Diverse Educational Backgrounds and Professions Among New Lok Sabha Members
New Delhi: According to the poll rights body Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), approximately 105 (19%) winning candidates declared their educational qualifications to be between class 5 and 12, while 420 (77%) reported having a graduate degree or higher.
The Association of Democratic Reforms further revealed that seventeen winning candidates hold diplomas, and one winner is “just literate.” Notably, all 121 candidates who declared themselves illiterate lost the elections.
Among the winning candidates, two reported studying up to class 5, four up to class 8, thirty-four up to class 10, and sixty-five up to class 12.
Another analysis by the think-tank PRS Legislative Research highlighted that agriculture and social work are the most common professions among the 543 Members of Parliament (MPs). Specifically, 91% of MPs from Chhattisgarh, 72% from Madhya Pradesh, and 65% from Gujarat indicated agriculture as one of their professions.
Additionally, approximately 7% of MPs elected to the 18th Lok Sabha are lawyers, and 4% are medical practitioners. The proportion of MPs with undergraduate degrees has increased steadily from the 1st Lok Sabha until the 11th (1996-98). Since then, the proportion of MPs without college education has also increased. However, this figure has decreased from 27% in the 17th Lok Sabha to 22% in the 18th Lok Sabha, according to PRS.
PRS’s analysis also revealed that 5% of MPs in the 18th Lok Sabha, including three women, hold doctoral degrees.
Out of 8,390 candidates who contested, 121 declared themselves illiterate, and 359 stated they had studied up to the 5th grade. Official data indicates that 647 candidates reported their education level up to the 8th grade, 1,303 candidates declared they completed school, and 1,502 candidates stated they had a graduate degree. Additionally, there were 198 candidates with a doctorate.
