Not going to comment...: US dodges question on Muslim representation in Indian Parliament

As many as 24 Muslim candidates across the country have won the Lok Sabha elections this year, but none from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Washington: Praising India's elections, the US has described it as the largest exercise of the electoral franchise in any country at any time in history but refrained from commenting on no Muslim representation from the ruling BJP in the Lok Sabha.

General elections were held in India from April 19 to June 1 in seven phases to elect all 543 members of the Lok Sabha. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won the election and Narendra Modi was sworn in as the prime minister for a record third straight term on June 9.

“We celebrate the election that happened in India; it was the largest exercise of the electoral franchise in any country anytime in history,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters here on Thursday at his daily news conference.

He was responding to a question on the recent election results and representation of Muslims in the Indian Parliament. Miller, however, refrained from responding to such a question asserting that this is for the people of India to decide.

As many as 24 Muslim candidates across the country have won the Lok Sabha elections this year, but none is from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“I am just not going to comment on the Indian elections other than what we have said before, which is the electoral matters are matters for the Indian people to decide,” he said.

“For specific results of that election, it’s just not something we comment on,” Miller said.

Lok Sabha Election 2024 results | Check all constituency results here

Odisha Assembly poll 2024 results| Check constituency results here

Andhra Pradesh Assembly poll 2024 results | Check constituency results here

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 | Narendra Modi's '400-paar' hopes faced stiff competition from Rahul Gandhi's I.N.D.I.A. in an election whose result came as a surprise. Track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

Assembly Elections 2024 | The polls in Sikkim saw an SKM landslide win, while Arunachal Pradesh saw BJP return, Andhra Pradesh welcomed TDP with a massive mandate, and Odisha saw BJP end BJD's stronghold. Subscribe and follow DH on Whatsapp, X, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram to never miss out on anything.