By Ishika
3rd July, 2023
Political defection refers to the act of elected representatives switching their political party affiliation after being elected to office. This is a major challenge to the stability of Indian democracy.
.The 2022 Maharashtra political crisis began on June 2022 in the Indian state of Maharashtra when Eknath Shinde, along with several other MLAs of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition moved to Surat in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-governed Gujarat, throwing the coalition into a crisis.
One of the most recent and controversial cases of defection in Indian politics was in Karnataka in 2019. The ruling coalition government collapsed after several elected representatives switched parties, leading to a political crisis in the state.
Another case of defection that made headlines was in Goa in 2019. The Congress party, which had emerged as the single largest party in the state assembly, was unable to form the government after several of its elected representatives switched parties.
Defection has a negative impact on Indian democracy as it leads to political instability, weakens the opposition, and undermines the mandate of the people.
As citizens of India, it is our responsibility to elect representatives who are committed to the principles of democracy and who will not switch parties for personal gain.