The results of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections show that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has now spread its wings across most parts of India from its Hindi heartland base. Its rival, the Congress party, has lost ground sharply in urban India. The results are historic not just on account of the absolute majority won by one party but also because of the sharp rise in the median victory margin. The median victory margin, which hovered in the 7-9% range over the past four parliamentary elections, went up to 13% this time. The elections have also delivered to Parliament a higher proportion of crorepati MPs as well as those with criminal charges against them. The chart below gives a detailed analysis of the trends that have emerged from the elections.
Parliamentary profile
The 16th Lok Sabha will have the most number of women members of Parliament (MPs), the highest number of MPs with doctoral degrees, and the highest number of MPs aged above 70 years in the history of the Indian Parliament, according to data compiled by PRS Legislative Research.
Although the proportion of MPs with doctoral degrees is at an all-time high, the 16th Lok Sabha actually marks a fall in educational attainments of lawmakers. The proportion of MPs who have not cleared their matriculation exams has risen to double digits for the first time since 1980.
The proportion of MPs below 40 has fallen steadily over the past six decades despite the rising proportion of young people in the country. The number of Muslim MPs fell by 6 to 29 this time, after witnessing a similar fall in the 15th Lok Sabha. The proportion of women MPs has been rising since the first Lok Sabha, albeit at a glacial pace.
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