AIMIM wins 1 of 16 seats contested in Maharashtra Assembly elections

All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM)’s Mufti Mohammad Ismail Abdul Khalique who contested from Malegaon central in the Maharashtra Assembly elections won the seat by a mere 162 votes.

Khalique won bagging 1,09,332 in a close contest against the Indian Secular Largest Assembly of Maharashtra party’s Asif Sheikh Rasheed with 1,09,257. 

Abdul Khalique is a prominent political figure and candidate representing the AIMIM from the Malegaon Central constituency in Maharashtra.

Born on January 30, 1961, in Nayapura, he has established himself as a businessperson and social worker within the community.

Khalique previously won the Assembly election in 2019, marking his first term as an MLA. He is known for his active involvement in local welfare initiatives and has garnered a reputation as a significant leader among the Muslim population in Malegaon.

Despite his political contributions, Khalique’s career has not been without controversy. He faced multiple legal challenges, with several cases registered against him under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Mumbai Police Act.

These include allegations related to public order offences. His father, Mohammed Abdul Khalique, has also been influential in shaping his political journey.

The AIMIM has only won one of the 16 Assembly seats that the party contested in the Maharashtra elections.

Former Member of Parliament, Imtiyaz Jaleel Syed, lost the Aurangabad East seat to Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Atul Moreshwar Save, who won the seat with a margin of 2161 votes in a tight contest. People kept fingers crossed throughout the counting with Imtiyaz Jaleel leading till the 20 th round of polling. In a sudden twist, Atul Moreshwar started leading and finally won the seat.

The AIMIM lost the Aurangabad Central seat to the Shiv Sena by a margin of 8119 votes. Jaiswal Pradeep Shivnarayan, defeated AIMIM candidate, Siddiqui Naseruddin Taquiuddin by 8119 votes.

Former MLA, Waris Yusuf Pathan, who contested from Bhiwandi West, lost by 54,372 votes to Mahesh Prabhar of Bharatiya Janata Party. Waris Pathan polled 15800 votes while the winner got 70172 votes.

At one point of time, the AIMIM was leading on three seats Aurangabad East, Aurangabad Central and Malegaon Central but towards the end the party managed to win only Malegaon Central with a thin margin.

The AIMIM party had fielded 16 candidates in Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha polls this year. In the previous polls in 2019, the party had won two seats – Dhule City and Malegaon central.

The party fielded candidates in Aurangabad Central, Aurangabad East, , Bhiwandi West, Karanja, Nagpur North, Byculla, Versova (Mumbai), Murtizapur (Akola), Malegaon Central, Dhule, Solapur, Mumbra-Kalwa (Thane), Nanded South, Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar Kurla and Miraj (Sangli).

The AIMIM considered Maharashtra as one of its strongest bases outside Telangana. However, the current depletion of seats from two to just one undermines the fact that the party needs to rework on its poll strategies.

Despite important leaders including AIMIM floor leader in Telangana Assembly, Akbaruddin Owaisi campaigning for the party in important constituencies, the party could not score well. The AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi.

Owaisi congratulates Mohammad Ismail Abdul Khalique

AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi congratulated Mohammad Ismail Abdul Khalique for his second consecutive win in the Maharashtra Assembly elections.

Taking on X, Owaisi thanked the people of Maharashtra and extended his wishes to other AIMIM candidates who lost the elections.

“To our candidates, party workers and supporters, I urge you all to not lose heart and work with renewed resolve. If anything, the election results show that the people are looking for a genuine political alternative and that Majlis has established itself in Maharashtra’s politics,” Owaisi wrote on X.The AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi “@imtiaz_jaleel led the party in a tough battle & and his own seat wasn’t easy. But I am confident that he will bounce back again inshallah. Imtiaz Jaleel is not a typical politician, and I (am) sure that this is just a hiccup in his political journey,” Owaisi wrote on X.