs 5.17 crore this year. The total declared wealth of all 3,992 analysed candidates stands at a staggering Rs 20,678 crore. The proportion of millionaire (total assets of 1 crore or more) candidates has risen from 18% to 25%.

Against this backdrop, three names dominate the public conversation: actor-turned-politician Vijay, Chief Minister and DMK chief MK Stalin, and Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin. But Tamil Nadu polls in 2026 is not a three-candidate election. It is a field of 4,023 people, from billionaires to a man who owns Rs 15, from a three-time Chief Minister who switched sides to the widow of a murdered Dalit activist running for justice.

The numbers that tell the story

Out of 3,992 candidates analysed by the NGO, Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), 722 (18%) have declared criminal cases against themselves — up from 466 (13%) out of 3,559 candidates in 2021. It must, however, be noted that this includes cases filed during protests, etc., that politicians are routinely part of.

What is alarming is the subset of serious criminal cases. That number nearly doubled in five years to 404 candidates (10%), from 207 (6%) in 2021. 

‘Serious criminal case’ under ADR's framework covers offences for which the maximum punishment is five years or more; non-bailable, cognisable offences; electoral offences; offences related to loss to the exchequer; assault, murder, kidnapping, and rape; offences under Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act; offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act; and crimes against women and children.

Thirteen candidates have declared cases related to murder under the Indian Penal Code Section 302. Forty-four candidates have declared cases related to the attempt to murder. Eighteen have declared cases related to crimes against women. These are not allegations but are self-declared by the candidates themselves on oath before the Election Commission.

The financial picture is equally striking. Of the 3,992 candidates, 981 (25%) are millionaires — a 7% rise from 2021. Twenty-two candidates are billionaires with assets exceeding Rs 100 crore.

The criminalisation crisis: Party by party

All the major parties have candidates with serious criminal cases. The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leads 60 out of 170 (35%) with serious criminal cases, which is the highest serious-case rate among all major parties. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)], contesting just five seats, has no candidate with serious charges.

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has 32 out of 175 candidates (18%) with serious cases. The Indian National Congress (INC) has five out of 28 (18%) with serious cases. Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has 43 candidates out of 231 (19%) with serious cases. 

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has nine out of 33 (27%) candidates with serious charges. Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) has six out of 18 (33%) candidates with serious cases. Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) has five candidates out of 10 (50%) with criminal cases and one out of 10 (10%) serious. The Communist Party of India (CPI) has three candidates out of five (60%) with criminal cases, one (20%) serious.

Jayaram Venkatesan, state coordinator of Arappor Iyakkam, said, "The directions of the Supreme Court have had no effect on the political parties in the selection of candidates in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections 2026, as they have again followed their old practice of giving tickets to around 18% candidates with criminal cases. All major parties contesting have given tickets to 40% to 80% candidates who have declared criminal cases against themselves." 

He added that the purpose of releasing the report is to ensure citizens are well-informed about their candidates before casting their votes.

The Supreme Court's 2020 directive required parties to publicly justify with reference to qualifications and merit, not just "winnability", why they chose someone with a criminal record. ADR found that parties continued to give hollow, boilerplate justifications: ‘cases are politically motivated’, ‘does good social work’, and ‘popular person’.

Red alert constituencies

Of Tamil Nadu's 234 constituencies, 135 (58%) are classified as Red Alert — defined as having three or more candidates with declared criminal cases in the same seat. The worst-affected constituencies include Tirunelveli (nine candidates with criminal cases out of 20), Thirupparankundram in Madurai (eight out of 15), and Karur (eight out of 79). Perambur, where Vijay is contesting, and Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni, where Udhayanidhi Stalin is seeking re-election, are both Red Alert seats.

Education, age and gender: A profile of the field

1,822 candidates (46%) hold graduate degrees or above. 1,711 (43%) studied between Class 5 and Class 12. There are 301 diploma holders, 95 who declared themselves illiterate, 56 who are merely literate, and seven who have not disclosed their qualifications — all of them contesting seats in a legislature that shapes the lives of 8 crore people.

Age: 1,424 (36%) are between 25 and 40 years old; 2,034 (51%) are between 41 and 60 years old; 526 (13%) are between 61 and 80 years old; and eight are above 80 years old. Duraimurugan at 87, is the oldest active candidate.

Gender: Women candidates account for 442 (11%) of the total — identical to 2021's 11%. The sole exception is NTK, which fielded an exact 50-50 split. INC fielded just two women out of 28 candidates (7%). Independents overall had a 7% women ratio.

Vijay: The Rs 648 crore debutant

No candidate in Tamil Nadu 2026 has generated more attention than actor Vijay, who formally stepped away from cinema to lead the TVK. His affidavit makes him the second-richest candidate in the entire election. He has declared total assets of Rs 648.86 crore — movable assets of Rs 426.20 crore and immovable assets of Rs 222.65 crore. His income declared in the 2024–25 ITR is Rs 184.53 crore, derived from self-employment, interest, and rental income from properties — the highest declared income of any candidate in these elections. 

