In many states, Muslim MLas are not proportional to the population of the community. 2 min read Mumbai May 6, 2026 03:07 PM IST First published on: May 6, 2026 at 03:07 PM IST The BJP’s rise to dominance in the country since 2014—reinforced by its recent electoral successes in West Bengal and Assam – has reshaped India’s political landscape, with one visible outcome being a sharp decline in Muslim representation in state assemblies. The number of Muslim MLAs has dropped from around 339 in 2013 to about 282 now. The steepest decline is in large states. In Uttar Pradesh, Muslim MLAs have nearly halved from 63 to 31. In West Bengal, the number has fallen from 59 to 37, while in Bihar the number has dropped from 19 to 11. Rajasthan too has seen a fall from 11 to 6. These declines stand out because these states account for a large share of the country’s Muslim population. In Uttar Pradesh, Muslims make up about 19% of the population but now hold less than 8% of seats.…