Shillong, Sep 25: Nagaland has recorded the highest number of political party switches between 2022 and 2026 not only in the North East but also in the country. Meghalaya ranked seven among the states.
A total of 111 sitting MPs/MLAs across the country changed their political parties after being elected to the current Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and State Assemblies, according to a report published by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). Among them, 26 were Lok Sabha MPs, 7 were Rajya Sabha MPs and 78 were MLAs.
Nagaland recorded the highest number of party switches with 32 (29%), followed by West Bengal with 20 (18%). Meghalaya ranks seven with six MLAs (5%), followed by Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. The recent switches in Meghalaya, which was not accounted for in the survey, were the eight UDP MLAs who joined BJP.
The highest number of party switches was recorded among representatives originally elected from the Nagaland-based Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) (25, 23%), followed by AITC (20, 18%) and INC (19, 17%). BRS accounted for 9 (8%) party switches, while AAP and NCP each accounted for 7 (6%). Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) accounted for 6 (5%), followed by JD(U) with 5 (5%) and NPP with 4 (4%).
Overall, NDPP, AITC and INC together accounted for 64 (58%) of the 111 MPs/MLAs who changed parties.
