Political Marginalization of Indian Muslims Reaches Unprecedented Levels Under BJP Rule
India’s Muslim population, the world’s second-largest at 300 million, faces deepening political exclusion under the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), according to a detailed analysis by activist and scholar Harsh Mander. Published on June 1, 2025, the article highlights a stark decline in Muslim political representation, tracing trends from India’s independence to the present.
The BJP, which governs 15 of India’s 36 states and holds a parliamentary majority, has virtually no Muslim legislators. As of 2023, its only elected Muslim lawmaker was in Tripura, and its sole Muslim Rajya Sabha member held a nominated seat. For the first time since 1947, no Muslim serves in the national cabinet. Muslim representation in the Lok Sabha averaged 5% from 1952 to 2019, far below their 14% population share according to the 2011 census. Post-2014, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, their share plummeted to 4%, with Uttar Pradesh—home to India’s largest Muslim population—electing zero Muslim MPs in 2014 and 2019.
Since 2009, Muslim candidates have increasingly won only in constituencies where Muslims exceed 40% of voters, signaling growing Hindu voter aversion. In the 2024 general election, the BJP fielded just one Muslim candidate, who lost, while opposition parties nominated only 35—a historic low. The BJP’s parent organization, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has long advocated Hindu majoritarianism, framing Muslims as “second-class citizens.” Modi’s campaigns amplified anti-Muslim rhetoric, with 110 of his 2024 speeches flagged for Islamophobia by Human Rights Watch.
Recent electoral boundary changes in Assam and Jammu & Kashmir have further diluted Muslim voting power. Non-BJP parties, including the Congress, now avoid championing Muslim issues, fearing backlash from Hindu voters. Muslim leaders also overwhelmingly come from elite Ashraf castes, leaving disadvantaged Pasmanda Muslims and women underrepresented.
Mander warns that India’s constitutional promise of equal citizenship is eroding, with Muslims now seen as a “political liability.” The trend threatens the pluralist foundations of the world’s largest democracy, marking a somber milestone in India’s political evolution.
