In India, Muslim MPs got fewer seats in the parliamentary elections

According to the results of recent elections to the lower house of the Indian Parliament, the number of elected Muslim deputies decreased from 26 to 24, Anadolu Agency reports.

The seven-stage elections started on April 19 and ended on June 1. According to final results released by the Election Commission, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 240 seats in the 543-member house, while the main opposition Indian National Congress won 99 seats.

However, the Bharatiya Janata Party failed to secure a majority of 272 seats and is now seeking to return to power through a coalition with allied parties.

In the current elections, political parties nominated 78 Muslim candidates across the country, compared to 115 in the previous elections in 2019.

In independent India's first elections in 1952, only 11 Muslims were elected. A peak was reached in 1980 when 49 Muslims were elected, but since then the number has been steadily declining as Hindu nationalism has grown in the country. Now the lower parliament will consist of only 24 Muslim deputies.

Muslims are India's largest minority, numbering 183 million, or 14 percent of its 1.4 billion population. However, their share in the parliament remains below 5 percent.