He is overtaken in wealth only by AIADMK's Leema Rose Martin from Lalgudi, whose declared assets stand at Rs 5,863 crore, though Leema Rose also carries liabilities of Rs 340 crore. For a further point of comparison: Vijay's declared assets are approximately 66 times greater than those of the serving Chief Minister.

TVK has also fielded another billionaire: Aadhav Arjuna from Villivakkam, Chennai, the third richest in the state at Rs 534.90 crore, is involved in a direct clash at Villivakkam with DMK's Karthik Mohan (Rs 346 crore and second highest liabilities in the election at Rs 144 crore), making that constituency one of the wealthiest single-seat contests in Tamil Nadu's history.

Udhayanidhi Stalin: Nine cases, a court order, and the stakes of dynasty

Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin (48) contests Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni for a second term with declared total assets of Rs 33.92 crore (movable Rs 26.20 crore, immovable Rs 7.72 crore), placing him 84th in overall wealth.

He has declared nine pending criminal cases carrying 20 serious IPC charges and 11 other charges spread across them. All the cases originate from his September 2023 speech calling for the "eradication of Sanatana Dharma," with FIRs filed across UP, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Bihar, Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh. No case has reached the stage of charges being framed.

O Panneerselvam: The former CM now in DMK colours

One of the most remarkable political reversals in this election is that of O Panneerselvam (OPS) (75), who served as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister three times under AIADMK and was once the party's most trusted loyalist. He is now contesting from Bodinayakkanur in Theni, on a DMK ticket. His years of bitter internal conflict with Edappadi Palaniswami, culminating in his ejection from AIADMK, ended with him in the tent of his former rivals.

Seeman (60), the theatrically combative leader of Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK), is contesting from Karaikudi in Sivaganga district. His affidavit records 24 pending criminal cases – the highest among all prominent party leaders in this election – with six serious IPC charges and 13 serious BNS charges.

His case list includes two charges of sedition under IPC Section 124A – among the most serious political charges possible – and charges of voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant, promoting enmity between groups, and multiple rioting and unlawful assembly offences.

His declared assets are a relatively modest Rs 3.83 crore. NTK remains the only party in this entire election to have fielded an exactly equal split of 117 male and 117 female candidates across all 234 seats.

The candidate with the most cases

The candidate with the most declared criminal cases in this entire election is Thachai Ganesaraja, AIADMK candidate from Tirunelveli. He has declared 32 pending criminal cases — though none involve serious IPC charges. He is also one of the wealthiest candidates in his district with assets of Rs 158.48 crore.

Right behind him is AIADMK's MR Vijayabhaskar from Karur with 31 pending cases carrying eight serious IPC and two serious BNS charges, including kidnapping, forgery for cheating, cheating, and criminal intimidation. His declared assets are Rs 18.56 crore.

The wealth architecture

Among parties, the billionaire count is led by TVK with eight, followed by DMK (7), AIADMK (3), INC (2), PMK (1), and AMMK (1). Among the millionaire candidates overall, DMK leads in absolute numbers at 170, followed by AIADMK (160) and TVK (156). The BJP has 31; Congress has 27; PMK has 16; DMDK has 10; and CPI has three candidates. DMDK stands out for fielding 100% millionaire candidates — all 10 of them. 

Party-wise average assets: AIADMK candidates average Rs 53.02 crore each; INC Rs 27.37 crore; DMK Rs 21.37 crore; TVK Rs 16.04 crore. Only CPI candidates average below Rs 3 crore.

The top 10 wealthiest candidates in descending order: Leema Rose Martin-AIADMK (Rs 5,863 crore), Vijay-TVK (Rs 648 crore), Aadhav Arjuna-TVK (Rs 534 crore), Dr Esakki Subaya-AIADMK (Rs 419 crore), Karthik Mohan-DMK (Rs 346 crore), D Mathiazhagan-DMK (Rs 304 crore), VG Raajendran-DMK (Rs 259 crore), KR Jayaram-AIADMK (Rs 172 crore), K Nithyanandhan-DMK (Rs 170 crore), and Murughan RS-TVK (Rs 158 crore).

At the absolute opposite end of the spectrum stands Maheshkumar N, an independent candidate (33), from Tiruchengodu in Namakkal district. His declared assets: Rs 15 in movable property. No immovable assets.

ADR closes its report with reform demands it has pressed for across election cycles. This includes permanent disqualification for those convicted of heinous crimes — murder, rape, kidnapping, and dacoity; pre-conviction disqualification for those with charges framed for offences carrying 5+ years' imprisonment, where the case was filed at least six months before the election; and cancellation of tax exemptions for parties that field tainted candidates. 

Tamil Nadu votes on April 23. Votes will be counted on May 4.