In Bihar, the NDA has given tickets to only five Muslims. Critics call it a sign of exclusion, while Muslim leaders term it a deliberate political neglect
PATNA — In the run-up to the Bihar Assembly elections, the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), led by Union Minister Chirag Paswan, has announced Mohammad Kaleemuddin as its candidate from the Bahadurganj constituency. The party, which received 29 seats under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) seat-sharing arrangement, has fielded only one Muslim candidate.
The NDA’s major allies — the Janata Dal (United) led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — are contesting 101 seats each, while the LJP (Ram Vilas) is contesting 29. Smaller allies, such as the Hindustani Awam Morcha and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha, have been allotted six seats each.
What stands out in the list, however, is the glaring under–representation of Muslims within the alliance. The BJP has not fielded any Muslim candidate, while the JD(U) has allotted tickets to only four Muslims, and the LJP just one — Mohammad Kaleemuddin.
In total, the NDA has only five Muslim candidates across 243 assembly seats.
Speaking to reporters, a senior political analyst, Dr Asad Ahmad, said, “When a community makes up nearly 17 per cent of the population, giving only five tickets to its members cannot be justified. It reflects a lack of political inclusivity within the alliance.”
Muslim leaders in Bihar have expressed deep concern over what they see as a continuing pattern of exclusion. Mohammad Kaleemuddin, the LJP candidate from Bahadurganj, said he was thankful for the opportunity but felt the representation was far from enough. “I appreciate my party’s decision to trust me,” he said, “but one candidate cannot represent the concerns of an entire community. Muslims have always contributed to Bihar’s growth, and we deserve fair political participation.”
Community activists and scholars have echoed similar views. Faisal Khan, a Patna-based social researcher, remarked, “This is not about tokenism. Real inclusion means giving Muslims a meaningful voice in governance, not just symbolic representation to claim diversity.”
Some observers believe that the NDA’s ticket distribution is based on a calculated vote-bank strategy, focusing more on caste arithmetic than community balance. The decision not to field any Muslim candidates by the BJP, and only a few by its allies, is being read as an attempt to consolidate non-Muslim votes.
Anwarul Haque, a political columnist, noted, “This is a political message. The NDA wants to secure the majority Hindu vote without risking polarisation. Unfortunately, this approach sidelines Muslims from the democratic process.”
As Bihar gears up for the polls, voices like Mohammad Kaleemuddin’s are a reminder of a broader question: how long will the state’s largest minority community remain on the margins of power?
