In national politics, news of politicians changing parties keeps coming out from time to time. Sometimes news comes that a leader has resigned, or sometimes that someone has left their party and joined another party. And now, news is coming that an ADR report has made a significant revelation. This report shows that approximately 111 MPs and MLAs have changed sides in the last four years. It reveals that 26% of these leaders have joined the BJP.
According to the latest report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch, published between 2022 and July 2026, a total of 111 sitting MPs and MLAs have changed their political parties after winning elections.
What do the ADR figures say?
According to the ADR data, the 111 cases include 26 Lok Sabha MPs, 7 Rajya Sabha MPs, and 78 MLAs. These cases have emerged in 17 states and union territories across the country. The highest number of cases reported in this report come from Nagaland, where 32 MPs and MLAs have defected. The highest number of cases are in West Bengal, where 20 cases were reported, according to the ADR report.
29 Public Representatives Joined the BJP
As of the report’s release, ADR reports that 29 out of 111 public representatives have left other political parties and joined the BJP. This represents approximately 26 percent of the leaders who have joined the BJP. Following this, 32 public representatives joined the NPF, while 20 joined the Nationalist Citizens Party of India. Congress received nine, Shiv Sena eight. The report records six representatives joining the NPP and four representatives joining the People’s Party of Arunachal Pradesh.
Data Released in Four Categories
ADR has divided the 111 cases into four distinct categories. Each category is separate. The first category includes changing parties without resigning from the House of Representatives, the second is political party merger, the third is resigning and winning a by-election from another party, and the fourth is winning a by-election from another party after being disqualified. The data has been released accordingly.
Nagaland has the highest number of cases
According to ADR, Nagaland reported 32 cases, the highest percentage at approximately 29 percent. West Bengal is next with 20 cases. Furthermore, in terms of the original party of the representatives who left the party, the NDPP has 25 cases. This is followed by the AITC with 20 cases and the Congress with 19 cases. The report revealed nine cases of BSP, seven each of AAP and NCP, and six of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray).
Solutions Provided in the ADR Report
The report also discusses reforms related to the anti-defection law. ADR suggests considering changes to the current system regarding the decision-making process for cases involving disqualification of MPs and MLAs. It also responds to the debate on defection and the public mandate. Defection by a public representative after an election has long been a topic of discussion in Indian politics. In such cases, people wonder how the leader they voted for and helped win changed parties. This raises questions.
The latest data indicates that 111 cases of defection involving current MPs and MLAs have been reported, including 29 representatives who joined the BJP.
