Mumbai:

The sweep of the ruling alliance in Maharashtra has been widely attributed to the welfare programmes of the Eknath Shinde government. But a key factor has been the split in Muslim vote which has delivered a chunk of the state’s 38 seats to the ruling alliance. The Muslim population is more than 20 per cent in these 38 seats, making a key difference in the outcome of the election. Over all, the ruling alliance has won 22 of these 38 seats, way ahead of the 13 won by the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi.

The split in votes has hit the Congress hard – the party’s score has dropped from 11 to five. The Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena Uddhav has got six seats and Sharad Pawar’s NCP faction got two.

Of the 38 seats, the BJP has increased its tally from 11 in 2019 to 14. The Shiv Sena of Eknath Shinde has won six seats and Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party two seats.

Of the remaining three seats, Samajwadi Party got two and Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM got just one.

The outcome indicates that the clerics failed to dominate the collective decision of the Muslim community – a situation that helped the BJP strengthen its allegations of “vote jihad” or consolidation of Muslim votes against the Mahayuti.

Denying Opposition allegations of polarisation, senior BJP leader Vinay Sahasrabuddhe said all communities are included in the slogan “Ek hain toh safe hain”. “People did not fall prey to the politics of appeasement and polarisation of the MVA, and came together to vote for development. All communities are included in our ‘Ek hain toh safe hain’ mantra,” he said.

“There was no place for appeasement, people here look at development and benefits,” said Salim Sarang, the president of the Muslim Welfare Association.

Among the big Muslim names who lost were NCP’s Nawab Malik and Zeeshan Siddiqui as well as Congress’s Arif Naseem Khan.

Data indicates that while the support of the Muslim community helped the MVA win a big victory in the Lok Sabha election held in May, what went against them in the Assembly polls were low enthusiasm, divided votes and communal polarization in some seats. In some seats, the presence of multiple Muslim candidates split votes.

For instance, in Aurangabad East, AIMIM state chief and former MP Imtiaz Jaleel lost to the BJP’s Atul Save by 2,161 votes. VBA’s Afsar Khan (6,507 votes) and SP’s Abdul Gaffar Syed (5,943 votes) split the Muslim vote in the seat, ensuring Jaleel’s defeat.

The only seat AIMIM won was in Muslim-dominated Malegaon Central, where its candidate Mufti Ismail, the sitting MLA, won by just 162 votes-the lowest margin in the state.

Meanwhile, in Bhiwandi West, Mahesh Chaugule of the BJP defeated Riyaz Azmi of the SP by 31,293 votes as Muslims also divided their votes between AIMIM’s Waris Pathan (15,800 votes) and Independent Vilas Patil (31,579 votes).
 

Mumbai:

Several candidates emerged victorious in the Maharashtra assembly polls by wafer-thin margins, including an AIMIM candidate in Malgaon Central by 162 votes and Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole by 208 votes from Sakoli.

All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) sitting MLA Mufti Mohammad Ismail Abdul Khalique defeated Asif Shaikh Rasheed of the Indian Secular Largest Assembly of Maharashtra by 162 votes in Malegaon Central seat in Nashik district.

Patole defeated BJP’s Avinash Brahmankar by 208 votes in Sakoli in Bhandara district.

The BJP’s Manda Mhatre won from Belapur in Navi Mumbai by a margin of 377 votes, while Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Gaikwad won from Buldhana by 841 votes.

In Karjat-Jamkhed, sitting NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar retained his seat by 1,243 votes, while state minister and NCP candidate Dilip Walse Patil won from Ambegaon constituency with a margin of 1,523 votes.

Maharashtra minister and Shiv Sena candidate Tanaji Sawant won from Paranda constituency by 1,509 votes.

Maharashtra minister and BJP candidate Atul Save managed to win from Aurangabad East constituency by 2,161 votes.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has been served notice by the police in poll-bound Maharashtra’s Solapur over his speeches.

The notice was served to Mr Owaisi while he was on a crowded stage during a rally in Solapur assembly constituency.

Mr Owaisi was campaigning for Farooq Shabdi, the Solapur candidate of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM).

The police in the notice instructed Mr Owaisi not to hurt sentiments of any community in his speeches and not to use inflammatory words. The AIMIM chief, who was seated on a chair, was seen reading the notice while at the same time talking on a mobile phone.

The notice did not refer to any particular instance when Mr Owaisi may have violated any law with his speeches.

He has been a fierce critic of the controversial Waqf Bill 2024. The AIMIM also welcomed the Supreme Court’s directions on “bulldozer justice”, which laid down national guidelines on demolition of properties. The Supreme Court had said the executive cannot become a judge, declare an accused guilty and demolish houses.

Mr Owaisi had said the Supreme Court order will “hopefully” prevent state governments from “collectively punishing Muslims and other marginalised groups”.

The AIMIM chief had accused the BJP of glorifying ‘bulldozer action’. “Suppose there are 50 houses in one neighbourhood, but the only house being demolished is of Abdur Rehman, then it is being claimed that not the whole locality is illegal but only his house. This is a prime example of creating hatred,” he had said.

His party has criticised rival parties in Maharashtra for having no ideology left in them, pointing at the sheer complexity of the political landscape following the double split of the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and new alliances of parties that did not traditionally share the same ideology.

This was not the first time Mr Owaisi received notice over alleged problematic speeches. Before the general election earlier this year, the Election Commission had sent him notice for alleged communal statements at a meeting in Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency.

