Muslims account for 17.7% of Bihar’s population, spiking to more than 40% in northern border districts, but as the Assembly election approaches, they are hard to spot among the candidate lists of political parties. So far, no political party has announced more than four Muslim candidates for the State’s 243 Assembly constituencies, apart from the newly floated Jan Suraaj Party, which has promised to field 40 Muslim candidates and has announced 21 so far.
This is despite the fact that the Muslim population is over 20% in 87 constituencies, making their votes a decisive factor in any candidate’s electoral fortunes. However, about 75% of the State’s Muslims live in northern Bihar.
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Just a few candidates for a population of 17.7%: Muslims still get short shrift
Bihar’s Muslim population faces underrepresentation in Assembly elections, with parties fielding few Muslim candidates despite their significant numbers.
