Mumbai News Highlights: Ajit Pawar-led faction is ‘real’ NCP, EC rules in setback to Sharad Pawar

NCP MP Supriya Sule on Tuesday dubbed the ECI's decision to recognise the Ajit Pawar faction as the real Nationalist Congress Party a "victory of invisible power" and a conspiracy against Maharashtra and Marathi people.

The Election Commission of India also allotted the NCP symbol 'Wall Clock' to the group led by Ajit Pawar.

"The ECI's decision is the victory of the invisible power. This is a huge conspiracy against Maharashtra and Marathi people. However, I am not at all surprised by this decision," Sule, daughter of NCP founder Sharad Pawar, told reporters in New Delhi.

She also drew a parallel between the ECI's ruling in the Shiv Sena (undivided) case, referring to the poll body acknowledging the Eknath Shinde-led group as the real Sena after he rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray in 2022.

"Both parties (the NCP and undivided Shiv Sena) were born in Maharashtra and led by Marathi people. This is one more example of how the invisible powers make decisions that would hurt the Marathi people and the state," said Sule.

She said the "conspiracy" hatched against the late Bal Thackeray's family is now replicated against Sharad Pawar.

"Pawar saheb started his political career without any legacy or background. The ECI's decision is not the truth. It is an injustice to the people of Maharashtra," Sule added. (PTI)

"There were certain developments in our party and we had approached Election Commission to seek justice. Both sides places their arguments. Majority is vital in democracy. Finally, the verdict on party name and symbol has been ruled in our favour. I humbly accept it."

In a setback to Sharad Pawar, the Election Commission declared the Ajit Pawar-led faction is the real Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). In an order, the Election Commission (EC) also allotted the NCP symbol ‘Wall Clock’ to the group led by Ajit Pawar. The order comes weeks after Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar declared the CM Eknath Shinde-led faction as the real Shiv Sena, in a win for the ruling coalition in the state.

Sharad Pawar's NCP official X handle posted a March 2022 video of his speech in which he says that he will neither get tired nor stop. Interestingly, Ajit Pawar had not rebelled then. Addressing the EC ruling in favour of Ajit Pawar faction, Sharad Pawar group MLA Jitendra Awhad: 'We have no future strategy. Our only strategy, only party and only symbol is Sharad Pawar. He will rise like Phoenix. He is with us and not with them. That's our strategy.'

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— NCP (@NCPspeaks) February 6, 2024

The Sharad Pawar camp on Tuesday described as the "murder of democracy" the Election Commission's decision to declare the Ajit Pawar faction as the real Nationalist Congress Party which it claimed was taken under pressure, whereas ex-Union minister Praful Patel welcomed the ruling.

The Commission also allotted the NCP symbol 'wall clock' to the group led by Ajit Pawar.

"This is the murder of democracy. What happened is unfortunate,” former Maharashtra minister Anil Deshmukh said.

The poll panel gave this ruling under “pressure from above,” Deshmukh told a TV channel.

On the other hand, senior NCP leader Praful Patel said the EC ruling proves that the majority of party workers and elected representatives are with Ajit Pawar.

The Election Commission's ruling on Tuesday ended months of speculation over the factional fight between Ajit Pawar and party founder and his uncle Sharad Pawar. (PTI)

'BJP president J P Nadda had announced few days ago that there will be no regional party. Today's ECI order is written by central government and announced by the ECI. This is nothing but an attempt to kill democracy,' said Maharashtra Congress Chief Nana Patole on the Election Commission ruling in favour of Ajit Pawar faction. 

In a setback to Sharad Pawar, the Election Commission declared the Ajit Pawar-led faction is the real Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). In an order, the Election Commission (EC) also allotted the NCP symbol ‘Wall Clock’ to the group led by Ajit Pawar. Jayant Patil, state chief, Sharad Pawar group said that they will be approaching the Supreme Court against this decision.

"The ECI's decision is shocking. We will be approaching the Supreme Court against this decision. The order proves that all constitutional organisations have lost their autonomy and the order prima facie is simply putting forward some technical issues. We believe that the Supreme Court will do justice with us," Jayant Patil, state chief, Sharad Pawar group. 

In a setback to Sharad Pawar, the Election Commission declared the Ajit Pawar-led faction is the real Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). In an order, the Election Commission (EC) also allotted the NCP symbol ‘Wall Clock’ to the group led by Ajit Pawar. The order comes weeks after Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar declared the CM Eknath Shinde-led faction as the real Shiv Sena, in a win for the ruling coalition in the state. 

