Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Shrinking space for Muslim legislators is emerging as one of the sharpest political markers of the the post-2014 era, as BJP’s expanding footprint and the opposition’s changing ticket distribution strategy have together pushed minority representation down in assemblies. Data shows the number of Muslim MLAs in the country has fallen from 339 in 2013 to 282 now.The decline has been steepest in states that matter most electorally. Uttar Pradesh, where Muslims account for nearly 19% of the population, now has 31 Muslim MLAs in the 403-member House, down from 63. West Bengal has seen the number fall from 59 to 37, while the figure for Bihar has dropped from 19 to 11 and for Rajasthan from 11 to 6.While this is not only about BJP, its nationwide rise has changed the incentive structure for elections. In many states, the party has won large mandates with very little Muslim candidature, pushing rivals to balance minority representation with broader caste and community arithmetic. In Bengal and Assam (where BJP contested 90 seats and won 82), BJP did not field any Muslim candidate this time, unlike in 2021 when in Bengal it had fielded nine and in Assam, eight. The Assam BJP dissolved its minority cell soon after all its Muslim candidates lost. Nationally, BJP has only two Muslim MLAs — Achab Uddin from Manipur and Tafajjal Hossain from Tripura.The gap is stark. In Bengal, Muslims constitute about 27% of the population but now account for only 12.6% of MLAs. In Bihar, they are nearly 17% of population but hold about 4.5% seats. In Assam, where Muslims comprise over a third of the population, their assembly share is roughly 17%. Maharashtra and Karnataka have Muslim MLA shares of only 3-4%, despite Muslim population shares of above 10%.Congress has the highest number of Muslim MLAs at 61, followed by National Conference with 39, and Trinamool and Samajwadi Party with 34 each. Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir and Tamil Nadu remain among the better represented spaces.
