E-Paper
18 out of 19 MLAs who won on the Congress ticket in Assam are Muslims
Of the 20 Muslim candidates fielded by Congress, 18 emerged victorious. In contrast, only one of the 79 non-Muslim candidates fielded by the party won.
In the recently concluded Assembly elections across multiple states, the Indian National Congress (INC) and its allies have recorded notable results among Muslim candidates, even as the party’s overall performance remains mixed.
In Assam, the Congress won 19 seats, of which 18 were secured by Muslim candidates. Of the 20 Muslim candidates fielded by the party, 18 emerged victorious, indicating a high conversion rate. In contrast, only one of the 79 non-Muslim candidates fielded by the party managed to win.
Congress ally Raijor Dal won two seats. One of its winning candidates is Muslim, while the other, Akhil Gogoi, has faced investigation by the National Investigation Agency in the past over alleged Maoist links.
In Kerala, 35 Muslim MLAs have been elected in the 140-member Assembly. Of these, 30 belong to the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF). Within this bloc, eight Congress MLAs are Muslim, while all 22 MLAs from the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a key UDF ally, are from the community.
In West Bengal, Congress won two seats, both in Muslim-majority constituencies and both represented by Muslim candidates. The party had fielded 63 Muslim candidates in the state, more than the Trinamool Congress (TMC), which fielded 47.
Meanwhile, in Tamil Nadu, Congress nominated two Muslim candidates, one of whom won.
Across Assam and Kerala, Muslim candidates fielded by Congress and its allies have recorded a winning strike rate exceeding 80%, reflecting strong electoral consolidation in specific constituencies.
However, political analysts caution against broad generalisations. They note that candidate selection in Indian elections is often shaped by constituency demographics, local alliances, and voting patterns, rather than any single factor determining electoral success.
