On this occasion, Mint explores the performance of India’s parliamentarians by analysing key metrics: Parliamentary productivity, questions raised, and participation in debates, among others.
Parliament unproductive?
Repeated disruptions and adjournments during sessions in the Parliament reduce the political space available for actual debate and legislation of laws. India has a long history of disruptions, which many believe is also a sign of a vibrant democracy. However, such disruptions often lead to unproductive sessions—take the latest Monsoon session, which ended on 21 August, for example. Disruptions took up nearly two-thirds of the allotted time, according to the data from PRS Legislative.
This meant that the Lok Sabha functioned for only 29% of its scheduled hours, while the Rajya Sabha worked for 34%. This was the lowest in terms of productivity—time spent on actual work—since the formation of the current government.
PRS data also showed that the number of discussions on matters of urgent public importance, such as short-duration discussions and calling attention motions, being conducted is fewer now compared to the early 2000s. This raises a question mark on the efficiency of lawmakers to use the time available to solve critical issues at hand.
Regional parties shine
Parliamentarians from regional parties outshone their national counterparts in legislative engagement in the past year, according to the Lok Sabha Annual Report 2024-25 by Politics for Impact, a political consultancy firm.
The report scored the performance of private (non-minister) members of parliament (MPs), totalling 482, between June 2024 to June 2025 based on participation in debates, questions raised, and attendance.
Shiv Sena MPs topped on two fronts—debates and questions. Its MPs participated in the largest number of debates—averaging at 22.2—and also raised the highest number of questions—averaging at 107.7, the report showed. Another party from Maharashtra, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), ranked second. In contrast, MPs from the two national parties, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Indian National Congress, fared poorly.
For instance, questions raised by BJP MPs averaged 51, and Congress MPs 44. However, BJP MPs did strike the highest average attendance rate of 91%.
Advantage education?
Does education impact the performance of a politician? A democratic system allows people to become parliamentarians irrespective of their educational qualifications, and India has had many successful politicians without much formal education. However, data analysed for 482 MPs by the Politics for Impact shows that MPs with graduate degrees form the most engaged group in the parliamentary process.
They lead in debates, questions, and attendance compared to MPs in other education groups, with 48.6 questions raised in Parliament on average and 12.7 debates participated in. Those with postgraduate degrees and above also demonstrate higher levels of engagement.
On average, they asked over 47.4 questions and participated in 12.1 debates. However, for MPs with a higher secondary or lower education, the average numbers were lower on both indicators. They raised 42.4 questions on average and participated in 9.5 debates.
Matters of representation
Are women parliamentarians matching the performance of their male peers, or do they remain in the shadows, as is often the public perception?
Female representation in Indian politics has risen in recent years, even as it remains way below the 33% mark envisaged by the Women’s Reservation Act, at around 10%. However, data shows that women MPs match steps with their male peers despite lower representation.
“Even with only 14% representation, women speak up as much as male MPs in debates,” the Politics for Impact report pointed out. On the whole, the average number of debates participated in by women and men MPs was similar at 11.8. Men peers, however, were ahead in asking questions, with an average of 47.6 during the past year. Women MPs asked 42 questions on average. An age-wise classification showed that younger women MPs were more proactive in asking questions than men MPs in the same cohort.
Criminal connect
Perhaps one of the most worrying aspects of India’s political landscape is the involvement of people with serious criminal cases. A report released by the Association of Democratic Reforms, a non-profit organisation shows that about 47% of ministers in India have declared criminal cases against themselves, out of which 26% are of serious charges.
The report analysed affidavits filed by 643 out of the 652 ministers across 30 state/union territories, assemblies, and the Union Council of Ministers, covering elections between 2020 and 2025.
The serious charges declared include murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, or crimes against women. Telugu Desam Party has the highest share of MPs with serious charges at a staggering 57%, followed by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (45%).
The current government has proposed a bill to remove position-holders like the prime minister and chief ministers in case of imprisonment or detention in custody, but many experts believe that such a law can be misused.