Number Theory: State representation in council of ministers

Out of 25 Cabinets so far, Uttar Pradesh had the highest share of portfolios in 16 Cabinets. Andhra Pradesh had the highest share in the portfolios twice

The second part of this four-part series looked at the social matrix of India’s council of ministers from 1952 to 2024. This part will look at the representation of different states and Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha in the council of ministers over the decades.

Parliament

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  Uttar Pradesh alone has a share of 18% in the council of ministers

  A state-wise disaggregation – as clarified earlier, it has been done on the basis of state of representation rather than residence or birth – shows that Uttar Pradesh alone has a share of 18.1% in India’s council of ministers over the years. Just three states -- Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra -- account for almost 40% of the total council of ministers since 1952. This analysis has not adjusted for the bifurcation of states while calculating their historical shares in the council of ministers. To be sure, these three states together account for almost 30% of members of Parliament.

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  The importance of states in council of ministers has been changing

  Out of 25 Cabinets so far, Uttar Pradesh had the highest share of portfolios in 16 Cabinets. Andhra Pradesh had the highest share in the portfolios twice, during the second tenure of Indira Gandhi (1967-71) and PV Narasimha Rao (1991-96). Bihar had the highest share three time -- during the tenure of Indira Gandhi (1980-84), IK Gujaral (1997-98), and Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1998-99). Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra had the highest share in the portfolios during the United Progressive Alliance tenure between 2004-2009 and 2009-14. Karnataka had the highest share when HD Deve Gowda was PM during 1996-97. Unlike the caste-composition of council of ministers, there is no clear-cut trend for state-wise representation over time. These numbers tend to be skewed by the prime minister traditionally keeping several portfolios. Rao, for instance, held 17 other portfolios excluding the prime minister’s post between 1991 and 1996.

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  But once relative shares are taken into account, Delhi is the most over-represented state in the council of ministers

  A simple comparison of a state’s share in ministerial portfolios can be misleading due to variations in the number of parliamentary constituencies (PCs) across India. To accurately assess a state’s representation, it’s essential to examine its relative share in the portfolios. This is calculated by dividing a state’s share of ministerial positions by its proportion of India’s total 543 PCs. An analysis on these lines shows that Delhi, Haryana, and Karnataka have the highest relative shares at 1.94, 1.32, and 1.22 respectively. In contrast, West Bengal and Kerala exhibit the lowest relative shares among major states. Only states with at least seven PCs were included in this analysis.

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  There is a marked variation in the share of different caste groups in the portfolios state-wise

  A state-wise analysis of broad caste groups shows significant variation across the states. For the analysis, we have taken only the states/Union territories with at least seven parliamentary constituencies (PCs) currently. Of all the portfolios held by any state/Union territory, Delhi has the highest share of non-SC/ST/OBC groups (96.3%) followed by Maharashtra (83.3%) and West Bengal (83%%). OBCs have the highest share in the portfolios when it comes to the state of Tamil Nadu (49.7%) followed by Karnataka (40.8%), and Haryana (38.8%). Schedule Castes have the highest share when they come from the states of Haryana (26.3%), Punjab (18.3%) and Rajasthan (15.3%).

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  How do the shares of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha in the portfolios vary?

  The share of the Rajya Sabha in the portfolios was highest during the prime ministerships of HD Deve Gowda, IK Gujaral, and Indira Gandhi (1966-67). It is important to underline that the prime minister themselves were members of the Rajya Sabha during these governments. Because the prime minister has a lot of Cabinet portfolios, this might have led to an increase in the share of Rajya Sabha in the council of ministers. Lok Sabha dominates Rajya Sabha in the overall share of the portfolios. Lok Sabha has a share of 76.8% in the overall portfolios. To be sure, the percentage share of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha in the portfolios varies over time. In the current Narendra Modi Cabinet, Rajya Sabha has a share of 18.3% in the portfolios.