MP MLA Defections: ADR found 111 sitting MPs and MLAs changed parties after winning elections between 2022 and 2026, with Nagaland recording the most switches.
MP MLA Defections: As many as 111 sitting MPs and MLAs changed political parties after being elected to Parliament or state assemblies between 2022 and 2026, according to a new analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). The figure includes 26 Lok Sabha MPs, seven Rajya Sabha MPs and 78 MLAs.
The ADR analysis, released on September 24, examined sitting lawmakers who changed parties after winning elections to the current Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and state assemblies, along with relevant by-elections during the period. The watchdog cautioned that the list may not be exhaustive because official data on such changes is not systematically maintained.
111 Lawmakers Switched
Of the 111 lawmakers identified by ADR, 26 were Lok Sabha MPs, seven were Rajya Sabha MPs and 78 were MLAs. The 78 Assembly cases include 70 lawmakers who switched parties after being elected and eight who changed parties during their term and later won by-elections.
The report identified four broad categories of party changes: individual defections, formal party mergers, resignations followed by by-election victories, and disqualifications followed by re-election through bypolls.
Nagaland Tops List
Nagaland recorded the highest number of party switches, with 32 lawmakers accounting for 29% of the total. West Bengal followed with 20 cases, or 18%, while Telangana recorded nine switches. Goa and Punjab each accounted for eight cases.
The Nagaland figure was largely linked to the merger of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) with the Naga People's Front (NPF) in October 2025, according to the ADR report.
NDPP, TMC Lose Most
Among the parties from which lawmakers moved, NDPP recorded the highest number of exits at 25, followed by the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) with 20 and the Congress with 19. BRS recorded nine exits, while AAP and NCP each had seven. Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) recorded six, JD(U) five and NPP four.
Together, NDPP, AITC and Congress accounted for 64 of the 111 lawmakers who changed parties, or 58% of the total.
On the receiving side, NPF took in 32 lawmakers, followed by the BJP with 29 and the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) with 20. The three parties together accounted for 81, or 73%, of the 111 lawmakers who joined other parties.
ADR's list shows that all 20 AITC Lok Sabha MPs included in the analysis switched to NCPI on June 14, 2026. The report also records the party merger and switching developments in Nagaland separately.
ADR Seeks Reforms
ADR said the recent defections raise questions about party discipline and the functioning of the anti-defection framework. It also noted that the fall of some state governments in recent years has been attributed to defections by MLAs.
Among its recommendations, ADR has proposed amending the Tenth Schedule so that decisions on disqualification are taken by the President for MPs and the Governor for MLAs, based on the Election Commission's advice, instead of by the presiding officers.
The watchdog has also proposed barring legislators who defect from holding public office until they are re-elected through a general election, introducing a six-month deadline for deciding disqualification petitions, and bringing political parties under the Right to Information Act.