New โคdelhi, September โฃ12, โ2025 – Over 21% of sitting Members of Parliament (MPs), Members โof Legislative Assemblies (MLAs), and โMembers of Legislativeโค Councils โ(MLCs) in India hail fromโ dynasticโ political backgrounds, according to a new analysis released today by โฃthe โAssociation for Democratic Reforms (ADR). Theโ report underscores โขthe persistent influence of politicalโ families in India’s electoral landscape, raising questions about equitable portrayal โand democratic access.
The โขADR’s study, โฃencompassing a total of 5,204โ elected representatives across State Assemblies, the Lok Sabha, the rajya sabha, and State Legislative Councils, identified 1,107 individualsโ with familial ties to politicians. Theโ Lok Sabhaโ exhibits the highest concentration of dynastic โrepresentation atโ 31%,while State Assemblies have the lowest at โ20%. Legislative Councils โขfall somewhere in between, contributing to the overall 21%โฃ figure.
Regionally, the prevalenceโข of โdynastic politics varies substantially. Uttar Pradesh leads in North India withโ 23%โฃ of โคits โขanalyzed legislators from dynastic backgrounds, followed by Rajasthan at 18%. In theโข South, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka report the highest ratesโ at 34% โand 29% respectively. โEastern and Northeastern India show varying levels, withโ Bihar at 27% and Assam at 9%.
In terms of absolute numbers, Uttar Pradesh has the highest count with 141 (23%) of its 604 MPs, MLAs, and MLCs linked to political families. Maharashtra follows closely with 129 (32%) outโ of 403,while Bihar andโฃ Karnataka have 96 (27%) out of 360 andโ 94 (29%) out of 326 respectively. Andhra Pradesh demonstrates the โฃhighest proportional representation, with 86 (34%) of its 255 sitting mps, MLAs, and โฃMLCs originating from political families.
“These figures highlightโข the continued โand widespread prevalence ofโ dynastic politics, particularly in โขpolitically meaningful States,”โค the ADR stated in a press release โaccompanying the report. The organization’s findings contribute to an โคongoingโข debate about the need for greater transparency โฃand reforms to promote a more level โplaying field in Indian elections.