BJP’s SC/ST Lok Sabha MPs took part in fewer debates than House average and party peers
The 46 BJP Members elected from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe seats averaged 13.9 debates in the 18th Lok Sabha, against 21.5 for the House and 19.7 for BJP MPs from other seats, show PRS data
An analysis of data from June 2024 to August 2026, conducted by The Hindu, has revealed that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs representing Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) constituencies have taken part in fewer debates in the Lok Sabha than the average for all MPs and their own party members. The BJP MPs from SC seats averaged 14.67 debates, while those from ST seats averaged 13.05 debates.
When combined, the 46 SC and ST MPs averaged 13.89 debates, which is significantly lower than the 21.53 debates per MP for all 483 Lok Sabha members. This pattern is not exclusive to the BJP; across all parties, SC MPs averaged 18.22 debates compared to 22.15 for others, and ST MPs averaged 17.67 debates compared to 21.91 for their peers.
Congress MPs from SC seats averaged 19 debates, while their ST counterparts averaged 24.42, both figures lower than their party peers. In response to the issue, Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi had written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on September 16, 2024, seeking more floor time for SC and ST MPs and urging steps to rectify the situation.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