'We humbly accept the order of Election Commission of India. The ECI has accepted submissions made by our counsels and we thank the ECI,' Ajit Pawar said after Election Commission ruled in favour of Ajit Pawar faction in NCP dispute case. 

Election Commission rules in favour of Ajit Pawar faction in NCP dispute case, tells Sharad Pawar group to take a new name for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from Maharashtra. 

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday posted on social media a photo of a "mobster" with Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and alleged the state has become a joint of "gundagiri" under him.

He also accused Shinde, who belongs to Shiv Sena, of promoting mobsters.

Opposition leader Vijay Wadettiwar, who belongs to Congress, also targeted the government by posting a video of the mobster walking on the premises of Mantralaya, the state secretariat.

"A big state like Maharashtra has become a joint of gundagiri (hooliganism). The chief minister is promoting mobsters," Raut told reporters in New Delhi.

He sought "clarification" from Deputy CM and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis on the matter. (PTI)

In a bid to remove illegal encroachments, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Tuesday carried out a demolition drive at Govandi’s Panchsheel Nagar (Tata Nagar).

According to the officials of the civic body, the land belongs to the BMC and the unauthorised structures were razed to make way for a proposed hostel of the BMC.

Naxals are trying to expand their urban footprint in Maharashtra by roping in youngsters from poor sections in slums in big cities like Mumbai and Pune for military tasks and setting up safe havens, according to police.

Naxals are trying to direct the discontent among youngsters from low-income groups living in urban slum pockets against the government, a senior police officer disclosed while talking to PTI.

"In their documents, Naxals have mentioned that their 'urban network' is quite strong in cities like Mumbai, Nagpur, Nasik, Pune and Gondia," said Special IG, anti-naxal operations (Maharashtra) Sandip Patil.

"They are trying to rope them in for logistical tasks involving ordnance, arms and ammunition, medical help, and for building safe havens in forest and urban localities," he said.

Naxals mentioned in their secret documents that their network is quite strong in slum areas in Mumbai, Pune, Nasik, Nagpur and Gondia, Patil said. (PTI)

Quota activist Manoj Jarange on Tuesday appealed to members of the Maratha community to submit memorandums to MLAs in their areas, asking them to raise their voices to strengthen the law for reservation when a special session of the state legislature is convened.

Jarange was speaking to reporters at Antarwali Sarati village before starting his four-day tour, during which he will interact with people in parts of Ahmednagar, Pune, Navi Mumbai, Mumbai, Nashik and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.

"People from the Maratha community should present memorandums to MLAs in their respective areas and appeal to them to raise their voice as and when a special session of the state legislature is convened to strengthen the law for reservation," he said.

The 40-year-old activist said he would hold a meeting with members of the community at Antarwali Sarati on February 10, and then commence his hunger strike.

Jarange, who has been spearheading the agitation for reservation since August last year, has been demanding Kunbi certificates for all Marathas to enable them to avail the benefits of quota in government jobs and education. (PTI)

The Mumbai police on Tuesday detained more than 40 people from an organisation for sanitation workers after they staged an agitation in front of the 'Mantralaya' here, demanding jobs on compassionate grounds, an official said.

Protestors led by Rajya Safai Kamgar Sanghatna gathered in front of the Mantralaya, the state secretariat, around 2.30 pm, the official said.

Some protesters also sought to meet Chief Minister Eknath Shinde over their demand for jobs on compassionate grounds, he said.

The police detained the protestors and took them to Azad Maidan, which is a designated ground for protests, the official said. (PTI)

A fire broke out in an under-construction commercial building in Navi Mumbai and the fire brigade battled the blaze in an overnight operation that ended on Tuesday morning, an official said.

No casualties were reported in the fire that erupted on the 28th floor of the building in the Shiravane MIDC area around 6.30 pm on Monday, the official said.

Wooden slabs on the top-most floor caught fire. Five fire engines were dispatched to the scene to contain the blaze, he said.

Firefighting operations continued overnight and ended around 9 am on Tuesday, the official said, adding that a probe will be conducted to ascertain the cause of the fire. (PTI) 

VIDEO | A fire broke out in an under-construction building in Nerul Shirvane MIDC, Navi Mumbai, on Monday midnight. The cause of the fire, which broke out on the 27th floor, is yet to be ascertained.

