Jains in Maharashtra are delighted that the new state assembly will have seven members from the community, six from the BJP, and an independent supported by Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena.
The last population census estimated that Jains formed 1.25% of the state’s population. Jains are 2.4% of the newly elected Members of the Legislative Assembly – nearly double their proportion of the population. The numbers were similar in 2009 and 2019. There were nine Jain MLAs in 2014.
Three of the Jain MLAs in the new Vidhan Sabha are from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region: Mangal Prabhat Lodha from Malabar Hill, Parag Shahfrom Ghatkopar East, and Narendra Mehta from Mira Bhayandar. The other three BJP Jain MLAs, Prashant Bumb from Gangapur, Chainsukh Sancheti from Mankapur, and Rahul Avade from Ichalkaranji, are also from the BJP. Rajendra Yadravkar, the independent candidate from Shirol is the only non-BJP MLA in the list. Yadravkar contested as a member of Rajarshi Shahu Vikas Aghadi, a local party, and was a Minister of State in the last government.
Jains said that while they are happy with their representation in the state assembly, there are hopes the MLAs also get ministerial portfolios. “Compared to our population we are well represented, but compared to our contribution to the economy and society we are under-represented. We contribute 24% of the state’s GDP and a similar figure nationally. We lead in social contribution,” said Lalit Gandhi, President of All India Jain Minority Federation and Chairman of the newly established Jain Minority Financial Development Corporation which will provide financial assistance to young Jain entrepreneurs, and pensions to widows, among other welfare programmes.
There are Jains who think the community is undercounted. “The census did not have the provision to count Jains separately,” said Girish Jain of Samastha Mahajan, a community group. “I was not able to list myself as a Jain because the census form did not allow me to.”
Jains were granted the status of a distinct religious minority in 2014. “The Congress government declared us as a religious minority, but the BJP started welfare schemes for us,” said Gandhi. The Jain Minority Financial Development Corporation, constituted in October 2024, has a share capital of Rs 50 crores and an annual plan to disburse Rs 100 crores for its welfare schemes. Apart from the financial schemes, the earlier government had promised police escorts for Jain sadhus and sadhvis who undertake walking journeys on dangerous roads and the protection of religious properties.
On December 7, community leaders will gather in Mumbai to felicitate newly elected Jain MLAs from Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and other states. The community is also planning discussions of schemes to promote the community’s culture, social, and economic conditions. Programmes have also been planned to encourage more young people to get interested in politics. “Despite our representation in elected bodies, as a business community, we have kept away from politics. Young people are not interested in politics,” said Jain.
