Civics
How to Find Your MP and MLA: A Complete Guide
A step-by-step guide to identifying your Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha representatives and understanding their roles.
Every Indian voter has at least two directly elected representatives above the local level: a Member of Parliament (MP) in the Lok Sabha and a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in their state's Vidhan Sabha. Knowing who they are is the first step to holding them to account.
MP and MLA: who does what
- Your MP represents one of the 543 Lok Sabha constituencies. MPs make laws on Union subjects such as defence, railways, banking, foreign affairs and income tax, pass the Union budget, question ministers, and can recommend local works under the MPLADS scheme.
- Your MLA represents an assembly constituency in your state. MLAs make laws on State subjects such as police, public health, agriculture, land and local government, pass the state budget, and hold the state government to account.
- Below them, your ward councillor or panchayat member handles local services: drains, streetlights, water supply and sanitation.
Each Lok Sabha constituency contains several assembly constituencies; in most states it is five to eight or more.
Three ways to find them
- Use your pincode or location. On our constituency finder enter your pincode or allow location access, and we show your Lok Sabha and assembly constituencies with your MP and MLA.
- Use your voter ID. Your Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) number lets you look up your entry on the Election Commission's voter portal. Your entry names your assembly constituency and part number; from there you can identify your Lok Sabha seat.
- Browse by state. Our map lets you pick your state and constituency directly.
Contacting them
MPs' official email addresses and Delhi addresses are published by the Lok Sabha Secretariat; many states publish MLA contact directories. Representatives who join DemocracyIndia can also answer questions publicly on their profile pages.
When you write, be specific: state your address or polling booth, the problem, what you have already tried, and what you are asking for. A short, precise letter is more likely to be acted on than a long one.
Hold them to account
Watch what your representatives do between elections: attendance, questions asked, debates joined, how local development funds are spent. The Lok Sabha and state assembly websites publish much of this. Your vote at the next election is the final word; your attention in between is what makes it an informed one.