Razor-Edge Victory: Khalique Retains Malegaon Central

Mohammad Ismail Abdul Khalique of AIMIM narrowly retained the Malegaon Central assembly seat, winning by just 162 votes in a closely contested election. This marks a significant political comeback for Khalique, who had a large victory margin in 2019 but faced strong competition this time.

In a hotly contested race, Mohammad Ismail Abdul Khalique has narrowly secured the Malegaon Central assembly seat, representing the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM). Khalique scraped through with a slim win of 162 votes in a fiercely competitive election.

This victory signifies a dramatic shift from Khalique's previous commanding lead in the 2019 elections, where he won by over one lakh votes. The current election saw Khalique garnering 1,09,653 votes, barely edging out Asif Shaikh Rasheed of the Indian Secular Largest Assembly of Maharashtra party, who managed to collect 1,09,491 votes.

Despite facing strong opposition in a Muslim-dominated constituency and witnessing changing political tides, Khalique's win this year marks his third term as an MLA. His political resilience is underscored by his return to the assembly in 2019 under the AIMIM after a setback in the 2014 elections.

(With inputs from agencies.)