Karnataka Muslim organisations seek greater representation in Rajya Sabha, Legislative Council

Bengaluru: A coalition of Muslim organisations in Karnataka has called on the Congress party to provide greater political representation to the community by allocating at least one Rajya Sabha seat and two Karnataka Legislative Council seats to Muslim leaders in the upcoming elections.

In a statement issued ahead of the June 18 elections to four Rajya Sabha seats and seven Legislative Council seats from Karnataka, the Federation of Karnataka State Muslim Organisations said the ruling Congress is in a position to secure four Council seats and should utilise the opportunity to address what it described as inadequate representation of Muslims in legislative bodies.

The federation said that despite Muslims constituting around 13 per cent of Karnataka's population, their presence in the 75-member Legislative Council remains limited. It pointed out that only four Muslim members are currently part of the House, whereas proportional representation would translate into nine or ten members.

The organisation further alleged that opportunities available to improve representation after the Congress returned to power were not fully utilised. According to the federation, only one Muslim leader was accommodated in the Legislative Council despite multiple vacancies being filled during the current government's tenure. It also noted that no Muslim candidate was selected during the nomination process for four Council seats last year.

Highlighting parliamentary representation, the federation said Karnataka currently has only one Muslim representative in the Rajya Sabha. It also observed that while the Congress earlier had Muslim representation in the Lok Sabha from the state, there is presently no Muslim MP from Karnataka belonging to the party.

The federation maintained that the Muslim community had strongly supported the Congress in the Assembly elections and played a key role in the party's return to power. However, it claimed that the community's representation in elected bodies, government institutions, universities, corporations and the administrative system remains disproportionately low.

It also expressed concern over what it described as a perception among sections of the community that Muslim leaders are often overlooked during ticket distribution despite having favourable electoral prospects.

The organisation urged the Congress leadership to use the upcoming Rajya Sabha and Legislative Council elections to improve minority representation and said such a move would be consistent with the party's stated commitment to inclusive political participation.

The appeal was issued by federation representatives Suhel Ahmed Maroor, Tanveer Ahmed and Yahya Damudi.