The 17th Lok Sabha has seen members taking oath in as many as 20 different languages. The 17th Lok Sabha has seen members taking oath in as many as 20 different languages.

The 17th Lok Sabha has seen a significant drop in the number of MPs taking oath in English, with members increasingly choosing regional languages to take the oath. This shift from English to regional languages has largely been observed among members from the southern states.

The number of MPs who took oath in English has come down from 114 in 2014 to 54 in 2019.

The 17th Lok Sabha has seen members taking oath in as many as 20 different languages.

As per the rules of the House, a member can take the oath in any language specified in the eighth schedule of the Constitution.

Hindi remains the most dominant with 210 members taking oath in the language. The number is higher compared to 2014 when 202 MPs took oath in the language, but lower than 2009 when 229 MPs had preferred Hindi.

This shift from English to regional languages has been seen largely among MPs from the southern states, especially Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. In 2014, only 7 MPs took their oath in Tamil; this has now increased to 39.

Similarly, the number of members who took oath in Telugu has gone up from 13 in 2014 to 24 this time. The number of MPs who took oath in Bengali has increased from 22 to 29. While 39 members took oath in Sanskrit in 2014, the number has risen to 44 this time.

This is also the first time when two MPs have taken the oath in Nepali.

📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App.