The politics and economics of MLA defecting to rival parties

One party gets the most number of turncoat lawmakers; regional players are affected most

In 1967, Gaya Lal, an elected legislator of the new state of Haryana, lent the term ‘Aaya Ram Gaya Ram’ to politics when he changed his party thrice in a fortnight.

The recent defections in Maharashtra continue that political practice. Key opposition parties have been the biggest losers in recent years of such defections, shows a Business Standard analysis of data collected by the Delhi-based Association for Democratic Reforms. ADR’s data showed 16 states where 120 members of the legislative assembly (MLA) have defected from their parties after elections since 2018.

The maximum number of defectors were in Telangana (17), followed by Maharashtra (16) and Madhya Pradesh (14). Data shows that the largest number of the 120 MLAs joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In Madhya Pradesh, all 14 MLAs leaving their parties after elections joined the BJP.

Out of 50 MLAs who moved to BJP after elections, 20 were originally with the Indian National Congress. India’s main Opposition party saw the maximum exits, but it is the regional parties that are most affected. The regional parties accounted for 60 per cent of defecting MLAs as seen in chart 1 (click image for interactive chart).

Chart 1

Every single MLA who has changed parties since 2018 is a millionaire; some are multi-millionaires. The average assets of MLAs who defected are usually lower than those who retained their party loyalty. A Maharashtra MLA had average assets worth Rs 23.5 crore, while it was Rs 9.7 crore for those changed parties after elections in 2019. This trend in assets holds true for 11 out of the 16 states (chart 2).

Chart 2

The exceptions include West Bengal and Goa where richer MLAs have changed parties.

Opposition parties have accused the BJP-led central government of misusing federal investigating agencies to harass their leaders and nudging them to abandon ship. Data shows that in most states the average number of criminal cases against MLAs who have changed parties is lower than their peers who have not. Jharkhand, Telangana and Goa are among the clutch of states where defectors have more pending cases (chart 3).

Chart 3

The headline numbers on pending cases against MLAs may not reflect the seriousness of charges. A case for money laundering may have more serious consequences than one for unlawful assembly.

Gaya Lal ultimately contested his last election, like his first, as an independent candidate in 1982. He lost.