Muslim representation in Parliament increases marginally after 2019 Election
New Delhi: After every election in India, it is very common to see people debating on how many MPs from Minority communities especially Muslim community will march into the parliament according to the people’s mandate and 2019 Lok Sabha Election was no different, as soon as the results of LS Polls 2019 came out people on social media started debating the number of Muslim MPs that were elected.
According to the data available, 27 Muslim candidates from across the country have managed win the elections. Five more than the 22 who managed to win the 2014 General Elections. Six of the 27 newly elected Muslim MPs come from Muslim parties which include 3 from Muslim League, 2 from All India Majlis-e-Ittihadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and 1 from United Democratic Front.
Five Muslim candidates have managed to win the elections on the ticket of Mamata Banerjee led Trinamool Congress (TMC), 4 from Congress, 3 each from SP, BSP and Jammu Kashmir National Conference while NCP, LJP and CPM have sent 1 each candidate from their ranks to the Lok Sabha this time.
On a state-wise table West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh will each have six Muslim MPs from their states in the lower house of the parliament. Kerala and Jammu Kashmir will have 3 each, Assam, Bihar will have 2 each while Lakshwadeep, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Telangana will have 1 each from their states.
27 Muslim MPs account for a merely 4.97% of the total strength of Lok Sabha, but since the numbers have gone up from the previous term it is being welcomed. More so because there were no Muslim MPs in the previous term from state like Uttar Pradesh but the state this time has six Muslim MPs.
The outgoing Lok Sabha had 23 Muslim MPs, the most being from Congress and TMC. The highest number of Muslim MPs were in 1980 when as many as 49 MPs from the community. The previous 14th and 15th Lok Sabha had 30 and 34 Muslim MPs each when Congress-led UPA was in power. In 1984 when Rajiv Gandhi swept to power following the assassination of his mother and then prime minister Indira Gandhi as many as 42 Muslim MPs were there.
The lowest number of Muslim MPs were in 1952 when just 11 were present in the Lok Sabha.
The list of Muslim MPs that have won the 2019 elections is as follow:
Assam
Barpeta - Abdul Khaleque (INC)
Dhubri - Badruddin Ajmal (AIUDF)
Bihar
Khagaria - Choudhary Mehboob Ali Kaiser (LJP)
Kishanganj - Dr Mohammad Jawed (INC)
Jammu & Kashmir
Anantnag - Hasnain Masoodi (JKNC)
Baramulla - Mohammed Akbar Lone (JKNC)
Srinagar - Farooq Abdullah (JKNC)
Kerala
Alappuzha - Adv. A M Ariff (CPI-M)
Malappuram - P.K. Kunhalikutty (IUML)
Ponnani - E.T. Mohammed Basheer (IUML)
Lakshwadeep
Lakshwadeep - Mohammed Faizal PP (NCP)
Maharashtra
Aurangabad - Syed Imtiaz Jaleel (AIMIM)
Punjab
Faridkot - Mohammad Sadique (INC)
Tamil Nadu
Ramanathapuram - K. Navas Kani (IUML)
Telangana
Hyderabad - Asaduddin Owaisi (AIMIM)
Uttar Pradesh
Amroha - Kunwar Danish Ali (BSP)
Ghazipur - Afzal Ansari (BSP)
Moradabad - Dr. S.T. Hasan (SP)
Rampur - Mohammad Azam Khan (SP)
Saharanpur - Haji Fazlur Rehman (BSP)
Sambhal - Dr. Shafiqur Rehman Barq (SP)
West Bengal
Arambagh - Aparupa Poddar alias Afrin Ali (AITC)
Basirhat - Nusrat Jahan Ruhi (AITC)
Jangipur - Khalilur Rehman (AITC)
Maldaha Dakshin - Abu Hasem Khan Chowdhury (INC)
Murshidabad - Abu Taher Khan (AITC)
Uluberia - Sajda Ahmed (AITC)
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
