Hyderabad, April 28 -- The ongoing Lok Sabha election, dubbed as the largest festival of democracy in the world, has stumbled yet again upon the question of Muslim representation.

The BJP's campaign this time has been communally provocative. On the other hand, the opposition parties, especially Congress, are hesitant to talk about Muslim political aspirations. The reluctance to address the representation of Muslims as legitimate political stakeholders has complicated the situation even further.

India, with the third-largest Muslim population globally, has seen consistent underrepresentation of Muslims in politics. Since 1952, Muslims' representation in the Lok Sabha has been less than 6% of total elected MPs, while in the Rajya Sabha, i...