Congress Backs Islam Party to Form Malegaon Municipal Government, Shinde-Owaisi Foiled

• The Malegaon Municipal Corporation faced a hung assembly, leading to intense negotiations for government formation.
• The Islam Party, with 35 seats, secured the support of Samajwadi Party (5 seats) and Congress (3 seats) to reach the majority of 43 corporators.
• This alliance resolved the deadlock, paving the way for the Islam Party to form the government.
• Both Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena (18 seats) and MIM (21 seats) were reportedly attempting to form the government but were unsuccessful.
• MIM State President Imtiaz Jaleel confirmed rejecting a proposal from Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena for the mayor's post.

Why It Matters: Congress's support for the Islam Party enabled it to form the Malegaon Municipal government, sidelining Shinde and Owaisi.