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.[1] 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.[2] 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.[3][4]

National

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Nehru–Gandhi family

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The Nehru–Gandhi family's involvement with the Congress Party began with Motilal Nehru in the 1920s, when India was still part of the British Empire. The family became more influential under his son, Jawaharlal Nehru, who became a prominent figure in India's nationalist movement. After Jawaharlal's death, his daughter Indira Gandhi became his political heir (her surname came from her husband, Feroze Gandhi. The Nehru-Gandhi dynasty has dominated the Congress Party since Indian independence in 1947.[5] The party was defeated in the 2014 elections, however, and high-level defections took place in Maharashtra, Assam, West Bengal, and Jammu and Kashmir.[6] The family still has widespread name recognition.[7]

Andhra Pradesh & Telangana

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Assam

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Gogoi Family

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  • Dip Gogoi— MLA in Assam (2001-2001), Lok Sabha Member (2002-2014)

Bihar

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Mehta Family

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Chaudhary Family

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Prasad Family

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  • Jagdeo Prasad— Founder of Shoshit Samaj Party and Former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar.
  • Satish Prasad Singh— Former Chief Minister of Bihar for shortest tenure. (brother-in-law of Jagdeo Prasad)
    • Nagmani— Former Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment in Atal Bihari Vajpayee's cabinet, several time Member of Bihar Legislative Assembly and Minister in Government of Bihar. (son of Jagdeo Prasad and son-in-law of Satish Prasad Singh).

Verma Family

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Kushwaha Family

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Yadav family

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Mishra family

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Sinha family

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Chhattisgarh

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Jogi family

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Shukla family

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Kashyap family

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Singh (Raman) family

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Alemao family

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Bandodkar family

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Dhavalikar family

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D'Souza family

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Fernandes family

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Gauns family

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Lobo family

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Monserrate family

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Rane family

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Saldanha family

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Sequeira family

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Shet family

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Vaz family

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Zantye family

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Gujarat

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Patel family

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Haryana

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The Lal Trio denotes the influential trio of politicians originating from the Indian state of Haryana. Consisting of Devi Lal, Bansi Lal, and Bhajan Lal, these figures emerged as central pillars in Haryana's political landscape, shaping its governance and policies over several decades. Their collective influence not only garnered widespread recognition but also catalyzed the establishment of enduring political legacies under their surname. Integral to their political narrative is the phenomenon of "Aaya Ram Gaya Ram" politics, a term originating from an infamous incident in Haryana's political history. This phrase encapsulates the practice of legislators frequently switching political allegiances, often in pursuit of personal gain or ideological convenience. The Lal Trio, adept practitioners of this craft, leveraged it to their advantage, further consolidating their hold on power and influence within the region. Other than the Lal Trio, only other family which emerged as the most dominant and influential family is the Hooda Family. Bhupinder Singh Hooda has served as Chief Minister of the State for two simultaneous terms and is a mass leader dominating state as well as national politics. His son Deepender Singh Hooda emerged as the youth icon of Indian National Congress and is carrying forward his family legacy.

Hooda Family

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  • Chaudhary Ranbir Singh (1914-2009) - Freedom Fighter, Member of the Constituent Assembly, Former MP Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and Former Minister in Punjab Government.

Devi Lal family

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Bansi Lal family

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Bhajan Lal family

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Himachal Pradesh

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Singh (Virbhadra) family

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Dhumal family

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  • Prem Kumar Dhumal (born 10 April 1944) – Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh (March 1998 – March 2003 and 1 January 2008 – 25 December 2012), former Lok Sabha member from Hamirpur

Sukh Ram family

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Jammu and Kashmir

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Abdullah family

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Sayeed family

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Lone family

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Jharkhand

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Soren family

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Verma family

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Karnataka

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Devegowda family

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B. S. Yediyurappa

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Mallikarjun Kharge

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Annasaheb Shankar Jolle

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Umesh Jadhav

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L. A. Ravi Subramanya

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Kerala

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Madhya Pradesh

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Singh family (Churhat)

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Chaudhary family

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Chaturvedi family

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Nath family

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MP Singh family

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Vajpayee family

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Maharashtra

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Ambedkar family

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Thackeray family

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Pawar family

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Odisha

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Patnaik family

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Biswal family

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Puducherry

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Reddiar family

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Farook family

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Punjab

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Former royal family of Patiala

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Badal Family

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Majithia Family

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  • Surat Singh, zamindar and military officer in the Khalsa Army[42] In 1877, he was awarded the title of Raja and made a Companion of the Star of India.
  • Umrao Singh, aristocrat and a scholar in Sanskrit and Persian and Father of Amrita Sher-Gil
  • Sundar Singh Majithia, landowner and politician. He was a member of Khalsa Nationalist Party and Revenue Member at the first and second legislative councils of the Punjab Legislative Assembly. The first president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee
  • Wing Commander Sardar Surjit Singh Majithia, Indian politician, diplomat, and air force officer. Son of Sundar Singh Majithia
  • Amrita Sher-Gil, Hungarian-Indian painter. Daughter of Umrao Singh
  • Satyajit Singh Majithia, educationist, industrialist, philanthropist, and Chancellor of Khalsa University. Son of Sardar Surjit Singh Majithia, former Deputy Defence Minister
  • Harsimrat Kaur Badal, a former Union Cabinet Minister of Food Processing Industries. Daughter of Satyajit Singh Majithia
  • Bikram Singh Majithia, a former cabinet minister in the Punjab Government. Son of Satyajit Singh Majithia

