NEW DELHI, Sept 12: Around 21% or one in every five sitting Members of Parliament, Members of Legislative Assemblies, and Members of Legislative Councils are from dynastic backgrounds, indicating that a significant share of current elected representatives belong to established political families, according to an analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).
The report noted that the Lok Sabha has the highest dynastic representation at 31% and State Assemblies the lowest at 20%. The data include a total of 5,204 sitting legislators across State Assemblies, the Lok Sabha, the Rajya Sabha, and State Legislative Councils. Among them, 1,107 are from dynastic backgrounds.
Region-wise, in North India, Uttar Pradesh tops the list at 23%, followed by Rajasthan at 18%. In the South, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh are among the highest at 29% and 34% respectively. In the East and Northeast, Bihar has 27% and Assam 9%.
In absolute numbers, among the States, Uttar Pradesh ranks the highest with 141 (23%) out of its 604 MPs, MLAs and MLCs analysed having dynastic political backgrounds. Maharashtra follows with 129 (32%) such members out of its 403 sitting MPs, MLAs and MLCs. In Bihar, 96 (27%) out of 360 sitting MPs, MLAs and MLCs are from dynastic backgrounds, while Karnataka has 94 (29%) such members out of its 326 sitting MPs, MLAs and MLCs.
“When we look at larger States in terms of proportion, Andhra Pradesh has the highest share of dynastic representation, with 86 (34%) out of 255 sitting MPs, MLAs and MLCs coming from political families. This is followed by Maharashtra with 129 (32%) out of 403, and Karnataka with 94 (29%) out of 326. These figures highlight the continued and widespread prevalence of dynastic politics, particularly in politically significant States,” the ADR said in a statement.
(Manas Dasgupta)