(Source: Third Party) pic.twitter.com/p4W4FHoPy9

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 6, 2024

Shiv Sena MP Hemant Godse has filed a complaint after an video of his was circulated in social media. The said video that has gone viral which shows Godse in company of a woman.

"It is a morphed video. I have filed a complaint with the Nashik Police and urge them to investigate who are the individuals behind this attempt to defame me," Shiv Sena MP Hemant Godse said.

Hemant Godse, 53, is a second term Member of Parliament (MP) from Nashik constituency of Maharashtra and has been associated with Shiv Sena from 2013. He belongs to the Eknath Shinde led Shiv Sena.

After being associated with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena for over six years initially, Godse had joined Shiv Sena in the year 2013 just ahead the Loksabha elections of 2014 and was elected as a MP from Nashik.

The Bombay High Court has confirmed interim bail granted to former CEO of ICICI Bank Chanda Kochhar and her husband Deepak, in case by CBI related to the alleged irregularities in loans provided to Venugopal Dhoot-led Videocon Group. 

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested former ICICI Bank MD and CEO Chanda Kochhar and her husband Deepak Kochhar in December 2022, for allegedly cheating ICICI Bank of Rs 1,730 crore until March 2012.

Sources said the couple was summoned for questioning in Delhi and were arrested after the investigation officer found them not cooperating with the investigation team.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has registered a case against an assistant commissioner of state tax and some other officers of the Maharashtra GST department for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 1 crore from a company's director to settle a pending tax matter, officials said.

The FIR was registered after a letter was written by the special commissioner of state tax and chief vigilance officer to Maharashtra director general of police (ACB) seeking an investigation into the alleged corruption by officers of the investigation branch of the state tax, the officials said.

During the probe, it came to light that Suryawanshi and his team conducted raids between July 5 and August 7 last year on a firm, which had an outstanding tax of more than Rs 20 crore, said the official. Despite several reminders, the firm's director did not pay the pending tax, following which the GST department officials visited his office and residence also, he said.

On August 21, Suryawanshi allegedly sent a WhatsApp message demanding Rs 1 crore from the firm's director to settle the tax matter, said the official. (PTI)

The Junagadh district police, with the help of Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS), arrested cleric Mufti Salman Azhari in Mumbai on Sunday in connection with an alleged hate speech he delivered in Junagadh on January 31.

This is the first arrest in connection with the case registered at B Division police station in Junagadh following a complaint filed by a sub-inspector of the same police station.

“After Junagadh police sought our help, we managed to trace the cleric in Mumbai and handed him over to them,” a senior ATS officer said on Monday. Read the full story here.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress party on Tuesday once again alleged Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP are going all-out to “recruit” gangsters in their respective parties. 

After Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's son, Parth Pawar, met a Pune gangster last month and was rebuked by his father, gangsters, especially from the city, seem to be making a beeline for political parties. 

On Monday, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut had posted a photo of a Pune gangster wishing Shrikant Shinde, MP and son of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, right at the CM's official bungalow, Varsha, on his birthday. The next day, Raut again posted a photo of Pune gangster Nilesh Ghaiwal meeting CM Shinde and Asif Dadi, another gangster from Pimpri-Chinchwad, meeting Ajit Pawar in Mumbai. 

Read more here.

Mumbai will witness mainly clear skies throughout the day on Tuesday.

According to the India Meteorological Department, the minimum and maximum temperatures in Mumbai are expected to hover between 33 degrees to 20 degrees Celsius, respectively.

With its eye on the upcoming general elections, the Maharashtra cabinet on Monday decided not to increase Mumbai property tax for the ongoing fiscal — fourth time in a row.

The state cabinet also decided to host NaMo Maha Job Fairs in four revenue divisions of the state, namely Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nasik, Pune, Konkan with a target of extending jobs to two lakh youth in each fair.

Nearly Rs 5 crore will be made available for organising each fair.

Special train from Mumbai to Ayodhya was flagged off Tuesday from Platform no.18 at 10:35 PM at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in Mumbai.

Devendra Fadnavis and other senior leaders from BJP were present for the flagging-off.

