Bengaluru, Mar 4: BJP's Parliamentary Board member and former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa indicated on Monday the party's second list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections is likely to be finalised on Wednesday.

BJP came out with its first list of 195 candidates across 16 States and Union Territories on March two.

Yediyurappa said he is going to the national capital on Wednesday.

"Day after tomorrow, there is a meeting in Delhi. I am going there. Most probably the second list (of Lok Sabha candidates) (also) comprising Karnataka may be finalised. In view of that, I am going to Delhi. I believe that the list will be finalised day after tomorrow. National leaders will take a final decision on the list," he said.

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Asked if the second list of candidates will have names of nominees for all the 28 constituencies in Karnataka, Yediyurappa said, "Most probably there will not be any delay. All the seats may be declared."

On the likelihood of some new faces being fielded in Karnataka, he said he has no clue as to what's on the minds of the party's national leaders. "Final decision will be taken by the leaders in Delhi", he added.

The party stalwart also did not say how many seats would be allotted to NDA partner JD(S) in the State but added that an agreement would be reached with the outfit led by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda.

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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.