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Aniket Dixit:
aniket@prsindia.org
Vital Stats
Debates on Local Issues (2004-2008)
 
Members of Parliament raise a number of issues reflecting the concerns of the people whoelected them. Such concerns may be either of national importance or be related to localissues specific to the constituency which MPs represent. In this note, we analyse the extentto which such local issues are raised and the importance of such issues to MPs from differentparties or states. We also look at the types of local issues raised. It should be kept in mindthat some issues which affect constituencies at a local level are dealt with mainly by stategovernments and may not be raised by MPs in Parliament.
Almost a quarter of all debates raised in the Lok Sabha were on local issues
 
Local issues as % of total debates
23%23% 23%25%20%0%5%10%15%20%25%30%2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
 
 
Around 23% of all debates in parliament between2004 and 2008 were concerned with local issuesraised by MPs.
 
One of three non-legislative debates were about localmatters.
 
Debates on local issues as a share of the total were themost in 2007 (25%). They were the lowest in 2008(20%).
MPs from both the Congress and BJP raised local issues to the same extent
Importance of local issues (party-wise)
25% 26%19%22%0%5%10%15%20%25%30%BJP INC CPI(M) Others
 
 
26% of debates by Congress MPs, and 25% of debatesby BJP MPs, were about local issues.
 
Less than one in five debates by MPs from theCPI(M) were about local matters.
 
A third of all debates by members from the BahujanSamaj Party (BSP) were about local issues. 51% of debates raised by MPs from the Nationalist CongressParty (NCP) were about such issues.
Among larger states, Gujarat MPs showed the most interest in local issues
Importance of local issues (state-wise)
38%28%27%25% 25%21%0%10%20%30%40%50%
     G    u     j    a    r    a     t     U     P     R    a     j    a    s     t     h    a    n     K    a    r    n    a     t    a     k    a     M     P     O     t     h    e    r    s
 
 
Around 38% of debates by Gujarat MPs were aboutlocal issues.
 
47% of all debates raised by MPs from Jharkhandwere about local matters.
 
15% of debates by Kerala MPs, and 10% of debatesby Delhi MPs, were about such issues.
Avinash Celestine
:Avinash@prsindia.org
 March 6, 2009
PRS Legislative Research
Centre for Policy Research
Dharma Marg
Chanakyapuri
New Delhi – 110021Tel: (011) 2410 6720, (011) 2611 5273-76, Fax: 2687 2746
www.prsindia.org
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