The newly-elected 292-member West Bengal Assembly will have a total of 42 Muslim MLAs, including four women. All but one Muslim legislator elected to the West Bengal house are from the ruling All India Trinamool Congress (TMC).
The lone Muslim MLA who does not belong to the TMC is Md. Nawsad Siddique contested polls from the Bhangore constituency on a Rashtriya Secular Majlis Party (RSMP) ticket. Siddique is the president of the Indian Secular Front, but since the party is not registered, the party’s candidates contested from Bihar-based RSMP of MD Asharul Haque.
The winning candidates include Humayun Kabir, the cop turned politician who made it to the list from the Debra constituency. He came into the limelight after he ordered the arrest of BJP workers for raising communal slogans at a rally in January 2021.
The Indian National Congress and Communist Party of India-(M) saw total annihilation.
The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen could not manage to win a single seat.
Cleric turned politician Abbas Siddiqui’s Indian Secular Front (ISF), who is the head of the state’s most prominent shrine Furfura Sharif, had fielded 26 seats, but could claim only one seat, despite the much fanfare and media frenzy.
The party was established on the claims of uplifting Muslims and minorities of the State. However, it rallied behind Congress in no real-time after the announcement of its establishment.
However, the number of Muslim MLAs elected in the 2021 West Bengal elections are less than 2016 and 2011 state elections when their tally was 56 and 59 respectively.
In West Bengal, Muslims constitute about 30 per cent of the total population and their votes decide victory in more than 100 seats majorly in the Districts of Murshidabad, Malda, North and South Dinajpur. These districts have been contributing to the ruling TMC’s vote bank since 2011. The TMC has managed to establish itself as a ruling party in West Bengal since 2016 when it won 204 seats.
Following is the complete list of Muslim MLAs in West Bengal along with the constituencies they represent.
- 1. Amdanga – RAFIQUR RAHAMAN (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 2. Baduria – ABDUR RAHIM QUAZI (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 3. Basirhat Uttar – RAFIKUL ISLAM MONDAL (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 4. Beldanga – HASANUZZAMAN SK (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 5. Bhagabangola – IDRIS ALI (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 6. Bhangar – MD. NAWSAD SIDDIQUE (Rashtriya Secular Majlis Party)
- 7. Bharatpur – HUMAYUN KABIR (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 8. Canning Purba – SAOKAT MOLLA (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 9. Chakulia – AZAD MINHAJUL ARFIN (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 10. Chapra – RUKBANUR RAHMAN (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 11. Chopra – HAMIDUL RAHAMAN (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 12. Debra – HUMAYUN KABIR (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 13. Deganga – RAHIMA MONDAL (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 14. Domkal – JAFIKUL ISLAM (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 15. Farakka – MANIRUL ISLAM (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 16. Goalpokhar – MD. GHULAM RABBANI (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 17. Hariharpara – NIAMOT SHEIKH (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 18. Harischandrapur – TAJMUL HOSSAIN (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 19. Haroa – ISLAM SK NURUL (HAJI) (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 20. Islampur – ABDUL KARIM CHOWDHARY (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 21. Itahar – MOSARAF HUSSEN (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 22. Jalangi – ABDUR RAZZAK (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 23. Kaliganj – NASIRUDDIN AHAMED (LAL) (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 24. Kasba – AHMED JAVED KHAN (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 25. Ketugram – Sekh Sahonawez (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 26. Kolkata Port – Firhad Hakim (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 27. Kumarganj – TORAF HOSSAIN MANDAL (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 28. Lalgola – ALI MOHAMMAD (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 29. Magrahat Paschim – GIAS UDDIN MOLLA (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 30. Malatipur – ABDUR RAHIM BOXI (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 31. Metiaburuz – ABDUL KHALEQUE MOLLA (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 32. Monteswar – CHOWDHURY SIDDIQULLAH (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 33. Mothabari – YEASMIN SABINA (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 34. Murarai – DR MOSARRAF HOSSAIN (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 35. Nakashipara – Kallol Khan (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 36. Naoda – SAHINA MOMTAZ KHAN (All India Trinamool Congress
- 37. Panskura Paschim – PHIROJA BIBI (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 38. Raghunath Ganj – Akhruzzaman (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 39. Raninagar – ABDUL SOUMIK HOSSAIN (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 40. Rejinagar – RABIUL ALAM CHOWDHURY (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 41. Sonarpur Uttar – FIRDOUSI BEGUM (All India Trinamool Congress)
- 42. Sujapur – Md Abdul Ghani (All India Trinamool Congress)
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Ghazala Ahmad is the Delhi Correspondent for The Cognate.
