The article argues that the Assam Assembly election results — with zero Muslim MLAs in the ruling BJP-led alliance and almost exclusively Muslim MLAs in the Opposition — represent a de facto return of separate electorates. The author draws historical parallels to the Morley-Minto Reforms of 1909 and the 1946 provincial elections, warning that communal segregation in representative politics undermines the idea of a pluralistic India. The conclusion calls for Muslim political representation to come from across the political spectrum rather than being confined to a single party.