Assembly Elections 2026: Total 104 Muslim MLAs elected but none from BJP

New Delhi: At least 104 or 14.36 per cent of 723 MLAs elected in the latest round of Assembly elections in four states and one Union Territory are Muslims, but BJP, which has stormed back to power in Assam and ousted Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, has none from the minority community.

Of this, 31 are part of the ruling side in Kerala (30) and Tamil Nadu (1).

In the five poll-bound states and UT – West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, Muslim representation in the Assembly is nowhere near their population except in Kerala.

In West Bengal where 27.01 per cent of the population are Muslims, as per 2011 Census, and the BJP went on a high-shrill campaign on “infiltrators”, the number of Muslim MLAs elected this time – 40 out of 293 – was only 13.65 per cent. Election to Falta constituency will be held later this month.

Trinamool Congress has 34 Muslim MLAs out of 80, while both the Congress MLAs as well as the lone CPI(M) MLA are from the minority community. AJUP (2) and ISF (1) also have only Muslim MLAs.

Assam saw the BJP going on a campaign against ‘Miyas’ where all but one Congress MLAs – 18 out of 19 are Muslims.

One of the two MLAs of Raijor Dal, the lone Trinamool Congress MLA and two AIUDF MLAs in the state, whose Muslim population is pegged at 34.22 per cent, are also from the minority community. The total Muslim MLA proportion was pegged at 13.65 per cent.

Sharing a list of Assam Congress MLAs, BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya posted on X, "Check the names of Congress MLAs in Assam. The pattern is hard to ignore. Congress is the new Muslim League."

Congress Social Media and Digital Platforms Chairperson Supriya Shrinate shot back saying, "Total Congress MLAs: 664. Approximate distribution by religion: Hindu: 520 (78%), Muslim: 80 (12%), Other religions: 64 (10%)."

In Kerala where the UDF has ousted LDF from power, the ruling coalition account for 30 of the 35 Muslim MLAs. Congress has eight and Muslim League 22 MLAs from the minority community, while the Opposition CPI(M) has four and CPI one Muslim lawmaker. Kerala has a Muslim population of 26.56 per cent and its Muslim MLA count is 25 per cent.

Tamil Nadu, which has a Muslim population of 5.86 per cent, has seven (2.99 per cent) MLAs out of 234 from Muslim community – TVK and Congress have one each, while Muslim League has two and DMK three Muslim MLAs. Puducherry with 6.05 per cent Muslim population has no MLAs from the minority community in the 30-member Assembly.