Several Indian politicians who are school dropouts have held top posts, because the Constitution sets no minimum education for MPs, MLAs or ministers. The best known names include Rabri Devi, K. Kamaraj, M. Karunanidhi, Uma Bharti and Tejashwi Yadav. This 2026 update corrects old errors and adds where each leader stands today.
Quick facts: school dropout politicians in India
| Leader | Schooling (as reported) | Top post held |
|---|---|---|
| K. Kamaraj | Left school at 12 | Chief Minister of Madras State, Congress president |
| Rabri Devi | Studied up to Class 5 | Chief Minister of Bihar (three terms) |
| M. Karunanidhi | Left high school | Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (five times) |
| Uma Bharti | Studied up to Class 6 | Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Union minister |
| Tejashwi Yadav | Left school in Class 10 | Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar |
Is there an education rule for Indian politicians?
No. The Constitution only asks that a candidate for Parliament or a state Assembly be an Indian citizen and meet the age limit. There is no rule on schooling for MPs, MLAs, ministers or even the Prime Minister.
Some states tried such rules at the village level. Haryana made Class 10 a requirement for many panchayat candidates in 2015, and the Supreme Court upheld it. Rajasthan brought a similar rule and later scrapped it. For the bigger posts, voters decide.
Politicians who are school dropouts: the list
1. K. Kamaraj
Kamaraj left school at around 12 and started work at his uncle’s cloth shop. He later became Chief Minister of Madras State from 1954 to 1963, a period remembered for the free midday meal scheme and the spread of schools across the state.
As Congress president in the 1960s he was called the kingmaker for his role in picking Prime Ministers. He died on 2 October 1975 and was given the Bharat Ratna after his death in 1976.
2. Rabri Devi
Rabri Devi studied only up to Class 5 at a village school. She became Bihar Chief Minister in July 1997 after her husband Lalu Prasad Yadav stepped down, and served three terms that ended in March 2005.
She is still active in Bihar politics. She has been a member of the Bihar Legislative Council since 2012 and became Leader of the Opposition in the Council in February 2024.
3. M. Karunanidhi
Karunanidhi failed his high school exams three times and then gave up formal studies. He turned to writing and became one of Tamil cinema’s best known screenwriters, with Parasakthi (1952) as his most famous script.
The DMK chief was Tamil Nadu Chief Minister five times between 1969 and 2011. He died in Chennai on 7 August 2018, aged 94.
4. Uma Bharti
Uma Bharti attended school only up to Class 6. She was known as a religious speaker from a young age before joining the BJP.
She was Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh from December 2003 to August 2004 and held several Union ministries, including Water Resources and Ganga Rejuvenation from 2014. She did not contest the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
5. J. Jayalalithaa
Jayalalithaa is a slightly different case. She topped the state in her Class 10 exam and won a scholarship, but left Stella Maris College in Chennai to act in films under family pressure. So she is a college dropout, not a school dropout.
The AIADMK leader went on to become Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu several times between 1991 and 2016. She died in office on 5 December 2016.
6. Jagarnath Mahto
Jagarnath Mahto had passed only Class 10 when he became Jharkhand’s Minister of School Education and Literacy in 2020. He made news that year when he took admission in Class 11 at an intermediate college, saying he wanted to finish his studies.
He held the post until his death on 6 April 2023 in Chennai, aged 56.
7. Tejashwi Yadav
Tejashwi Yadav left Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram, in Class 10 to chase a cricket career. He was signed by the Delhi Daredevils in the IPL but stayed on the bench, and played a few domestic matches for Jharkhand before retiring in 2013.
He was Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar twice. After the RJD-led alliance lost the November 2025 Assembly election, winning 35 seats against the NDA’s 202, he kept his Raghopur seat and remains Leader of the Opposition. In January 2026 he became the RJD’s national working president.
8. Tej Pratap Yadav
Older lists, including ours, said Tej Pratap left school in Class 9. His 2020 election affidavit says he passed Class 12 in 2010, so he finished school but has no college degree. We have corrected this entry.
He was Bihar’s Health Minister and later Environment Minister. In May 2025 Lalu Prasad Yadav expelled him from the RJD for six years. He then floated the Janshakti Janata Dal and finished third from Mahua in the 2025 election.
Why we changed this list
The earlier version had ten names. We removed entries where we could not find a reliable record of the leader’s schooling, fixed a mixed-up name, and added K. Kamaraj, whose story is well documented. A shorter, accurate list is more useful than a longer one built on guesswork.
For more lists like this, see our listicles section and our celebs coverage.
Frequently asked questions
Which Indian politicians are school dropouts?
Well documented examples include K. Kamaraj, Rabri Devi, M. Karunanidhi, Uma Bharti and Tejashwi Yadav. Jayalalithaa finished school but left college.
Is there any minimum qualification to become an MLA or MP in India?
No. The Constitution sets citizenship and age rules but no education rule for MPs, MLAs or ministers.
What is Tejashwi Yadav’s education?
He left school in Class 10 to play cricket and did not finish his schooling.
Who is the Chief Minister of Bihar now?
Nitish Kumar was sworn in after the 2025 election but resigned five months later on being elected to the Rajya Sabha. Samrat Chaudhary of the BJP then became Chief Minister.
Sources: K. Kamaraj, Wikipedia, Rabri Devi, Wikipedia, Tejashwi Yadav, Wikipedia, 2025 Bihar Assembly election, Wikipedia.
