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ECI Candidate Affidavits 2026 — Find Any MP/MLA Assets + Cases

ECI candidate affidavits — RTI Wiki guide 2026

Quick Reply: How to find any Indian candidate's ECI affidavit — assets, liabilities, criminal cases, education. Election Commission of India portal walkthrough + RTI escalation.

Quick answer. Every Indian candidate for Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, State Legislative Assembly, and State Legislative Council must file a sworn affidavit with the Election Commission of India (ECI) disclosing: criminal cases, assets, liabilities, education, and family-member assets. These affidavits are public and accessible at affidavit.eci.gov.in. To find any sitting MP / MLA / Rajya Sabha member's affidavit: open the portal → pick StateElection yearConstituencyCandidate name. The full PDF affidavit downloads. Cross-reference with MyNeta (myneta.info) and ADR (Association for Democratic Reforms) for cleaner summaries. If a candidate's data is missing or appears falsified, file an RTI to the Returning Officer (Constituency RO) or to the ECI Secretariat under §6(1) RTI Act 2005.

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What an ECI affidavit contains

Filed under Section 33A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 + ECI guidelines, every affidavit must declare:

  • Criminal cases — pending cases (charges framed), convictions, ongoing trials.
  • Assets (movable + immovable):
    • Cash in hand
    • Bank deposits
    • Bonds, mutual funds, equity (with company names)
    • Vehicles
    • Jewellery (with weight + value)
    • Land, residential, commercial property (with address + value)
  • Liabilities — loans, tax dues, government dues.
  • Income — last 5 years' Income Tax Returns.
  • Education — institution, year, qualification.
  • Spouse's assets — same level of detail.
  • Dependent children's assets (if minor).

False declaration is punishable under Section 125A RPA 1951 with imprisonment up to 6 months + fine.

How to find any candidate's affidavit

Method 1 — ECI portal (primary source)

  1. Pick Election Type (Lok Sabha / State Assembly / Rajya Sabha / State Council).
  2. Pick Year.
  3. Pick State.
  4. Browse ConstituencyCandidate.
  5. Click candidate name → download the affidavit PDF.

Method 2 — MyNeta (citizen-friendly)

  1. Search by candidate name OR pick state → constituency.
  2. MyNeta shows: criminal cases (yes/no + charges), wealth growth between elections, education, attendance in legislature, debate participation.
  3. Click “Affidavit” tab to see the source PDF.

Method 3 — ADR Reports

  1. Look up Election Watch reports for any election year.
  2. Reports analyse: % of candidates with criminal cases, average assets, education distribution, party-wise ranking.

How to read an affidavit

  1. Page 1 — Personal details: name, address, party, age.
  2. Page 2 — Criminal: list pending cases (FIR no, IPC sections, court).
  3. Page 3-5 — Movable assets: bank deposits per branch, equity holdings per company, jewellery breakdown.
  4. Page 6-10 — Immovable assets: each property with address, area, value.
  5. Page 11+ — Spouse / family assets in same format.
  6. Last page — Liabilities and 5-year ITR data.

If a candidate's affidavit is missing or wrong

Step 1 — File RTI to Returning Officer (RO)

For pre-poll affidavits, the Returning Officer of that constituency is the public authority. RTI in this format:

To the Returning Officer, [Constituency Name],
Under §6(1) RTI Act 2005, please furnish:
1. Affidavit of [Candidate Name] filed for [Election Year] from [Constituency].
2. Date of filing.
3. Date of public uploading on ECI portal.
4. Action, if any, taken on Form 26 verification.

Step 2 — File RTI to ECI Secretariat

If the RO doesn't have the data or has shifted, the ECI Secretariat in Delhi holds the master copy. Address:

CPIO, Election Commission of India, Nirvachan Sadan, Ashoka Road, New Delhi - 110001

Timeline: 30 days under §7(1) RTI Act 2005.

Comparison: ECI portal vs MyNeta vs ADR

Feature ECI Portal MyNeta ADR
Source Primary (govt) Aggregator Analytical reports
Search ease Slow, multi-step Fast, single-search Static reports
Wealth growth comparison No Yes (5-yr trend) Aggregated
Attendance + debate data No Yes Aggregated
Criminal cases analysis Raw PDF Structured Statistical
Best use Original source Citizen lookup Research / media

Frequently asked questions

Are ECI affidavits public?

