17 July,2026 02:57 PM IST | | Vinod Kumar Menon
Smaller parties outperform bigger players as attendance records reveal uneven participation in Parliament. Representational pic
A first-of-its-kind study by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) has revealed sharp disparities in the attendance of Members of Parliament during the Budget Session 2026, with smaller political parties and some states outperforming larger parties and several major regions.
The report, prepared by CHRI Director Venkatesh Nayak and intern Aadi Sardesai, analysed attendance records available on the official websites of both Houses of Parliament to identify party-wise and state-wise trends.
"We have examined the attendance record as available on the website of both Houses for the 2026 Budget Session to spot political party-wise trends and patterns. We have also tried to compare their attendance record from the point of view of the States and Union Territories they represent," the report said.
The study added that the findings revealed: "Clear trends that citizens have the right to know."
The report noted that parliamentary attendance is not merely a procedural requirement but an important indicator of representatives' engagement with legislative duties.
According to parliamentary experts Kaul and Shakdher's Practice and Procedure of Parliament, an attendance register is maintained for members to sign as proof of having attended a sitting.
However, the report pointed out that the absence of a signature does not necessarily prove that an MP was not present in the House.
Since 1993, signing the attendance register has been mandatory for MPs to claim daily allowances, making it the only official record available to assess attendance.
The Budget Session was held from January 28 to April 18, 2026, with 31 sittings in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
A recess was observed from February 14 to March 8, followed by three special sittings on legislation related to delimitation.
Of the 543 Lok Sabha seats, three were vacant due to resignation and death. Ministers, the Speaker and the Leader of Opposition were excluded from the attendance analysis as they did not sign the register.
The study examined the attendance records of 483 MPs.
Key findings:
309 MPs (63.98%) attended at least 75% of the sittings.
69 MPs attended fewer than half of the sittings.
Three MPs recorded zero attendance, including one undertrial prisoner.
The report observed that nearly 80% of the 483 MPs either missed one or more sittings or did not sign the register on those days.
The attendance figures showed a significant contrast between smaller parties and larger political formations.
Top performers:
MPs from the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) recorded 100% attendance.
CPI(ML-L) and Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) MPs averaged 30 sittings.
Samajwadi Party (SP) MPs recorded an average attendance of 28.43 sittings.
Larger parties showed lower averages:
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with 191 MPs, recorded an average of 26.46 sittings per MP.
Indian National Congress (INC) MPs averaged 23.13 sittings among its 97 members.
All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) averaged 15 sittings.
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) averaged 14.64 sittings, placing it among the lowest performers.
The report noted: "The highest figures in terms of average attendance record belongs to political parties with only a handful of members in the Lok Sabha."
It added that the BJP and Congress, despite being the largest ruling and opposition parties respectively, recorded considerably lower averages.
The CHRI study also analysed attendance according to the states and Union Territories represented in the Lok Sabha.
States with highest average attendance:
Uttarakhand: 30.5 days
Delhi: 30 days
Rajasthan: 29.75 days
States with lowest average attendance:
Assam: 15.69 days
West Bengal: 16.03 days
Tamil Nadu: 17.41 days
The report highlighted that MPs from Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala averaged fewer than two-thirds of the 31 sittings.
"Assam figures at the bottom of the pile with an average attendance record of 15.69 days," the report said, adding that several eastern and southern states fell below the 20-day mark.
Attendance patterns among smaller states and Union Territories also varied widely.
Strong performance:
Chandigarh and Lakshadweep MPs recorded 100% attendance.
Weak performance:
Puducherry MPs attended fewer than half of the sittings.
Meghalaya and Tripura MPs attended fewer than 20 sittings on average.
The report clarified that it focused on broader trends rather than individual rankings.
"We have deliberately avoided calling out individual MPs by name for their performance because neither praising nor naming and shaming anybody is our purpose," it said.
The organisation stressed that the objective was to encourage public discussion on parliamentary functioning and accountability.
The findings come ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, scheduled to begin on July 20, 2026.
The report concludes that attendance remains a crucial measure of democratic responsibility, as MPs' presence directly affects legislative scrutiny and representation.
While smaller parties and some states demonstrated strong participation, several large parties and regions recorded lower attendance levels.
"Attendance is not merely about signing a register - it is about showing up for the people who elected them," the report said, emphasising that citizens have a right to know how their representatives perform.
