The number of Muslim MLAs in the 2025 Bihar elections has dropped to just 10. This is the lowest representation since 1990. Learn the full details of AIMIM, RJD, JDU, Congress, and NDA Muslim candidates.

Muslim voice lowest in Bihar Assembly

While the 2025 Bihar Assembly Elections saw a landslide victory for the NDA, another worrying picture emerged. The number of Muslim MLAs in the House declined to just 10, the lowest in nearly 35 years. Despite the Muslim population comprising approximately 17.7% of the state, their significantly reduced political representation clearly highlights the inequities in electoral strategies and ticket distribution.

In this election, both the Grand Alliance and the NDA placed less reliance on Muslim candidates. While many seats traditionally have Muslim voters, political parties fielded non-Muslim candidates even in those areas. AIMIM was not included in the Grand Alliance, leading the party to contest the elections alone. All these factors significantly reduced the representation of the Muslim community, and the number of seats fell to record lows.

AIMIM again showed its strength in Seemanchal

Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM party maintained its influence in Seemanchal politics this time as well. The party fielded candidates in 25 seats and won five of them. These victories came in Aamro, Kochadhaman, Jokihat, Bahadurganj, and Baisi, areas with a large Muslim population, where AIMIM had performed strongly in the previous elections. The party's influence was even more pronounced this time in the four districts of Seemanchal: Araria, Purnia, Katihar, and Kishanganj.

Status of JDU Muslim candidates

JDU fielded four Muslim candidates in the 2025 elections. Of these, Mohammad Zama Khan emerged as the frontrunner in Chainpur. Chainpur is not a Muslim-majority area, so the BJP and JDU launched a joint campaign to woo Hindu voters in this seat. In 2020, JDU fielded 11 Muslim candidates, but they were unsuccessful in that election. This time, after reducing the number of candidates, the party managed to win one seat.

The only Muslim face of LJP (RV)

Chirag Paswan's party fielded Mohammad Kalimuddin from Bahadurganj. He held on to the contest but finished third. Tausif Alam of the AIMIM won comfortably in this seat, while the Congress finished second.

RJD got two Muslim seats

The Rashtriya Janata Dal limited tickets to Muslim candidates, but the party won the two seats it did have. Asif Ahmed won in Bisfi, while Shahabuddin's son, Osama Sahib, won in Raghunathpur, marking the family's political comeback after 21 years. This time, the RJD adopted a new balance in ticket distribution, attempting to re-establish coordination between Yadav, Muslim, EBC, Dalit, and upper caste communities.

Congress faces a mixed situation in Seemanchal.

Congress maintained its presence in Seemanchal, similar to its 2020 presence. Mohammad Kamrul Hoda won from Kishanganj and Abidur Rahman from Araria. However, a major upset occurred when Congress Legislature Party leader Shakeel Ahmed Khan lost to JDU candidate Dulal Chandra Goswami in Nathnagar.

Lowest number of Muslim MLAs since 1990

If we look at past data on Muslim representation in Bihar, the 2025 results show a significant decline. In 2010, 19 Muslim MLAs won. In 2015, the number increased to 24. In 2020, there were 19 MLAs again, and in 2025, it dropped to just 10. This represents approximately 4.1% of the House, while the population is approximately 17.7%.