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),