NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s newly-elected government, which includes 30 federal ministers and 41 state ministers, does not have a single Muslim minister, despite Muslims constituting approximately 14.2% of India’s population.
This marks the first time in Indian history that no Muslim parliamentary member has been included in the council of ministers after an election. Traditionally, at least one Muslim MP would be part of the sworn-in council following general elections.
The absence of Muslim representation in the 18th Lok Sabha is attributed to the fact that no Muslim MPs from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) were elected. Of the 24 MPs elected to the lower house, 21 are from the INDIA bloc, and three are from the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen.
The new central government’s first cabinet meeting will be held this evening, where they will request President Droupadi Murmu to convene the parliamentary session soon.
In a surprising outcome, Modi did not win a clear majority this time and had to seek support from allies under the National Democratic Alliance to retain power. This result is seen as a significant setback for the popular leader, as surveys and exit polls had predicted that the BJP would secure even more seats than in 2019.
On June 9, 2024, President Murmu administered the oath of office to Modi during a grand ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan, attended by thousands of dignitaries, including leaders of seven regional countries, Bollywood stars, and industrialists. Modi, who began his career as a publicist for the Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), is now the second person after Jawaharlal Nehru to serve three consecutive terms as prime minister.
Modi’s recent election campaign was marked by religious rhetoric and criticism of the opposition for allegedly favoring India’s 200 million minority Muslims. However, following the election results, Modi has adopted a more conciliatory tone, emphasizing the importance of unanimity in governance.
“We have won the majority … but to run the country, unanimity is crucial … we will strive for unanimity,” Modi said after the NDA formally named him as the coalition head.
