Over a fifth elected legislators in India come from political families. In its report, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW) found that 1,107 or 21 per cent of all sitting MPs, MLAs and MLCs come from political families. While State Assemblies have the lowest share at 20 per cent, Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and State legislative councils report 31 per cent, 21 per cent and 22 per cent representatives from political families.
"Among national parties, 3,214 sitting MPs, MLAs and MLCs have been analysed and 657 (20 per cent) have dynastic backgrounds. The Congress has 32 per cent of the sitting MPs, MLAs and MLCs from dynastic backgrounds, followed by the BJP with 18 per cent, while smaller parties such as the CPI(M) show minimal dynastic influence, with only 8 per cent of their sitting MPs, MLAs and MLCs from dynastic backgrounds," the report said.
"Among the states, Uttar Pradesh ranks highest in absolute numbers with 141 (23 per cent) out of 604 MPs, MLAs and MLCs analysed having dynastic political backgrounds. Maharashtra follows with 129 (32 per cent) out of 403 sitting MPs, MLAs and MLCs from dynastic backgrounds," it added.
In terms of proportion, Andhra Pradesh leads with 34 per cent of its sitting MPs, MLAs and MLCs belonging to political families, followed by Maharashtra (32 per cent) and Karnataka (29 per cent). "When we look at larger states in terms of proportion, Andhra Pradesh has the highest share of dynastic representation, with 86 (34 per cent) out of 255 sitting MPs, MLAs and MLCs coming from political families.
"This is followed by Maharashtra, where 129 (32 per cent) out of 403 MPs, MLAs and MLCs have dynastic backgrounds and Karnataka, 94 (29 per cent) out of 326 MPs, MLAs and MLCs have dynastic backgrounds. These figures highlight the continued and widespread prevalence of dynastic politics, particularly in politically significant states," the report said.
The report highlights regional patterns, with dynastic politics deeply entrenched in southern states such as Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, while eastern and northeastern states show more variation. State parties display even higher levels of dynastic representation. Unrecognised parties and independents also show significant dynastic influence, with nearly a quarter of their representatives from political families. Some smaller outfits are entirely family-run. The report said that while only 18 per cent of male MPs, MLAs and MLCs come from political families, the share jumps to 47 per cent for women.
The report said dynastic politics in India is not merely about the inheritance of seats but a structural feature of the system. Factors such as the dominance of "winnability" in candidate selection, high election costs, and lack of internal party democracy strengthen the hold of political families. Parties routinely prefer dynastic contenders due to their inherited networks of money, muscle, and patronage. The report observed that large states with strong party organizations (like Tamil Nadu, 15 per cent and West Bengal, 9 per cent) show lower dynasticism compared to smaller or mid-sized states (e.g., Jharkhand, 28 per cent, Himachal Pradesh, 27 per cent). This suggests that cadre-based or ideological parties (DMK, AIADMK, Left, TMC) may dilute dynastic entry more effectively than regional family-run outfits.
