More than a hundred sitting Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) switched their political parties after winning elections between 2022 and 2026, according to a new report published by the election watchdog Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).
Among the parties from which the legislators moved, Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) recorded the highest number of exits at 25 (23%). It was followed by the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) with 20 (18%) and the Indian National Congress (INC) with 19 (17%). The Congress received nine legislators, followed by Shiv Sena with eight.
ADR report said NPF, BJP and the Nationalist Citizens Party of India together accounted for 81 of the 111 legislators who joined other political parties, or 73% of the total.
It said the absence of systematically maintained and readily accessible official data meant that other relevant cases could exist that were not covered by the analysis. These include individual defection, where a legislator voluntarily leaves one party and joins another without resigning from the House; a formal party merger; resignation followed by a by-election; and disqualification under the Tenth Schedule followed by joining another party and winning the seat again in a by-election. ADR also cautioned that its findings may not represent an exhaustive list.