Yes — under §4(1)(b)(xii) RTI Act 2005 + ECI's own transparency guidelines, candidate affidavits are public information and must be uploaded to the ECI portal within 24 hours of submission.

Can I file an RTI for a candidate's spouse's bank statements?

No. The affidavit declares assets but not raw bank statements. RTI to the RO can only reveal what's in the public affidavit. For deeper info, only the Income Tax Department has bank-level data, and that's exempt under §8(1)(j) for personal information unless overridden by §8(2) public interest test.

What if a candidate hides assets?

If you have evidence of undisclosed assets:

  • File a complaint with the District Election Officer (DEO) within 7 days of nomination.
  • File a writ petition in the High Court under §83 RPA 1951.
  • Use ADR / MyNeta discrepancy reports for ammunition.

How are electoral bonds disclosed?

Post the Electoral Bonds judgment of February 15, 2024 (Supreme Court), the State Bank of India (SBI) was directed to disclose all bond purchases and redemptions. The data is now on the ECI portal. Use the ADR v Union of India 2024 case page for full context.

Is education-qualification self-attested or verified?

Self-attested by the candidate in the affidavit. ECI does not verify the degree directly. If you have evidence of a fake degree, file an RTI to the issuing university to confirm enrolment + graduation.

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Sources

  • Election Commission of India — affidavit portal documentation.
  • Section 33A and 125A, Representation of the People Act, 1951.
  • Supreme Court — Union of India v ADR (2002), ADR v UoI (2024 Electoral Bonds).
  • Form 26 — ECI prescribed candidate affidavit format.

Last reviewed: 5 May 2026 — RTI Wiki editorial team.

ECI candidate affidavits: How to access and use election affidavit data

ECI candidate affidavits — complete guide on accessing and using Election Commission of India candidate affidavit data:

