As West Bengal gears up for its two-phase Assembly Elections on April 23 and April 29, a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has flagged a striking trend – several candidates contesting the 294-seat assembly are carrying liabilities running into tens of crores, with at least one candidate’s debts exceeding his declared assets.
The ADR analysis cuts across party lines, with candidates from both the ruling All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) featuring among the top 10 most indebted contestants. Topping the list is AITC’s Ahmed Javed Khan from Kasba in South 24 Parganas, whose declared liabilities of over Rs 43 crore outstrip his total assets of around Rs 39 crore, a gap that raises pointed questions about financial transparency ahead of the May 4 counting day.
Top 10 candidates with the highest liabilities
WB Elections 2026: Top 10 Candidates by Declared Liabilities
Top 10 List Party Split Key Findings
Declared liabilities — exact figures from ADR affidavit data
#
Candidate
Constituency
Liabilities (Rs)
1
Ahmed Javed Khan
AITC
Kasba, S 24 Pgs
43,72,40,035
2
Somenath Shyam Ichini
AITC
Jagatdal, N 24 Pgs
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
Source: Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). Based on candidate affidavit declarations for WB Assembly Elections 2026.
Party
AITC
BJP
6
AITC in Top 10
4
BJP in Top 10
1
Liabilities Exceed Assets
AITC Candidates in Top 10
Candidate
Liabilities (Rs)
Ahmed Javed Khan
Kasba
43,72,40,035
Somenath Shyam Ichini
Jagatdal
40,37,42,830
Anisur Rahaman Bidesh
Deganga
9,17,59,725
Soham Chakraborty
Karimpur
6,24,87,681
Ratna Chatterjee
Behala Paschim
5,46,42,979
Indranil Sen
Chandannagar
4,56,31,654
BJP Candidates in Top 10
Candidate
Liabilities (Rs)
Dipankar Jana
Kakdwip
10,27,44,080
Dr. Priyanka Tibrewal
Entally
5,87,21,074
Palash Rana
Raidighi
5,57,57,040
Santosh Kumar Pathak
Chowrangee
5,50,53,604
Source: ADR. WB Assembly Elections 2026 — Phase 1: April 23, Phase 2: April 29. Results: May 4.
ADR Report Highlight
Liabilities exceed assets in the top-ranked case
AITC’s Ahmed Javed Khan (Kasba) declared liabilities of Rs 43.72 crore against total assets of Rs 39.53 crore — making his liabilities higher than his declared wealth, a notable transparency concern flagged by ADR.
1
AITC dominates the liability list
6 of the top 10 candidates with highest liabilities are from the All India Trinamool Congress, with the top two positions held by AITC candidates from the 24 Parganas districts.
2
BJP accounts for 4 of the top 10
BJP candidates from Kakdwip, Entally, Raidighi, and Chowrangee feature in the top 10 — all with liabilities between Rs 5.50 crore and Rs 10.27 crore.
3
Kolkata and 24 Parganas dominate geographically
A majority of high-liability candidates are contesting from constituencies in and around Kolkata and the North and South 24 Parganas districts, reflecting the concentration of high-value assets and debts in urban Bengal.
4
Liabilities are a key — often ignored — financial metric
ADR’s report draws attention to declared liabilities as a critical but underreported aspect of candidate financial profiles. High liabilities can include bank loans, disputed dues, and other outstanding obligations.
Express InfoGenIE | Financial Express
According to the ADR report, AITC candidate Ahmed Javed Khan from Kasba constituency in South 24 Parganas has the highest declared liabilities. The report revealed that his liabilities are exceeding Rs 43 crore, slightly higher than his total declared assets of around Rs 39 crore.
Close behind is AITC candidate Somenath Shyam Ichini from Jagatdal in North 24 Parganas, with liabilities exceeding Rs 40 crore.
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BJP, AITC candidates feature prominently
The list cuts across party lines, with candidates from both the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) featuring among those with the highest liabilities.
BJP candidate Dipankar Jana from Kakdwip has over Rs 10.3 crore in liabilities, including disputed dues. AITC candidate Anisur Rahaman Bidesh from Deganga has over Rs 9 crore and AITC candidate Soham Chakraborty from Karimpur has over Rs 6 crore.
Kolkata and the surrounding districts dominate the list
According to the ADR data, a notable trend is the concentration of such candidates in and around Kolkata and adjoining districts like North and South 24 Parganas.
Candidates such as Dr. Priyanka Tibrewal (BJP, Entally), Palash Rana (BJP, Raidighi), and Santosh Kumar Pathak (BJP, Chowrangee) have liabilities of Rs 5.87 cr, Rs 5.57 cr and Rs 5.50 cr, respectively.
Similarly, AITC candidate Ratna Chatterjee from Behala Paschim has over Rs 5 crore. Indranil Sen (AITC, Chandannagar) also featured on the list with liabilities exceeding Rs 4.5 crore.
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What the numbers indicate
The ADR report reveals often overlooked aspect of elections that is the liabilities and not just assets that shape the financial profile of candidates. In some cases, liabilities even exceed declared assets, raising questions about financial transparency and the nature of debts held by candidates.
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