Few questions, low attendance: How celebrity MPs fared in the 17th Lok Sabha

They participated in few debates and discussions and had an attendance of 56.7%, lower than the average for all MPs.

Mar 14, 2024 - 15:00

Few questions, low attendance: How celebrity MPs fared in the 17th Lok Sabha

Celebrity members of parliament +such as film stars, sportspersons and singers logged lower attendance, participated in fewer debates, asked fewer questions and introduced fewer private members’ bills in the 17th Lok Sabha, an IndiaSpend analysis of government data shows.

For this analysis, we considered 19 MPs based on the profession they had listed in their election affidavit. These professions include actor, singer-actor, artist, sportsman, director, folk singer, and other variations of these professions.

In the outgoing Lok Sabha, most celebrity MPs (10) belonged to the Bharatiya Janata Party, followed by five MPs in the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC).

As per a report by PRS Legislative Research, this Lok Sabha held a total of 274 sittings, which is the lowest number ever for a full five-year term. Only four Lok Sabhas had fewer sittings, but all of them were dissolved before completing the full term. The Covid-19 pandemic affected the number of sittings: In 2020, the house sat for only 33 days.

Low attendance

Celebrity MPs had an attendance of 56.7%, on average, our analysis of data compiled by PRS Legislative Research found. This is lower than the average for all MPs (79%).

Only four of the 19 celebrity MPs – all from the BJP – had attendance percentages above the national average:...