- By Imran Zafar
- Wed, 05 Jun 2024 12:48 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
24 Muslim candidates are set to be part of the 18th Lok Sabha after winning the polls in the world's biggest democratic exercise. This representation of about 200 million or 14 per cent of the total population is just 4.42 per cent of 543 MPs elected to the lower house of the Parliament. A mere number of 78 Muslims were in the fray for the Lok Sabha elections this year, with the largest party BJP not fielding a single candidate from the community.
In the 2019 General Election, 115 Muslim candidates were nominated by various political parties out of which 26 secured seats in Lok Sabha. The 2014 General Election saw the lowest Muslim representation in the Lok Sabha at 22, while the community had 30 Lok Sabha MPs in 2009. Muslims had the highest-ever presence in the Lok Sabha, at 49, in 1980, when Indira Gandhi-led Congress registered a landslide win of 353 seats in the 531-member assembly.
Muslim Representation In Lok Sabha
Despite having a Muslim population of over 200 million in the country, which is estimated to be more than 14 per cent of the total population, the community has been underrepresented in the 'Temple Of Democracy'.
The low representation in the legislative body makes it difficult for the community to ask the state for resources and articulate the kind of needs they want in order to progress, whether it's education, employment or basic infrastructure.
For instance, a government report in 2006, discovered that Muslims in India lagged behind Hindus, other minority groups, including Christians, Buddhists and Jains, and lower castes in literacy rates, income and basic access to education. Multiple social reports stated that the community has made some gains since then but is still at a significant disadvantage.
Muslim political representation at the state level is only slightly higher. Out of over 4,000 legislators in state assemblies across India's 28 states, approximately 6 per cent of the seats are occupied by Muslim lawmakers.
Lok Sabha Election 2024 Results
The results of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 were out on Tuesday, with NDA securing a majority in the closely fought battle to retain its power at Centre. The BJP along with allies garnered 294 seats in the lower house of Parliament while the INDIA bloc won 232 seats, gaining significant numbers in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
In the recent Lok Sabha polls, as few as 24 Muslim candidates emerged victorious out of 543 seats. Notable among them is former India cricketer Yusuf Pathan, who defeated Congress veteran Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in Baharampur by 85,022 votes. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi retained his Hyderabad seat with a significant margin of 3,38,087 votes, defeating BJP's Madhavi Latha Kompella.
In Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party's Mohibbullah won the Rampur seat with 4,81,503 votes, while Zia Ur Rehman secured the Sambhal seat by a margin of 1.2 lakh votes. Congress candidate Imran Masood clinched the Saharanpur seat by a massive 64,542 votes.
In Jammu and Kashmir, Independent candidate Abdul Rashid Sheikh won the Baramulla seat with 4.7 lakh votes, while Mian Altaf Ahmad of the National Conference won the Anantnag-Rajouri seat by 2,81,794 votes against former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti. National Conference candidate Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi secured 3,56,866 votes in Srinagar.
In Ladakh, Independent candidate Mohammad Haneefa secured a victory by 27,862 votes.