NEW DELHI, Sept 24: A total of 111 sitting MPs and MLAs changed their political parties after being elected to the current Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and State Assemblies since 2022.
Among those who changed sides, 26 were members of the Lok Sabha, seven were of the Rajya Sabha and 78 were of Legislative Assemblies, according to an analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch.
The analysis was based on the elections and byelections held between 2022 and 2026. Nagaland recorded the highest number of party switches, with 32 (29%) MPs/MLAs changing sides, followed by West Bengal with 20 (18%).
As far as political parties were concerned, the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), All India Trinamool Congress and Indian National Congress together accounted for 64 (58%) of the 111 MPs/MLAs who changed parties. The highest number of party switches was recorded among representatives originally elected from the NDPP (25, 23%), followed by the Trinamool (20, 18%) and the Congress (19, 17%).
The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) accounted for nine (8%) party switches, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) each accounted for seven (6%). The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) accounted for six (5%), followed by Janata Dal (United) with five (5%) and the National People’s Party (NPP) with four (4%).
It is noteworthy that the recent fall of governments in some State Assemblies was attributed to defections by their MLAs, the report said. As far as parties that received the maximum number of lawmakers within their fold were concerned, the Naga People’s Front (NPF) led the list, with 32 (29%) joining the party, followed by the BJP with 29 (26%) and the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) with 20 (18%).
The Congress received nine (8%), Shiv Sena eight (7%), the NPP six (5%) and the People’s Party of Arunachal four (4%). Overall, the NPF, BJP and NCPI together accounted for 81 (73%) of the 111 MPs/MLAs who joined them after switching from other political parties, the report said.
(Manas Dasgupta)