Parliament was not a priority for some MPs

The 14th Lok Sabha came to an end on Thursday and all eyes are now on the General Elections.

Even though the 14th Lok Sabha was one of the most acrimonious but there were many MPs who just did not made it a habit to attend its sessions on a regular basis.

Quite a few MPs revelled in giving the House a miss during the 14th Lok Sabha.

On top of the absentee list was Govinda Arun Ahuja who was busy romancing his first love - Bollywood - and forgetting that he had business in Parliament.

Dharmendra was more interested in his son's career than welfare of the neglected Bikaner constituency.

Shibu Soren was in and out of jail and stayed away from Parliament while Mamata Banerjee fought the Nano and the Tatas but didn't want to take on her opposition in Parliament.

So is there any self-introspection among the MPs?

"I promise my constituency people and my party that of next time I get a chance I am going to do better and better," Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav said.

The above list is of just a few of the famous absentees. But there is a comprehensive list of people with less than 30 per cent attendance during the 14th Lok Sabha.

It includes Ateeq Ahmad (20 per cent), Babu Lal Marandi (29 per cent), Dayanidhi Maran (10 per cent), Dharmendra (24 per cent), Govinda (12 per cent), MH Ambareesh (27 per cent), Mamata Banerjee (18 per cent), Mohammad Shahabuddin (24 per cent), Pappu Yadav (four per cent) and Shibu Soren (14 per cent).

It is an appalling figure and therefore some MPs have taken a pledge to improve it.

"Public wants the MPs to attend Parliament," BJP MP Shahnawaz Hussein said.

In the barely pass list are also some notables. Sonia Gandhi had an attendance percentage of 36, HD Deve Gowda 39, Priya Sunil Dutt 46, Navjyot Singh Sidhu 45 and Jaya Prada at 43.

But the Class of 2004 was not without the good boys and girls. Eighty-year-old Abdul Rehman Antulay headed the group that registered a 95 per cent attendance.

Pawan Bansal, Krishna Tirath and Sajjan Kumar also belonged to this club of exemplary MPs.

It was not only the attendance that mattered. Errabelli Dayakar Rao of the Telegu Desam Party had a 100 per cent attendance record.

But it was of hardly any use because his debate records show he never aksed any question or took part in any discussion.

There's a saying 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' and with almost 11 per cent of MPs earning an attendance of less than 50 per cent, it's hard to say if the Speaker or fellow parliamentarians grew any more fond of them.

What's certain though is that the voters will not remember them fondly.

(Data provided by PRS Legislative Research. Data till December 2008)