ADR records 111 lawmakers changing parties between 2022 and 2026
An analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms and National Election Watch found that 111 sitting MPs and MLAs changed political parties after being elected between 2022 and 2026. The BJP received 29 of them, while the Naga People’s Front received 32, largely through a 2025 merger in Nagaland.
At least 111 sitting MPs and MLAs changed political parties after being elected between 2022 and 2026, according to an analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms and National Election Watch. The study, released on September 24, covered 26 Lok Sabha MPs, seven Rajya Sabha MPs and 78 MLAs across 17 States and Union Territories. ADR said its list might not include every case because official Election Commission data was not systematically maintained and readily accessible.
The BJP was the destination for 29 lawmakers, or 26% of the total. They included seven Rajya Sabha members elected from the Aam Aadmi Party and 22 MLAs. No Lok Sabha MP in the dataset moved to the BJP, the report said.
The Naga People’s Front received 32 lawmakers, the largest number. ADR attributed this mainly to a 2025 merger involving legislators originally elected on Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party tickets. It said this was a merger rather than individual defections.
Nagaland recorded 32 cases, followed by West Bengal with 20, Telangana with nine, and Goa and Punjab with eight each. The analysis also included resignations followed by by-election victories and lawmakers who were disqualified before winning on another party’s ticket. ADR said the anti-defection law allows party switches through a two-thirds merger exception.
Its analysis found that 26 of 543 Lok Sabha MPs, seven of 233 Rajya Sabha MPs and 78 of about 4,100 MLAs were covered.
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