Empty benches, missing signatures: New report exposes stark attendance gaps in Parliament

 

 A new study analyzing the attendance records of Members of Parliament during the Budget Session of 2026 has revealed significant disparities in the attendance patterns of MPs across both Houses of Parliament, highlighting that less than two-thirds of the members met a minimum attendance threshold of 75% of the sittings, raising crucial questions about legislative accountability and citizen representation.

The study, titled "Attendance Record of the Members of Parliament – Budget Session 2026," is a maiden attempt by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), New Delhi, to assess attendance trends based on the data published on the official websites of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. While the report deliberately avoids naming individual MPs to either praise or criticize them, it presents a detailed political party-wise and state-wise analysis. 

The data was compiled and tabulated by Aadi Sardesai, a student at Flame University and intern at CHRI, with the concept, design, analysis, and report prepared by Venkatesh Nayak, Director of CHRI, New Delhi. The research relied on official data, while Google Search and its AI tool Gemini were used to clarify the membership status of a few MPs, and Datawrapper was used for graphic and visual representations.

The analysis covers the 2026 Budget Session, which comprised 31 sittings each for both Houses between January 28 and April 18. Crucially, the study highlights a well-documented parliamentary practice regarding how attendance is recorded. According to Kaul and Shakder's authoritative work on parliamentary procedure, ministers do not sign the attendance register, and the register itself is a "voluntary record" . 

The report clarifies that the absence of a signature does not necessarily mean an MP was absent from the House, as some members may sign the register without attending all proceedings, while others might forget to sign despite being present. Therefore, the findings are based on the official record of signatures, subject to these inherent caveats.

Performance of the Lok Sabha

In the Lok Sabha, the study considered the attendance records of 483 MPs for its analysis. The data indicates that only 45.76% of these MPs attended between 90-100% of the sittings, and just 63.98% reached the 75% attendance mark. 

The study found that 69 MPs, or 14.29%, attended less than 50% of the sittings. A striking 101 MPs recorded 100% attendance, of which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accounted for 57 members. 

The study notes that while the BJP is the single largest party with 191 members, it averaged only 26.46 sittings per MP, ranking 13th in the table. In contrast, regional parties with fewer members performed significantly better. 

For instance, both MPs from the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and the lone MP from the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) recorded 100% attendance. The Samajwadi Party, with 37 MPs, recorded a high average of 28.43 sittings.

The performance of the principal opposition parties also came under scrutiny. The Indian National Congress (INC), with 97 MPs, averaged only 23.13 sittings. Among larger regional parties, the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) averaged just 15 sittings, while the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) averaged 14.64 sittings. 

The report also highlights that three MPs, including one Independent who is in prison as an undertrial, recorded zero attendance, while four others had less than 10% attendance.

State-wise Trends in the Lok Sabha

The state-wise breakdown of the Lok Sabha data provides further insights. Among states and union territories with more than two MPs, Uttarakhand topped the list with an average attendance of 30.5 days, followed by NCT-Delhi, Rajasthan, and Himachal Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh, with 71 MPs, had an average of 28.69 days. The report points out that Andhra Pradesh was the only southern state to feature in the top-10 list. 

Conversely, eastern and some southern states fared poorly. Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala averaged less than 20 days of attendance, placing them at the bottom of the table. In West Bengal, where the AITC has a strong presence, the average attendance was just 16.03 days, while Assam recorded the lowest at 15.69 days.

Performance of the Rajya Sabha

The analysis of the Rajya Sabha was more complex due to the retirement and re-election of members. During the Budget Session, 271 individuals attended as members, but the study focused on 255 members for its analysis, excluding ministers and the Deputy Chairman. 

In the Rajya Sabha, less than half the members had 90-100% attendance. While 59 MPs recorded 100% attendance (36 from the BJP), the overall performance of the largest parties was moderate, with the BJP averaging 84.39% attendance and the INC averaging 80.66%.

The study notes that regional parties with fewer members, like the DMDK, Jammu & Kashmir National Conference, and Biju Janata Dal, recorded higher average attendance percentages. In contrast, the DMK, CPI, and AITC averaged less than 50% attendance. 

The report also highlights a specific practice in the Rajya Sabha: the website lists the reasons for the absence of some MPs, such as illness or "prior committed engagements." The report suggests that citizens must start demanding explanations from MPs for prioritizing other engagements over Parliament.

The Call for Greater Accountability

The report concludes with a call for greater transparency and accountability. It notes that while the Rajya Sabha website provides reasons for the absence of some MPs, the Lok Sabha website does not display similar information. 

The report recommends that the Lok Sabha emulate the Rajya Sabha's practice of providing reasons for absence. Furthermore, the study draws attention to the now-discontinued practice of maintaining hourly attendance charts in Parliament. 

The report argues that while a signature proves presence for a moment, it does not indicate how many hours an MP spent on the floor. Reviving the practice of maintaining hourly attendance charts would provide citizens with a more accurate picture of their representatives' engagement in legislative business. 

The study emphasizes that citizens, who pay for the salaries and allowances of MPs through their taxes, have a right to know about their performance. The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative hopes that the attendance record for the Monsoon Session, which begins on July 20, will show significant improvement.