New Delhi: Nitish Kumar recently took oath as Chief Minister of Bihar for the fourth straight term. However, there is no Muslim representative in his 15-member cabinet.
Irrespective of the ruling party in the State, Muslims held many important ministries and posts in the Bihar government since 1952. In the past, they have presided over both the legislative assembly and legislative council.
However, at present, there is no Muslim representative in the Bihar cabinet.
Muslim representation in non-NDA party ruled states
The lack of Muslim representation can be seen even in the States where non-NDA parties are in power.
In West Bengal, there are only seven Muslims in the cabinet of 48 members i.e., around 14 percent whereas, the percentage of Muslim population in the State is 27.01.
In Kerala where LDF is in power, out of 20 cabinet members, only two are Muslims i.e., 10 percent. The percentage of Muslims in the State is 26.56.
Muslim representation in BJP-ruled states
Among BJP-ruled states, only Uttar Pradesh has a Muslim minister.
In the entire country, there is only one Muslim BJP MLA, Aminul Haque Laskar. He was elected from Sonia, Assam.
10 State with largest Muslim population
The total strength of the Council of Ministers in the top 10 states where 80 percent of Muslims reside is 281. Out of it, only 16 are Muslims i.e., around 5.7 percent.
Out of these 10, four states viz., Assam, Karnataka, Gujarat and Bihar have no Muslim representative in the governments.
As per an Indian Express report, the following is the list of the top 10 states with largest Muslim population.
| States | Percentage of Muslims in State population | Number of Muslim members in State cabinet/ Total cabinet strength | Party in power |
| Uttar Pradesh | 19.26 | 1/54 | BJP |
| West Bengal | 27.01 | 7/48 | TMC |
| Bihar | 16.87 | 0/14 | JDU-BJP |
| Maharashtra | 11.54 | 4/43 | MVA |
| Assam | 34.22 | 0/18 | BJP |
| Kerala | 26.56 | 2/20 | LDF |
| Karnataka | 12.92 | 0/28 | BJP |
| Rajasthan | 9.07 | 1/22 | INC |
| Gujarat | 9.67 | 0/23 | BJP |
| Jharkhand | 14.53 | 1/11 | JMM |
In the entire country, there are 233 Muslim MLAs. Party-wise, Congress has the highest number of Muslim MLAs i.e., 76.
| Party | Number of Muslim MLAs |
| Congress | 76 |
| TMC | 32 |
| Left | 19 |
| SP | 18 |
| IUML | 17 |
| AIMIM | 14 |
| AIUDF | 12 |
| BJP | 1 |
| Shiv Sena | 1 |
| Others | 43 |
| Total | 233 |