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‘Udta Malegaon’ takes 2024 Malegaon Central Elections by storm

Drugs addiction has become a major issue in the 2024 Malegaon Central Assembly elections with candidates from the rival political parties blaming each other for the menace which if not checked now will turn the Textile City into ‘Udta Malegaon’

Monday November 11, 2024 11:24 AM, ummid.com Staff Reporter

[(Clockwise) Asif Shaikh Rasheed, Mufti Ismail, Ejaz Baig and Shan e Hind are four key candidates contesting the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly Elections from Malegaon Central Assembly seat.]

Malegaon Central Election 2024: Drugs addiction has become a major issue in the 2024 Malegaon Central Assembly elections with candidates from the rival political parties blaming each other for the menace which if not checked now will turn the Textile City into ‘Udta Malegaon’.

It all started when sitting MLA and AIMIM candidate Mufti Ismail Qasmi in the party’s very first election rally at Khayaban-e-Nishat Chowk in Qilla in October accused Asif Shaikh, former Congress MLA and EX Mayor who is contesting the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly Election as Independent, of hobnobbing with drug pedlars.

Other AIMIM leaders, including former Mayor Abdul Malik, too joined in. They in fact went a step further and accused Asif Shaikh of pushing the youth of the city into drug addictions and ruining their families.

From then on, Mufti Ismail and other AMIM leaders built their campaign around drug additions, and in every party rally asked people of Malegaon to choose between “Acchai and Burai” (Good and Evil).

Drugs addiction was now a major issue for other candidates too, including Shan e Hind of Samajwadi Party and Ejaz Baig of Congress, who repeatedly urged the voters to support the candidates who will save the City, famous for its textile produce, Masa’jid and Mada’ris, from becoming “Udta Malegaon”.

Sensing that the issue is generating a chord with the people of Malegaon, when Akbaruddin Owaisi - senior AIMIM leader, younger brother of AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi and Telangana MLA, visited the Powerloom City on November 06 to campaign for Mufti Ismail, the focus of his speech was choosing between “Acchai and Burai” (good and evil) and “Nasha Mukt Malegaon” (drug free Malegaon).

“Our primary aim should be defeating the BJP and its allies. In case you don’t have such a candidate around then you have to choose between acchai and burai, and cast your vote for Nasha Mukt Malegaon”, Akbaruddin Owaisi said addressing the AIMIM rally in Malegaon Wednesday Nov 6, 2024 in a veiled reference to Asif Shaikh who is contesting as Independent.

From the Malegaon Central Assembly Constituency which has more than 80% Muslim voters, some 13 candidates, including from Congress, Samajwadi Party, SDPI and independents, are contesting the 2024 Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha Chunav. The BJP and its allies have not fielded their candidates in Malegaon.

Ummid.com had raised the issue in a detailed article published on October 07, 2024 – about a week before the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly Election Notification, highlighting that the drug menace in Malegaon that was limited to a small section of powerloom sector till recently has penetrated deeper among the labour class and the so called elites simultaneously knocking the doors of schools and colleges.

In its article, ummid.com also detailed how cannabis, marijuana and antidepressant drug Alprazolam - a scheduled drug sold illegally by the code names ‘kutta goli’, ‘button’ etc, are slowly and quietly being replaced by Mephedrone or MD.

"Diversionary Tactics"

Meanwhile, Asif Shaikh said the accusations against him are "diversionary tactics" by his political rivals, especially sitting MLA Mufti Ismail Qasmi who, he said, is trying to hide his “failures” of the last five years by levelling such allegations.

At the same time, Shaikh Asif also accused Mufti Ismail of hobnobbing with two beer bar owners of the City and taking from them huge amount of money in return of plum civic posts in Malegaon Municipal Corporation.

“How can he talk about acchai and burai when he sold civic posts in Malegaon Corporation to beer bar owners?” Asif is asking in his rallies.

On the other hand, ex-Corporator Javed – Asif Shaikh’s close aide, while talking to ummid.com admitted that the drugs addiction is indeed a serious matter but refuted the involvement of political leaders.

“This of course is a serious matter. But, neither Asif bhai nor any other political leader is involved. Illegal drugs are being sold directly from medical stores and pharmacy shops”, he said.

Away from politics, a concerned citizen told ummid.com that he can easily identify those involved in drug trafficking on the stages of all political parties.

“It is a matter of probe who is involved in the spread of drugs in the City and who is not. But, the people who are said to be involved in drug peddling and some of whom who were arrested in such cases are seen in the rallies of the political parties that are blaming each other for the menace”, he said.

While ummid.com was working on its earlier article on the issue, a number of people, including a top police official, had pointed out the connection between drug mafia and politicians. The way the issue has taken center stage in the 2024 Malegaon election, the alleged nexus seems to be having some credence.

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