Bihar elections: Nearly one-third of outgoing MLAs come from political families

A recent report has highlighted the deep-rooted culture of nepotism in Bihar politics, revealing that almost one in three members of the outgoing state assembly come from political families. According to an analysis by The Indian Express, 70 of the 243 outgoing MLAs – or 28.81% – have dynastic roots.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) tops the list, with 30 of its 71 MLAs (42.25%) coming from political families. These include prominent personalities like opposition leader and Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi’s son Tejashwi Yadav and his brother former minister Tej Pratap Yadav. The RJD also has at least seven MLAs whose relatives have previously been ministers, including Deepa Manjhi (daughter-in-law of former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi) and descendants of former chief ministers Jagannath Mishra and Harihar Singh.

This trend extends beyond RJD. 16 out of 44 MLAs (36.36%) of Janata Dal (United) are dynastic. The BJP’s count of dynastic MLAs is slightly less than the combined total of the RJD and JD(U), though the report does not specify the exact number. Four out of 19 Congress MLAs (21.25%) are from political families.

Seven ministers in the outgoing JD(U)-BJP government also come from dynastic backgrounds – including JD(U)’s Vijay Kumar Choudhary, Maheshwar Hazari, Sheela Kumari and Sunil Kumar as well as BJP’s Nitin Naveen.

The report also highlights the increasing presence of second and third generation politicians. JDU minister Sumit Kumar Singh, whose father and grandfather have both been MLAs and ministers, represents the third generation of his family in politics. Other notable dynasts include Samrat Choudhary, son of former chief minister Shakuni Choudhary, and Santosh Suman Manjhi, son of former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi. RJD’s Yusuf Salahuddin, grandson of an MP, and JDU minister Ashok Chaudhary, son of a former minister, are also among the political heirs of Bihar.

TeaTheir findings highlight that the roots of dynastic politics remain firmly intact in Bihar.