Dubai: The Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi would soon start its consular services in the industrial area of Mussafah, benefitting thousands of blue-collar workers and families residing in the district, according to a media report.

Embassy counsellor M. Rajamurugan said the initiative has been approved, in principle, by Indian Ambassador to the UAE Navdeep Singh Suri.

The services, which would start from this month-end, would be offered from Abu Dhabi Malayalee Samajam, the only registered Indian association functioning in Mussafah, the Khaleej Times reported.

This will help thousands of blue-collar workers and families residing in the district, southwest of Abu Dhabi, who travel to the city for passport renewal, attestation of certificates and visa-related paper works.

"Officials from the embassy will visit Abu Dhabi Malayalee Samajam this Sunday to see the existing infrastructure. The services will start on a monthly basis and depending on the demand, we can increase the frequency after further review," he said.

Rajamurugan said the services will be a boon not only for families in Mussafah but also for the big population spread-out in Shabia, Shahama, Al Mafraq, Bani Yas, Mohammed Bin Zayed City and surrounding areas.

"There are lots of workers in the labour accommodations and many families are also residing there. The services will be offered on Friday. The idea is to facilitate as many workers at the labour accommodations," he said.

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Malegaon (Maharashtra), Nov 23: In a closely contested election, Mohammad Ismail Abdul Khalique of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has retained the Malegaon Central assembly seat, winning by a razor-thin margin of 162 votes.

This victory in the north Maharashtra constituency marks a significant turnaround for Khalique, who previously enjoyed a commanding lead in the 2019 elections, winning by over one lakh votes.

Khalique, an Islamic scholar, received a total of 1,09,653 votes this time, narrowly defeating his nearest rival, Asif Shaikh Rasheed of the Indian Secular Largest Assembly of Maharashtra party, who got 1,09,491 votes.

There were a total of 13 candidates contesting in this Muslim dominated constituency. Barring Khalique and Rasheed, two other candidates -- Shaan-e-Hind Nihal Ahmed of Samajwadi Party and Ejaz Baig Aziz Baig managed below 10,000 votes. Other remaining candidates were below 1,000 votes.

This election marks Khalique's third term as an MLA. He initially represented the Malegaon Central seat in 2009 as a member of the Jan Surajya Shakti party.

However, Khalique faced a setback in the 2014 elections when he contested under the banner of the Nationalist Congress Party and lost.

His return to the assembly in 2019 under the AIMIM banner solidified his political presence, and despite the significantly reduced margin this year, he has once again emerged victorious.

The results highlight the competitive nature of the Malegaon Central constituency and underscore Khalique's resilience in maintaining his position amidst changing political dynamics.