Introduction
Following a long electoral process (7 phases, 44 days), the Indian electorate has delivered its verdict in the 18th Lok Sabha elections. Muslims remained a pivotal part of the electoral discourse of major political parties—from the manifestos to the election speeches to media narratives. After the first round of voting on 19 April 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hardly delivered any major speech without mentioning the country’s largest minority (i.e. Muslims) in one way or the other. What outcome this election result has brought forth for the Indian Muslims? What were the voting trends among Muslim voters across the country? How did Muslim candidates perform in the election? These are crucial questions to understand the political dynamics of India in relation to the Lok Sabha election and the role and place of the Muslim community in India broadly. This Issue Brief attempts to shed some light on the Muslim participation and vote share in the recently concluded elections.
