111 Sitting MPs and MLAs Changed Parties Mid-Term Since 2022, ADR Analysis Finds

A total of 111 sitting MPs and MLAs changed their political parties after being elected, according to an analysis of elections and byelections held between 2022 and 2026 by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch.

Of these, 26 were members of the Lok Sabha, seven were members of the Rajya Sabha and 78 were members of State Legislative Assemblies, the report said. The count covers lawmakers elected to the current Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and State Assemblies.

Nagaland recorded the highest number of switches, with 32 representatives — 29 per cent of the total — changing sides. West Bengal came next with 20 switches, or 18 per cent.

Among the parties that lost lawmakers, the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) topped the list with 25 switches (23 per cent), followed by the All India Trinamool Congress with 20 (18 per cent) and the Indian National Congress with 19 (17 per cent). Together, these three parties accounted for 64 of the 111 representatives, or 58 per cent, who changed their affiliation.

The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) accounted for nine switches (8 per cent), while the Aam Aadmi Party and the Nationalist Congress Party each accounted for seven (6 per cent). The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) accounted for six (5 per cent), followed by the Janata Dal (United) with five and the National People's Party (NPP) with four.

On the receiving side, the Naga People's Front (NPF) recorded the largest intake, with 32 representatives (29 per cent) joining it, followed by the Bharatiya Janata Party with 29 (26 per cent) and the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) with 20 (18 per cent). The Congress received nine (8 per cent), the Shiv Sena eight (7 per cent), the NPP six (5 per cent) and the People's Party of Arunachal four (4 per cent).

Overall, the NPF, the BJP and the NCPI together accounted for 81 of the 111 lawmakers — 73 per cent — who joined other parties.

The report noted that the recent fall of governments in some State Assemblies was attributed to defections by their MLAs.

Such switches are governed by India's anti-defection law, contained in the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution. It empowers the presiding officer of a legislature to disqualify a member who voluntarily gives up membership of a party or votes against a party direction. The law, however, permits a legislator to resign and seek a fresh mandate, and allows a merger if at least two-thirds of a party's legislators agree to it.

The findings have renewed a long-running public debate on whether elected representatives should be allowed to change parties during their term. Rajya Sabha member Kapil Sibal has called for a 10-year ban on politicians switching parties mid-term, arguing that voters elect candidates on a party's platform and mandate.

The ADR analysis is based on publicly available data from elections and byelections held during the period. Among the larger questions it raises is how often a party switch follows a clear political realignment, and how often it follows pressure or the prospect of office — a distinction the data alone does not settle.