New Delhi, May 17 -- Nearly half of the ministers in Bihar's newly reconstituted cabinet have declared criminal cases against themselves, and nine in ten are crorepatis, according to an analysis of self-sworn affidavits released on Friday by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Bihar Election Watch, following chief minister Samrat Choudhary's cabinet reconstitution last week. "Out of 31 ministers analysed, 15 or 48% have declared criminal cases against themselves, while nine or 29%, have declared serious criminal cases against themselves," the ADR report has revealed, adding that the analysis report was based on affidavits submitted by candidates prior to 2025 Bihar Assembly elections and Bihar Legislative Council elections. The analysis excluded two BJP ministers, Ashok Chaudhary of JD(U) and Dr Pramod Kumar, both nominated members of the Bihar Legislative Council, as they were not required to submit affidavits to Election Commission of India (ECI). Besides, Deepak Prakash of Rashtriya Lok Morcha and Nishant Kumar of JD(U) were excluded because they are not members of either house. "The minister with the highest declared total assets is Rama Nishad, MLA from Aurai constituency of BJP, with assets worth Rs.31.86 crore, while the minister with the lowest declared total assets is Sanjay Kumar, MLA from Bakhri (SC) constituency of Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), with assets worth Rs.22.30 lakh," the report found. Of the 31 ministers, including Choudhary, analysed for the report, 28 or 90% are "crorepatis," with average declared assets of Rs.6.32 crore per minister. A total of 20 ministers or 65% have declared liabilities, with Shweta Gupta, MLA from Sheohar constituency of JD(U), carrying the highest declared liabilities at Rs.4.05 crore. Party-wise, seven of BJP's 15 analysed ministers or 47% have declared criminal cases, while five of JD(U)'s 13 analysed ministers or 38% have done so. Both ministers from Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and the sole minister from Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) have declared criminal cases, making their respective tallies 100% within their party contingents in the cabinet. Among more serious disclosures, Sribhagwan Singh Kushwaha, MLA from Jagdishpur constituency of JD(U), faces charges related to 'attempt to murder and murder,' with the matter pending before the Patna High Court. Meanwhile, Mithilesh Tiwari, MLA from Baikunthpur constituency of BJP, is charged with 'criminal breach of trust by a public servant and forgery.' "Of all 35 ministers, five or 14% are women," the report stated, adding that 22 ministers or 71% have declared graduate-level or higher qualifications, while eight or 26% declared qualifications between Class 10 and Class 12, and one minister holds a diploma. On age, 25 of the analysed ministers or 81% are between 51 and 80 years, while six or 19% are between 30 and 50 years. The findings cut across party lines in the coalition cabinet. ADR, which has tracked candidate affidavits each election cycle for over two decades based exclusively on self-declared data submitted to ECI, releases such reports to enable voters to make informed choices and highlight the growing criminalisation of politics and increased misuse of money in elections....