Muslim Representation in 15th Lok Sabha

Except in 1980, when the percentage of Muslim MPs in the Lok Sabha – 9 per cent  –  was roughly equivalent to the percentage of Muslims in the Indian population  – 11.4 per cent according to the 1981 census – this minority has always been under-represented in Parliament. The gap increased in the late ’80s, to fall to about 5 per cent in the ’90s, the decade when the BJP remained the first party in the Lok Sabha for quite some time; it then increased slightly in 1999 and 2004 thanks to the good performance of parties which had nominated a large number of Muslim candidates, mainly the BSP and the SP. In the outgoing Lok Sabha, Muslim MPs represent 6.4 per cent of the total MPs while Muslims represent 13.4 per cent of the Indian population, according to the 2001 census. [Christophe Jaffrelot writes in The Indian Express, May 16, 2009] Only 29 Muslims from different political parties (1 as independent) have won  the 15^th Lok Sabha elections from their respective constituencies. In the 543-member House, these Muslim representatives form mere 5.3% of the total strength.