After the resignation of Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, there is no Muslim MP left in the BJP. BJP has a total of 395 MPs including Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. But only Naqvi was from the Muslim community. His term was ending on Thursday. Before that he resigned. However, there are speculations that BJP is making him its candidate in the election of Vice President.
BJP does not already have any Muslim MPs in the Lok Sabha. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, some Muslim faces were fielded by the party but none could win. Even in NDA, the only Muslim face from Bihar is Mehboob Ali Kaiser who won the election on LJP ticket. Although once there were many Muslim MPs in BJP. Leaders like Zafar Islam, Shahnawaz Hussain, MJ Akbar, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Arif Baig, Sikandar Bakht and Najma Heptulla have been MPs from BJP.
Although earlier there were speculations that Naqvi could be fielded in the by-election from Rampur. Earlier also he had contested the Lok Sabha elections from Rampur. In 1998, Naqvi reached the Lok Sabha for the first time after winning the election from Rampur. He also became the Minister of Information and Broadcasting in the Vajpayee government. But Rampur was elected and Naqvi’s name was not even considered. BJP has won this seat which fell vacant after the resignation of SP leader Azam Khan.
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi was currently the Minister of Minority Affairs at the Centre. His term as a Rajya Sabha MP ended on 7 July. After the end of Rajya Sabha membership, his ministerial post was also fixed and the same thing happened. He had to resign. The RCP, once close to Nitish, also left with him.
Till some time ago, BJP had three Muslim MPs in the Rajya Sabha. These included the names of Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Syed Zafar Islam and MJ Akbar. But none of them was even considered by the BJP to contest again. MJ Akbar was trapped in the MeToo campaign. So his name was not even to be considered. But it was really surprising that Naqvi and Zafar turned away from Islam. It was believed that at least Naqvi would be taken by BJP to Parliament by one way or the other.