Ram Vilas Paswan was an Indian politician from Bihar and the Cabinet Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution in the first and second Modi ministries. Paswan was also the president of the Lok Janshakti Party, nine-times Lok Sabha member and two-time Rajya Sabha MP. He started his political career as member of Samyukta Socialist Party and was elected to the Bihar Legislative Assembly in 1969. Later, Paswan joined Lok Dal upon its formation in 1974, and became its general secretary. He opposed the emergency, and was arrested during this period. He first entered the Lok Sabha in 1977, as a Janata Party member from Hajipur constituency, and was elected again in 1980, 1989, 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2004 and 2014.
Sushilkumar Sambhaji Shinde is an Indian politician from the state of Maharashtra. He was the Minister of Home Affairs, Minister of Power in the Manmohan Singh government, and the Leader of the House in Lok Sabha until 26 May 2014. He previously served as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 18 January 2003 to 4 November 2004.
Arackaparambil Kurien Antony is an Indian politician and lawyer who served as the Minister of Defence of India from 2006 to 2014, making him the longest serving Defence Minister in India. He previously served as the 6th Chief Minister of Kerala from 1977 to 1978, 1995 to 1996 and again from 2001 to 2004. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Disciplinary Action Committee of the All India Congress Committee, Congress Working Committee, and member of the Congress Core Group and Central Election Committee.
Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna is an Indian politician who served as Minister of External Affairs of India from 2009 to October 2012. He was the 10th Chief Minister of Karnataka from 1999 to 2004 and the 19th Governor of Maharashtra from 2004 to 2008. SM Krishna had served as the Speaker of the Karnataka Vidhan Sabha from December 1989 to January 1993. He was also a member of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha at various times from 1971 to 2014. In 2023, Krishna was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award of India.
Although India is a parliamentary democracy, the country's politics has become dynastic or with high level of nepotism, possibly due to the absence of party organizations, independent civil-society associations which mobilize support for a party, or centralized financing of elections. The dynastic phenomenon is present at the national, state, regional, and district level. The Nehru–Gandhi family has produced three Indian prime ministers, and family members have largely led the Congress party since 1978. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also has several dynastic leaders. In addition to the major national parties, other national and regional parties such as Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Shiromani Akali Dal, Shiv Sena, Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Janata Dal Secular, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Kerala Congress, Jammu & Kashmir National Conference, Indian Union Muslim League, AIMIM, and the Nationalist Congress Party are all dominated by families, mostly those of the party founders.
E. Ahamed, Edappakath Ahamed in full, was an Indian politician from Kannur in northern Kerala. A Member of Parliament between 1991 and 2017, he was a key figure in India's diplomatic relations with the Middle East.
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi is an Indian politician and was the Union Minister of Minority Affairs. He had served as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha from 2002 to 2022 and was Deputy Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha between 2021 and 2022.
Eduardo Faleiro is an Indian politician and former federal minister. In September 2006, he served as the commissioner for non-resident Indian affairs for the Congress Government of Goa.
Brajesh Pathak is an Indian politician and a member of the 18th Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh. Presently, he is serving as the 7th Deputy Chief Minister and Cabinet Minister of Medical Education, Medical and Health, and Family Welfare in the Government of Uttar Pradesh under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Sarbananda Sonowal is an Indian politician who has served as Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways since 2021. He also has been the Member of the Rajya Sabha representing Assam since 2021 and also a member of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs since 2021. He previously served as the 14th Chief Minister of Assam from 2016 to 2021 and as a member of Assam Legislative Assembly for Majuli from 2016 to 2021 and for Moran from 2001 to 2004. Sonowal earlier served as the Assam state unit President of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from 2012 to 2014 and again from 2015 to 2016. He also served as the Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, Government of India, from 2014 to 2016 and the Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and Skill Development from 2014 to 2014 and the member of the Lok Sabha from Lakhimpur from 2014 to 2016 and from Dibrugarh from 2004 to 2009. He was also the member of the Asom Gana Parishad from 2001 to 2011.
Surendrajeet Singh Ahluwalia is an Indian politician of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and a senior Member of Parliament in his 32nd year as a Parliamentarian.
Subburaman Thirunavukkarasar is an Indian politician. He was the State President of Tamil Nadu Congress Committee till 2 February 2019 and former secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) of the Indian National Congress (INC) party. His introduction to politics in 1977 was facilitated by former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M. G. Ramachandran. Ramachandran founded the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) in 1972 and was facing his first elections for the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election in 1977. He identified Thirunavukkarasar, a lawyer by profession, to contest the Aranthangi assembly constituency. Thirunavukkarasar won the seat, aged 27, and was elected as the Deputy Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. He continued in that capacity till 1980. Subsequently, he served as Tamil Nadu state minister from 1980 to 1987 in the MGR cabinet, holding portfolios that included Industries, Housing Board, Excise and Handlooms. Later, he became a member of the Lok Sabha – the lower house of the Parliament of India – when he won the erstwhile Pudukottai Lok Sabha constituency. He served as Union Minister of state for shipping and later for telecommunications and information technology.
Parshottam Khodabhai Rupala is an Indian politician and Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying in the Second Modi ministry. He was elected to 18th Lok Sabha from Rajkot. He was a member of Rajya Sabha, representing the Indian state of Gujarat and a leader of Bharatiya Janata Party. He was a former member of Gujarat Legislative Assembly from Amreli and formerly served as a minister in Government of Gujarat.
Ajit Prasad Jain was an Indian politician who served as the President of the U. P. Congress Committee, member of the Constituent Assembly, Union minister and Governor of Kerala from Saharanpur, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India.
Ram Dulari Sinha was a nationalist, freedom fighter, Congress parliamentarian, Union Minister, and Governor. She was the first woman in Bihar to have master's degree and she was also the first woman from Bihar to be appointed Governor. Nonetheless she was the elected Vice Chairperson of the International Labour Organisation.
Abubakar Abdul Rahim was an Indian politician, freedom fighter, and union minister. He was born to Sri Abubecker in Kollam. The government run District Hospital of Kollam district was renamed after him in commemoration.
Pulloli Thomas Chacko was an Indian politician from Chamampathal, Kottayam in central Kerala. A member of the Travancore and Travancore-Cochin Assemblies and the Constituent Assembly, Chacko served as the first Leader of Opposition of the newly formed state of Kerala. He was also the Home Minister of Kerala holding the additional portfolios of Revenue and Law during the period 1960–64. Resignation of Chacko from Congress-led cabinet in 1964 resulted in the formation of the regional party Kerala Congress.
Chandresh Kumari Katoch is an Indian politician belonging to the Indian National Congress party. She is a former Minister of Culture in India's central government. She was a Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha, representing Jodhpur constituency.
Mercy Ravi was a member of Kerala Legislative Assembly and the wife of the Indian politician Vayalar Ravi. She was also a renowned social worker and author.
Ajay Maken is a politician from the Indian National Congress party. He is the treasurer of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) and member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC). A three time member of the Parliament of India and three time MLA, Delhi Legislative Assembly, formerly a minister in the cabinet of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and a minister in the cabinet of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.
