Top politicians with poor educational record

Updated: Wednesday, July 15, 2026, 4:06 [IST]

We are civilized people and we are living in a country which advocates democracy but there is no minimum educational requirement or qualifications for any Indian to become an Member of Parliament (M.P), Member of Legislative Council (MLC) and Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA).

The only eligibility qualification required is he or she should be an Indian National. In a situation where India is striving to become world superpower, there have been debates whether or not educational record should be mandatory for politicians who are contesting in elections.

Here is the list of top 10 Indian politicians who have either pursued education till matriculation or were school drop outs or never went to school.

Gulzar Singh Ranike

He is an Undergraduate. He is the Cabinet minister in Punjab for Animal Husbandry, Dairy and Fisheries.

Phoolan Devi

She was a dreaded decoit before she entered politics. She never went to school as she was forced to marry a man much older to her. She joined the Samajwadi Party and become a member parliament from Mirzapur.

Rabri Devi

She had no experience in politics until her husband Laloo Prasad Yadav, was forced to resign from the position of Chief Minister of Bihar. Rabri Devi, a house wife at that time, and even now, was appointed as the Chief Minister of the second most populous state of India. Rabri Devi is almost uneducated.

Vijaykanth

An actor turned politician, Vijaykanth won the TN assembly election in 2011. Vijayakanth couldn't continue his studies after 12th standard as he was forced to join his father in his rice mill business.

J Jayalalitha

The Current Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. She was brilliant as a student and received a scholarship to continue her studies after matriculation. She declined the scholarship as she wanted to start her career in films.

Golma Devi

She is a wife of Meena Community leader Kirori Lal Meena. Colma Devi became an MLA. She is uneducated and hence was not even able to read her oath during the swearing in ceremony.

Karunanidhi

The former chief minister of Tamil Nadu did not pursue his education after matriculation. But he is blessed with a remarkable talent of writing and has written many screenplays for Tamil films.

K Kamraj

A freedom fighter turned politician Kamraj contributed a lot to Indian politics despite being uneducated. He later became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in 1954.

Jaffer Sharif

The former railway minister only pursued studies till matriculation. He started off his career as a driver with congress President S Nijalingappa and later joined politics.

Vatal Nagaraj

The Kannada Chelluvalli Vatal Party President Vatal Nagaraj is a 10th standard dropout. He has contributed a lot to preserve Kannada culture and fight for Kannada glory. He is an ex-MLA from Chamarajnagar.