Bengaluru: Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar (DKS) is the richest MLA in the country, with assets worth Rs. 1,413 crore, according to a report from the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW).

That’s not all. Karnataka MLAs dominate the list of richest Legislators in the country, with 12 in the top 20. ADR report says that 14 percent of the Karnataka MLAs are billionaires (worth Rs. 100 crore), the highest in the country and the average asset of the Legislators is Rs. 64.3 crore.

In the list, the top three slots are taken by Karnataka MLAs. The second richest is an independent Legislator and businessman K.H. Puttaswamy Gowda, valued at Rs. 1,267 crore and has liabilities of a mere Rs. 5 crore.

The third richest is the youngest Congress MLA in Karnataka Assembly Priyakrishna. The 39-year-old has declared assets of Rs. 1,156 crore. The advocacy group has analysed 4,001 sitting MLAs from 28 State Assemblies and two Union territories.

In his 2023 affidavit, filed before the Election Commission, Shivakumar had disclosed that he has a total of Rs. 273 crore in immovable assets and Rs.  1,140 crore in movable assets.

DKS’s liabilities are Rs. 265 crore. Gowda has Rs. 990 crore in immovable assets and Rs. 276 crore in movable assets.

Interestingly, Priyakrishna also holds the record in the list of Legislators from across the country for having the highest liabilities of Rs. 881 crore.

His father M. Krishnappa featured on the list of top billionaires in Karnataka at number 18. The other MLA from Karnataka who is on the list is mining baron Gali Janardhana Reddy at No. 23.

The poorest MLA is Nirmal Kumar Dhara from Indus Constituency in West Bengal, with an asset of Rs. 1,700 and no liabilities.

The poorest MLA who was elected to the Karnataka Assembly is BJP’s Bhagirathi Murulya, who has declared assets of Rs. 28 lakh and Rs. 2 lakh of liabilities.