  1. Step 1: What are ECI candidate affidavits? (a) the Election Commission of India (ECI) — requires every candidate — contesting elections to the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, and State Assemblies — to file an affidavit — disclosing: (i) the criminal cases (pending and convicted — including the FIR number, the section, the court, and the status), (ii) the assets and liabilities (the movable and immovable assets — of the candidate — and the spouse — and the dependents — and the liabilities — including loans and dues), (iii) the educational qualifications (the highest qualification — and the institution), (iv) the income (the annual income — from all sources — of the candidate — and the spouse — and the dependents), (b) the affidavit is filed — on Form 26 — at the time of nomination — and is sworn before a Magistrate/Notary — and is a public document, © the affidavit is mandatory — and a candidate who fails to file — or files a false affidavit — can be disqualified — under Section 9A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 — and can be prosecuted — under Section 125A of the RPA.
  2. Step 2: How to access ECI candidate affidavits. (a) the ECI publishes the affidavits — on its website — affadavit.eci.gov.in — and the citizen can search — by: (i) the election type (Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, or Assembly), (ii) the state and constituency, (iii) the year, (iv) the candidate name, (b) the ECI also publishes the affidavits — on the Voter Helpline App — and the citizen can access — through the app, © the National Election Watch — and the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) — maintain a database — of the affidavits — at myneta.info — with a user-friendly interface — and the citizen can search — and compare — the candidates, (d) the citizen can also file RTI — with the ECI — to get the affidavit — if it is not available online — or to get the certified copy.
  3. Step 3: How to use the affidavit data. (a) verify the criminal background: (i) check the criminal cases — declared in the affidavit, (ii) cross-verify — with the court records — and the police records — through RTI, (iii) compare — with the previous affidavits — if the candidate has contested before — to check for discrepancies, (b) verify the assets: (i) check the assets declared — in the affidavit, (ii) compare — with the previous affidavits — to check for unusual increase, (iii) cross-verify — with the land records — and the vehicle records — through RTI, © verify the educational qualifications: (i) check the qualification declared — in the affidavit, (ii) cross-verify — with the university — through RTI — or the university's verification portal, (d) verify the income: (i) check the income declared — in the affidavit, (ii) compare — with the ITR — if available — through RTI — with the Income Tax Department, (e) report discrepancies: (i) if the affidavit is false — or incomplete — file a complaint — with the ECI — and the Returning Officer, (ii) file a PIL — in the High Court — or the Supreme Court — for disqualification, (iii) approach the media — to create public awareness.
  4. Step 4: File RTI on ECI candidate affidavits. File RTI with the Election Commission of India (the ECI is a public authority under the RTI Act) asking for: (a) the affidavit: “Provide the certified copy — of the affidavit — filed by [candidate name] — for [election] — in [constituency] — including: (i) the criminal cases, (ii) the assets and liabilities, (iii) the educational qualifications, (iv) the income”, (b) the verification: “Provide the verification report — of the affidavit — filed by [candidate name] — including: (i) whether the ECI verified the affidavit, (ii) the discrepancies found — if any, (iii) the action taken — on the discrepancies”, © the complaints: “Provide the complaints received — against [candidate name] — for false affidavit — and the action taken — and the status”, (d) the disqualification: “Provide the disqualification proceedings — against [candidate name] — for false affidavit — and the order — and the status”, (e) the nomination: “Provide the nomination papers — filed by [candidate name] — including: (i) the nomination form, (ii) the affidavit, (iii) the supporting documents, (iv) the scrutiny report”.
  5. Step 5: Key Supreme Court orders on candidate affidavits. (a) the Association for Democratic Reforms vs Union of India (2002): the Supreme Court directed the ECI — to require the candidates — to disclose: (i) the criminal cases, (ii) the assets and liabilities, (iii) the educational qualifications — in an affidavit — at the time of nomination, (b) the Resurgence India vs Election Commission of India (2013): the Supreme Court held that: (i) the affidavit is mandatory, (ii) a candidate who leaves the affidavit blank — or files a false affidavit — can be disqualified, (iii) the ECI must verify the affidavit — and take action — on the discrepancies, © the Lok Prahari vs Election Commission of India (2018): the Supreme Court directed that: (i) the candidates must disclose the assets — of the spouse — and the dependents — and the Hindu Undivided Family, (ii) the candidates must disclose the sources of income — and the business interests, (d) the Public Interest Foundation vs Union of India (2019): the Supreme Court directed that: (i) the candidates must disclose the criminal cases — in the affidavit — and the political parties — must publish the criminal records — of their candidates — on their websites — and in the newspapers — and on TV — at least three times — before the election.
  6. Step 6: Common issues with candidate affidavits. (a) incomplete affidavit: the candidate leaves columns blank — or provides partial information — to hide the criminal cases — or the assets — solution: (i) file a complaint with the ECI, (ii) file RTI with the ECI — asking for the complete affidavit, (b) false affidavit: the candidate declares false information — like no criminal cases — or lower assets — or higher qualifications — solution: (i) cross-verify — with the court records — and the land records — through RTI, (ii) file a complaint with the ECI — and the court — for disqualification — and prosecution, © ECI not verifying: the ECI does not verify the affidavit — and accepts it as filed — solution: (i) file RTI with the ECI — asking for the verification report, (ii) file a PIL — for the ECI to verify — and take action, (d) delayed disclosure: the ECI delays the publication of the affidavits — on the website — solution: (i) file RTI with the ECI — asking for the affidavit, (ii) access the ADR website — myneta.info — which publishes the affidavits — promptly.
  7. Step 7: Practical tips. (a) check the ADR website (myneta.info — is the most user-friendly — and has the most comprehensive database — of the affidavits — and the candidate profiles), (b) cross-verify (do not rely on the affidavit alone — cross-verify — with the court records — and the land records — and the university records — through RTI), © report discrepancies (if you find discrepancies — file a complaint — with the ECI — and the court — and approach the media — to create awareness), (d) file RTI (if the affidavit is not available online — or the ECI has not verified — file RTI — to get the affidavit — and the verification report), (e) Example: An activist checked the affidavit — of a sitting MLA — on myneta.info — and found that the MLA had declared no criminal cases — but the activist cross-verified — with the court records — through RTI — and found that the MLA had 3 pending criminal cases — the activist filed a complaint — with the ECI — and the High Court — and the MLA was disqualified — and prosecuted — for filing a false affidavit.

See ECI Affidavits and Electoral Bonds RTI.

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