As BJP expands across states, Muslim MLA numbers drop sharply nationwide
From 339 in 2013 to 255 now; steepest fall in UP, Bengal and Bihar even as population share remains high, BJP has only two Muslim MLAs
In many states, Muslim MLas are not proportional to the population of the community. The BJP’s rise to dominance in the country since 2014—reinforced by its recent electoral successes in West Bengal and Assam – has reshaped India’s political landscape, with one visible outcome being a sharp decline in Muslim representation in state assemblies.
The number of Muslim MLAs has dropped from around 339 in 2013 to about 255 now.
The steepest decline is in large states. In Uttar Pradesh, Muslim MLAs have nearly halved from 63 to 31. In West Bengal, the number has fallen from 59 to 37, while in Bihar the number has dropped from 19 to 11. Rajasthan too has seen a fall from 11 to 6.
These declines stand out because these states account for a large share of the country’s Muslim population. In Uttar Pradesh, Muslims make up about 19% of the population but now hold less than 8% of seats. In West Bengal, the share is about 12.6% of MLAs against a population of roughly 27%. In Bihar, it is about 4.5% compared to nearly 17% of the population.
A similar gap is visible in other states. In Assam, Muslims form over a third of the population but have roughly 17% of seats. In Maharashtra and Karnataka, the share of Muslim MLAs is around 3-4%, far below their population share of over 10%.
Even states with relatively higher representation have seen a dip. Kerala has gone from 36 to 34 Muslim MLAs, and Karnataka from 11 to 9. In Gujarat, the number has fallen from two to one, while Chhattisgarh now has none.
Seven states—Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Chhattisgarh—currently have no Muslim MLAs.
However, there are a few exceptions. Tamil Nadu has seen a slight increase from 8 to 9 Muslim MLAs, while Madhya Pradesh and Meghalaya have recorded small gains.
Even Jammu and Kashmir, which still has one of the highest numbers of Muslim MLAs, has seen a drop from 58 to 51.
With regard to the parties that the Muslim MLAs represent, the highest are from the Congress at 61, followed by the National Conference at 39, the Trinamool Congress and the Samajwadi Party with 34 each.
Incidentally, the BJP has two Muslim MLAs Achab Uddin from Manipur and Tafajjal Hossain from Tripura.
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