New Delhi: The ruling BJP on May 31 (UNI) does not include any Muslim MPs in both Houses of Parliament. There are three MPs in the Rajya Sabha and none in the lower house. However, there are no Muslim MPs in the BJP as the party does not nominate any Muslim candidates for the upcoming election, which is ending the tenure of three upper house representatives.
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Syed Zafar Islam and MJ Akbar in the Rajya Sabha are soon completing their tenure as BJP MPs. But not renamed. The party has announced 22 candidates for the June 10 upper house elections, none of whom are Muslims.
Naqvi, who is minister of minority affairs, will lose his cabinet seat if he is not elected MP six months after his term of office on July 7. According to sources, Naqvi is likely to be the BJP candidate for the Rampur Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh.
Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan has cleared the Rampur Lok Sabha seat since he was elected to the legislative session. So the by-elections for the Ajangarh and Rampur Lok Sabha constituencies will be held on June 23. On July 4, Islam and on June 29, Akbar’s term of office is complete.
The President has the power to nominate 12 MPs to the Rajya Sabha and currently, seven seats are vacant in the nominee category. The BJP may try to nominate one of the leading Muslim leaders to the upper house through this route.