Hyderabad:

Reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remark that Congress and BRS had given Hyderabad “on lease” to AIMIM, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen leader Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday asserted that the people of Hyderabad are not cattle, adding that they are the citizens, not the property of political parties.

PM Modi on Wednesday trained guns at Congress and BRS and alleged that for all these years, Congress and BRS have given Hyderabad to AIMIM on “lease.”

“Modi came to Telangana and said that the Hyderabad seat had been given on lease to Owaisi. The people of Hyderabad are not cattle. We are citizens, not the property of political parties. For forty years, Hyderabad has defeated the evil ideology of Hindutva and entrusted AIMIM. Inshallah, Hindutva will be defeated again,” Mr Owaisi posted on X.

He further turned the focus towards electoral funding. Mr Owaisi criticised PM Modi and said, “Modi is bonded to those who gave his party Rs 6,000 crore through electoral bonds. In return, he has leased/sold India’s assets to his sponsors.”

“Modi appeased them so much that today, 21 people have more wealth than 70 crore Indians in total. Those 21 are his real parivar,” he added.

Modi came to Telangana and said that the Hyderabad seat has been given on lease to Owaisi.

The people of Hyderabad are not cattle. We are citizens, not the property of political parties. For forty years, Hyderabad has defeated the evil ideology of Hindutva and entrusted AIMIM.… pic.twitter.com/F5YO1RxsXY

— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) May 8, 2024

Earlier, speaking to ANI, the AIMIM chief claimed that PM Modi is frustrated, adding that AIMIM has been defeating the BJP for 40 years.

“We have been defeating BJP for 40 years…in 2014 and 2019, PM Modi came but AIMIM won here…I want to ask PM, where is the money for PM care funds, in which bank is the electoral bond money?…unemployment and inflation are increasing…this year PM Modi wants to change the constitution so that he can end the reservation. He says that we are infiltrators and our daughters give birth to so many children, this is wrong. Will a Muslim take out the ‘Mangalsutra’ from a Hindu woman? Prime Minister is frustrated,” he added.

On Wednesday, addressing a rally in Telangana’s Karimnagar, PM Modi trained guns at Congress and BRS and alleged that for all these years, Congress and BRS have given Hyderabad to AIMIM on “lease.”

“For all these years, both these parties (Congress and BRS) have given Hyderabad to AIMIM on lease. If someone has challenged the AIMIM for the first time, it’s BJP. More than AIMIM, it’s Congress and BRS who are rattled by the challenge from the BJP. Both are helping AIMIM to win in Hyderabad,” he added

Madhavi Latha is set to face Asaduddin Owaisi, who is a four-time Lok Sabha MP from the Hyderabad constituency. It is worth mentioning that this is the first time that the BJP has fielded a female candidate from the Hyderabad constituency.

Asaduddin Owaisi, who has served four terms in the Lok Sabha as the elected representative from Hyderabad since 2004, was previously elected as an MLA twice in the erstwhile undivided Andhra Pradesh.

Before Mr Owaisi, who won the seat for the first time in 2004, Hyderabad was represented in the Lok Sabha by his father, Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi, from 1984. Apart from the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat, all assembly seats in Hyderabad, except Goshamahal, are held by the AIMIM.

The Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency comprises seven assembly segments–Bahadurpura, Chandrayangutta, Charminar, Goshamahal, Karwan, Malakpet and Yakatpura. All assembly seats, except Goshamahal, are presently held by the AIMIM.

Voting for all 17 seats in Telangana will take place on May 13 in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024. In the 2019 general election, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) won nine seats, the Bharatiya Janata Party four, Congress three and AIMIM one seat.

The BJP had won four seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections out of the 17 at stake in Telangana, namely Secunderabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, and Adilabad.

Lok Sabha polls are being held across seven phases till June 1 and votes will be counted on June 4.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

A day after All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi dared Rahul Gandhi to contest from Hyderabad in 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Monday said that the Congress leader “should accept the challenge”.

“The challenge should be accepted. This is a matter between two people. One is giving the challenge and the other should accept it,” the senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader told reporters.

#WATCH | Delhi: “The challenge should be accepted. This is a matter between two people, one is giving the challenge and the other has to accept it,” says Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Asaduddin Owaisi’s challenge to Rahul Gandhi to contest elections from Hyderabad pic.twitter.com/6RA8S8twiW

— ANI (@ANI) September 25, 2023

Mr Owaisi on Sunday challenged Mr Gandhi to contest from Hyderabad and not Wayanad in Kerala in next year’s Lok Sabha elections.

“I tell your leader to contest from Hyderabad this time, not Wayanad. I challenge you to come to Hyderabad, why Wayanad?” he said.

The AIMIM chief, who is a four-time MP from Hyderabad, also cited the demolition of Babri masjid during the Congress regime, and said that a mosque which got demolished in the Secretariat in Hyderabad was rebuilt, but not Babri masjid.

The Congress and AIMIM are at loggerheads in Telangana as both parties are trying to win the upcoming state’s Assembly elections, which are expected to be held later this year.  

Earlier this month, Rahul Gandhi had said that the BJP, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), and AIMIM are working in unison in the state.

While addressing a rally in Telangana’s Tukkuguda, he also said that while opposition leaders were being attacked by government agencies there were no cases against Mr Rao and AIMIM leaders because Prime Minister Narendra Modi considers them his own.

“All corruption records have been broken but there is no case,” Mr Gandhi said as he attacked BRS.

He claimed that whenever the BJP needed its help, the BRS supported them.