Politics · India Bureau
111 Indian lawmakers switched parties post-election since 2022
An analysis by election watchdogs has found that 111 members of Parliament and state assemblies changed party affiliations after winning elections between 2022 and 2026. Nagaland and West Bengal recorded the highest number of such defections.
LSN India ·
A comprehensive study by the Association for Democratic Reforms and National Election Watch has documented 111 instances of elected lawmakers changing party allegiances following their victories in the past four years. The figure comprises 26 Lok Sabha members, seven Rajya Sabha members and 78 state assembly legislators who switched sides after the 2022 election cycle.
The analysis encompasses multiple categories of party changes, including individual defections, formal party mergers, resignations followed by subsequent bypoll victories, and disqualifications with subsequent bypoll wins. These varied pathways underscore the fluid nature of political alignments across India's electoral landscape during this period.
Nagaland emerged as the focal point for party switching, accounting for 32 instances—all involving state assembly members. The bulk of these movements stemmed from a major political realignment centred on the ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party and the Naga People's Front, with the latter emerging as the primary beneficiary of legislator transfers in the state.
The findings highlight ongoing questions about political stability and voter representation in India's multi-party democracy, where defections remain a recurring feature of the electoral process despite provisions intended to discourage floor-crossing.