Six-time NCP MLA Hasan Mushrif, representing Kagal in Kolhapur district, was sworn into the Devendra Fadnavis Cabinet in Maharashtra on Saturday, making him the only Muslim Cabinet-rank minister under a BJP-led government in the state.
Across 13 BJP-ruled states, Muslim representation remains sparse. In Uttar Pradesh, Danish Ansari holds a Minister of State rank. Meanwhile, in BJP ally-led governments, Nasyam Mohammed Farooq of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Andhra Pradesh and Zama Khan of the Janata Dal (United) in Bihar are the only Muslim ministers with Cabinet status.
Maharashtra, historically, has seen stronger political representation for Muslims. Since its formation in 1960, 70 Muslim MLAs have been inducted into the state’s Council of Ministers — 36 with Cabinet rank and 34 as Ministers of State (MoS). During Congress rule between 1999 and 2004, as many as seven Muslim MLAs held ministerial positions.
Mushrif, the younger brother of former Maharashtra IGP Shamshuddin Mushrif — author of Who Killed Karkare?, a controversial book alleging a conspiracy behind ATS chief Hemant Karkare’s death during the 26/11 Mumbai attacks — has often faced BJP criticism. He was accused of corruption in financial dealings involving the Kolhapur District Central Cooperative Bank (DCCB) and family-linked sugar mills. However, since aligning with Ajit Pawar and joining the NDA government, these allegations have largely subsided.
Between 2014 and 2019, when the BJP ruled Maharashtra with the undivided Shiv Sena, Fadnavis’s Cabinet had no Muslim representation. That changed post-2019, as political realignments brought Hasan Mushrif and Abdul Sattar of the Shiv Sena into the Mahayuti coalition government. While Sattar missed out on a Cabinet berth this time, Mushrif retained his position.
Muslim political representation in Maharashtra has been steadily declining. The community, which makes up approximately 11.5% of the state’s population, saw its peak in 1972, 1980, and 1999 when 13 Muslim MLAs were elected. The 1995 elections marked a low point, with only eight Muslim legislators. In the latest Assembly polls, 10 Muslim MLAs were elected, including three from the NDA — Hasan Mushrif, Abdul Sattar, and Sana Malik of the NCP.
While Muslims remain one of the few minorities with political visibility in Maharashtra, representation for others is sparse. No Christian leader has held a ministerial position since Leon D’Souza in 1978, and Marzban Patrawala, appointed in 1993, was the last Parsi minister in the state.
Mushrif’s induction into the Fadnavis Cabinet reflects a complex intersection of political pragmatism, shifting alliances, and a historical decline in minority representation in Maharashtra’s political landscape.