As many as 111 sitting MPs and MLAs changed political parties after being elected to their current terms since 2022, according to an analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch, cited by The Hindu.
The study covered elections and byelections held between 2022 and 2026. Of the 111 lawmakers who switched parties, 26 were Lok Sabha MPs, seven were Rajya Sabha members and 78 were MLAs.
The findings show that party switching was spread across Parliament and state legislatures, with Nagaland and West Bengal accounting for a substantial share of the cases.
Nagaland and West Bengal record most switches
Nagaland had the highest number of lawmakers changing parties, with 32 cases, accounting for 29 per cent of the total. West Bengal followed with 20 switches, or 18 per cent.
Among the parties from which lawmakers originally moved, the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), All India Trinamool Congress and Congress together accounted for 64 cases, or 58 per cent of all party switches.
The NDPP had the highest number of its elected representatives switching sides, at 25 or 23 per cent. The Trinamool followed with 20, while 19 lawmakers originally elected from the Congress changed parties.
The Bharat Rashtra Samithi accounted for nine switches, while the Aam Aadmi Party and Nationalist Congress Party recorded seven each. Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) accounted for six, followed by Janata Dal (United) with five and National People’s Party with four.
NPF received most lawmakers
The analysis also looked at where the lawmakers moved after leaving their original parties.
The Naga People’s Front (NPF) received the highest number, with 32 lawmakers, or 29 per cent, joining its fold. The BJP followed with 29, accounting for 26 per cent, while the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) received 20, or 18 per cent.
The Congress received nine lawmakers, Shiv Sena eight and the NPP six. The People’s Party of Arunachal added four.
Together, the NPF, BJP and NCPI accounted for 81, or 73 per cent, of the 111 lawmakers who joined other parties.
The report also noted that recent changes of government in some states had been attributed to defections by MLAs.