NEW DELHI: The number of Muslim candidates clearing the prestigious UPSC examination has increased to 40 from 28 last year. Other five religious minorities have also done better than last year, sources in the Union ministry of minority affairs said on Tuesday.
BJP leader and member of Central Wakf Council Haneef Ali, however, said 187 candidates from minority communities cleared the exam. Safna Nazarudeen, who secured 45th rank, topped among Muslim candidates and is the only one from the community among the top 100.
In terms of percentage, Muslim candidates fared slightly better. Last year, Muslims constituted almost 4% of the total successful candidates. This year, it is about 5%. Muslim candidates have been doing well in the prestigious exams since 2016. Prior to that, Muslim candidates were only 2.5% of the total successful candidates. Muslim candidates broke all previous records in 2016 when 50 of them cleared the UPSC, with 10 making it to the top 100. In the 2017 batch, too, 50 Muslims were selected through the exam.