Political defections in last 5 years: BJP party of choice for most, Congress biggest loser

According to the report, the recent fall of governments in Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Goa, Arunachal Pradesh, and Karnataka state Assemblies were due to defections of their MLAs.

When it comes to Lok Sabha members, five or 41.7 percent MPs left BJP to join another party during the Lok Sabha elections 2019. In the Rajya Sabha, seven (43.8 per cent) MPs left Congress to join a different party during the elections held between 2016 and 2020. The report also stated that the average assets of the recontesting MLAs and MPs had grown by 39 percent.

Delving into the cause of defections, the report states that the reasons ranged from nexus of money and muscle, absence of value-based politics, lust for money and power, dearth of efficient, honest and credible leaders and lack of laws on the functioning of political parties.

Stating that the “‘Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram’ syndrome and the never-ending ‘hunger for power and money' has become a common practice amongst our Parliamentarians and political parties”, the report added that “until and unless these trends are not reined in, our current electoral and political situation is bound to deteriorate further.

The ‘Conduct of Politics’ necessitates fairness, freedom, reliability, equality, integrity, honesty, and credibility. It will be a mockery of democracy if we fail to plug these loop-holes because of which such defections, changing/switching of the party by MPs and MLAs are happening. It is high time that our political parties and politicians put an end to the ‘politics of convenience and self-gain and start practising ‘politics of conviction, courage and consensus’.”