Mumbai, Aug 26 - The Jamaat-e-Islami Hind has urged the ruling alliance of the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to field at least 38 Muslims for the 288-member Maharashtra assembly elections, expected to be held in October.

State president of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Engineer Nazar M. Mad'oo told reporters here Wednesday that since the state had an approximate 13 percent Muslim population, the ruling alliance must give tickets to Muslims to contest on at least 38 seats.

Asked if the alliance would agree to the demand given that it had only two Muslims among candidates from Maharashtra for the Lok Sabha elections, Mad'oo said: 'We are requesting them.'

He pointed out that the community was hoping to get nominations for those constituencies where Muslims are concentrated in sizeable numbers.

The constituencies include Malegaon Central, Bhiwandi East & West, Mumbra-Kausa, Mira-Bhayander, Dhule City, Nagpur Central, Osmanabad, Aurangabad Central and Western, Akola, Yavatmal, and Jalgaon City.

He also cited Byculla, Wadala, Mumbadevi, Bandra West, Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar, Andheri West and Charkop constituencies in Mumbai.