Democracy, Elections and the Indian Muslim

This is the fifth episode of Yeh Daagh Daagh Ujala, the long-form discussion series by Karwan e Mohabbat.

The theme of this discussion is Democracy, Muslims and the Indian Muslim. Writer and peace worker Harsh Mander speaks with three senior political scientists and commentators - Zoya Hasan, Professor Emerita of Jawaharlal Nehru University, Yamini Aiyer, formerly President of the Centre for Policy Research, and Mujibur Rehman, Professor in Jamia Millia Islamia University.

The discussion reflects first on the evolving and shifting representation of Indian Muslims in parliament since Independence. Muslims have from the first election been represented less than their share in the population in the Lok Sabha. But this touched a new low in 2024, when BJP put up only one Muslim candidate in the entire country, and even non-BJP parties have nominated Muslims in historically low numbers. While all discussants agreed that it is not just Muslims who should represent Muslim interests, there was some divergence about the extent to which this represents actually an erasure of Muslims from political representation, and the consequences of historically low Muslim representation in the Lok Sabha.