Kairon Family

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Khaira family

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  • Sukhjinder Singh Khaira, former education minister of Punjab and senior Akali Dal leader
  • Sukhpal Singh Khaira, son of Sukhjinder Singh Khaira, former leader of opposition in Punjab and incumbent MLA

Mann Family

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  • Budh Singh Mann, General in the Sikh Khalsa Army
  • Jathedar Arur Singh Naushera, Jathedar of the Akal Takht. Grandson of Budh Singh Mann
  • Joginder Singh Mann, IPS Officer and local politician. Son of Arur Singh Naushera
  • Simranjit Singh Mann, multiple time Member of Parliament from Sangrur. Son of Joginder Singh Mann
  • Emaan Singh Mann, politician. Son of Simranjit Singh Mann

Royal Family of Sarai Naga

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Talwandi family

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Bajwa Family

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Rajasthan

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Former royal family of Alwar

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  • Mahendra Kumari, Member of Parliament from Alwar
  • Bhanwar Jitendra Singh, former Member of Legislative Assembly from Alwar City constituency twice; former Secretary of AICC; former Member of Parliament from Alwar; former Minister of State for Home Affairs, former Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports (Independent charge) and former Minister of State for Defence; former AICC In-charge of Odisha, CWC Member and General Secretary AICC, and General Secretary In-charge of Madhya Pradesh.

Singh Family

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  • Dr. Digamber Singh,[43] ( 1 October 1951 - 27 October 2017) Health, Medicine, Family Welfare and Ayurveda Minister of Rajasthan (2003 - 2008). Industries Minister of Rajasthan (2008 - 2009). Vice President of Rajasthan Bharatiya Janata Party (2013 - 2015). Chairman of the Twenty Point Program, Cabinet Minister (2015 - 2017). Additional Charge Ministries of Panchayati Raj, Social Justice, Law and Agriculture, Cabinet Minister (2016 - 2017). MLA, Deeg-Kumher (1993 - 2013).
  • Asha Singh, ( 1 August 1955 - 30 August 2021), BJP leader.
  • Dr. Shailesh Digamber Singh,[44] ( born 20 July 1980) MLA - Deeg-Kumher (2023–Present).

The Beniwal Family (Jats)

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On 29 October 2018, Hanuman Beniwal founded the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party, becoming its national convenor in the process. This made Beniwal family as one of the most influential political families of Rajasthan since Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) is the only successful party in the state besides Indian National Congress and Bhartiya Janta Party.[45][46]

Bishnoi family

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Gehlot family

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Maderna family

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Meena family

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Bharat lal meena former cabinet minister in Rajasthan government. 4 time MLA from bamanwas constituency.

  • Namo Narain Meena, former minister of state, former union minister of state from congress party
    • Harish Meena, former DGP of rajasthan and MP of Dausa constituency from Bjp party
      • Om Prakash Meena, chief secretary of Rajasthan
  • Meena Family*

•Dr. Kirodi lal meena 6 times MLA 3 Times MP Loksabha and Rajyasabha 2 times cabinet minister

•Golma Devi Meena Former Minister Wife of Kirodi lal meena 2 times MLA

•Rajendra Meena Pradhan MLA Mahwa nephew

•Jagmohan Meena RAS

Brother of Kirodi lal meena 

Bjp candidate from Dausa constituency

Mirdha family

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Pilot family

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Raje family

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Sharma family

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  • Banwari Lal Sharma - Former Cabinet Minister and 5 time MLA from Dholpur Assembly constituency
  • Ashok Sharma - MLA and former Dholpur President of Congress
  • Ritesh Sharma - Mayor of Dholpur
  • Murari Lal Sharma - Nagar Palika Chairman of Dholpur

Verma family

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Vishnoi family

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Tamil Nadu

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Tripura

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Singh family

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Uttar Pradesh

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Maurya family

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Chaudhary Family

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Yadav family

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Khan family

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West Bengal

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Subhas Chandra Bose family

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Dasmunsi family

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Konar family

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Banerjee family

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Bandopadhyay family

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Ahmed family

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Chatterjee family

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Sengupta family

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References

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  2. ^ Basu, Amrita (2016). Chandra, Kanchan (ed.). Democratic Dynasties: State, Party and Family in Contemporary Indian Politics (1 ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p. 136. ISBN 978-1-107-12344-1. Archived from the original on 10 November 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
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  54. ^ More information about family member in politics needed for this article.