Maharashtra polls: Patole rejects Amit Shah's claim of Cong accepting Muslim quota demand
Mumbai, Nov 10: Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Sunday rejected Union Home Minister Amit Shah's assertion that the principal opposition party has agreed to the Ulema Council's demand for 10 per cent quota for Muslims in jobs and education.
Speaking at a rally in Malkapur in Buldhana in the afternoon, Shah, the BJP's main strategist, said Patole had agreed to the Ulema Council's demand for Muslim reservations.
"Patole has agreed to end reservations for SCs. STs and OBCs and give it to Muslims as demanded by the Ulema Council," Shah said.
The demand for 10 per cent quota for the Muslim community would eat into the benefits of Dalits, tribals and Other Backward Classes, since there is a 50 per cent cap on quota and any increase will come at the cost of existing ones, he told the gathering.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders' lust for power has blinded them to long-term consequences of their actions on marginalised communities, Shah asserted.
Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Patole rejected Shah's claim on Congress accepting the Muslim quota demand.
"We (MVA) are fighting the election on core issues and will not be drawn into the Hindu-Muslim fake narrative," Patole said.
Speaking in Mumbai earlier in the day, Shah had said "our Constitution does not provide reservations based on religion" but the Congress was promising such quotas before coming to power.
Maharashtra polls will be held on November 20, while votes will be counted on November 23.
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AIMIM wins Malegaon Central seat by 162 votes
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.
