A new report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has revealed the deep influence of dynasties and criminality in Indian politics. According to the analysis of affidavits of around 4,092 current MPs, MLAs, and MLCs (excluding five states/UTs), 21% of lawmakers belong to political families.

Uttar Pradesh tops the list with 141 out of 604 lawmakers (23%) from political backgrounds, followed by Maharashtra, where 129 of 403 (32%) come from political families.

Status of leaders from some major parties

BJP

Out of 336 ministers, 136 (40%) have criminal cases, while 88 (26%) face serious charges.

Congress

Out of 61 ministers, 45 (74%) have cases, 18 (30%) face serious charges.

DMK

Out of 31, 27 (87%) ministers are accused, 14 (45%) have serious cases.

TMC

Out of 40, 13 (33%) have cases, 8 (20%) face serious charges.

Telugu Desam Party (TDP)

Out of 23, 22 (96%) ministers are accused, 13 (57%) have serious cases.

Aam Aadmi Party

Out of 16, 11 (69%) ministers are accused, 5 (31%) face serious charges.

Criminal ministers in politics

The ADR report highlights that the number of criminal charges against elected representatives has continued to rise compared to 2009, 2014, and 2019.

• 47% of ministers nationwide (302) face criminal cases, including 174 booked for serious charges such as murder, kidnapping and crimes against women.
• In the central government, 29 out of 72 ministers (40%) admitted to criminal cases in their affidavits.
• In 11 states—including Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Odisha, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Punjab, over 60% of ministers face criminal charges.
• No ministers from Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Nagaland and Uttarakhand have pending criminal cases.

The report also noted that 143 women lawmakers (28%) face criminal cases, with 15% of them accused of serious offences.

Party-wise dynastic politics

Congress has the highest proportion of dynastic leaders—32% of its MPs, MLAs and MLCs belong to political families. The BJP follows with 18%, while CPM has only 8%.

Billionaire politicians

The report also highlights the growing wealth of ministers. The combined assets of 643 ministers amount to ₹23,929 crore, averaging ₹37.21 crore per minister.

• Karnataka leads with 8 billionaire ministers, followed by Andhra Pradesh (6) and Maharashtra (4).
• In the central cabinet, 6 out of 72 ministers (8%) are billionaires.
• Party-wise, BJP has 14 billionaire ministers, Congress 11, and TDP 6.

ADR’s warning

The report warns that dynasties weaken democracy by limiting opportunities for new and qualified leaders. It has called on political parties to ensure transparency and merit in ticket distribution.

Meanwhile, the Centre has proposed that any Prime Minister, Chief Minister or minister arrested in a serious criminal case should be removed from office within 30 days, a move that could have far-reaching implications given the figures.