(Express Photos by Pradip Das)

The Maharashtra cabinet cleared a proposal related to the Dharavi slum redevelopment project, under which 283.40 acres of salt pan lands in Mumbai will be taken from the Union government on a 99-year lease for rehabilitation purpose.

The proposal, moved by the state housing department, was approved at a state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde here, an official statement said.

A separate proposal for handing over the salt pan lands, to be used for rehabilitation of some Dharavi residents under the slum redevelopment project, will be submitted to the Union government soon, it said.

Five minor girls from two families who went missing a couple of days ago from Navi Mumbai in Thane district were located in Delhi, a police official said.

Two sisters aged 14 and 16 and three siblings aged 5, 7 and 14, had gone missing around the same time from Lucky Complex in Taloja on Saturday morning, after which a kidnapping case was registered, the official said. "The five girls have been traced to Delhi. They are safe with relatives there. A Navi Mumbai police team is on the way to get them back and reunite them with their parents," Taloja police station senior inspector Avinash Kaldate said.

"How they reached Delhi is unclear. The chain of events will be known once the children are back," Kaldate added.

The Bombay High Court on Monday rejected a plea by Air India Staff Colony Association, which claimed that Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) had illegally initiated the demolition of the 19 vacant buildings at the Air India colony in Kalina in suburban Mumbai.

The court recorded a statement by the MIAL, controlled by Adani Airport Holdings Limited, that it would demolish only 19 unoccupied buildings and due care would be taken regarding occupied buildings, including a school in the premises. It held that there was no infirmity in the January 25 order of the Dindoshi City civil court that refused to grant an ad interim relief in favour of the association.

Two government contractor organisations have urged the Maharashtra government to enact a legislation by the end of February to safeguard them against alleged threats, extortion attempts and job interruptions stemming from political disputes, failing which they may halt work on various projects.

The two organisations - Maharashtra State Contractors Association (MSCA) and State Engineers Association (SEA) - wrote these concerns and requests to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar in a letter dated February 3.

The letter claimed, "The rival political groups in every district use force to stop the ongoing work, including the use of physical violence and extortion from contractors. This is taking place in every district of the state." "If no solution is found to this challenge, we will not continue our work from February-end," the associations said in the latter.

The ruling MLAs, MPs and other elected representatives have managed to get sanction for developmental works of huge amounts in the state. While executing it, political groups who are in the opposition are ensuring that the works are stopped, they claimed.

"To do this, these groups are ganging up against the contractors and labourers, and abusing as well as beating them to stop the work," it the letter alleged.

Milind Bhosle, president of both the associations, said the government has sanctioned developmental works in various departments and political rivalry is causing a major damage and delay to the execution of these projects.

"The state government has issued work orders to the tune of Rs 1 lakh crore, but the contractors at the local level are facing problems, like some political groups either asking us to stop the work using force or causing hurdles in completion," he claimed.

Five minor girls from two different families in Navi Mumbai township of Maharashtra have gone missing, police said on Monday.

The police have launched a search for the girls, who went missing from the Lucky Complex in Taloja area on Saturday, they said.

Two sisters, aged 14 and 16, left for school on Saturday morning and did not return home, an official from Taloja police station said.

In another incident, three siblings, aged 5, 7 and 14, went missing from their house in Taloja, he said.

Based on a complaint, the police on Sunday registered a case under Indian Penal Code section 363 (kidnapping) and efforts were on to trace the girls, the official said. (PTI)

The Mumbai police registered an FIR against the followers of preacher Mufti Salman Azhari who had gathered outside the Ghatkopar police station after his detention in connection with a case of hate speech and blocked the LBS Road on Sunday night.

Five people who allegedly threw stones at a BEST bus were eventually placed under arrest by the Ghatkopar police.

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider listing a plea of the Uddhav Thackeray faction challenging Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar's order declaring the Shiv Sena bloc led by Eknath Shinde as the "real political party" after its split in June 2022.

A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra took note of the submissions of senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the Thackeray faction, that the plea, which was to be listed on Monday, has not come up.

“We will see it,” the CJI said.

The top court on January 22 had issued notices to Chief Minister Shinde and other lawmakers of his group on the plea of the Thackeray faction challenging the speaker's order.

The court had then ordered a listing of plea after two weeks.

The Thackeray faction has alleged that Shinde "unconstitutionally usurped power" and is heading an "unconstitutional government".

In his order passed on January 10, Speaker Narwekar had also rejected the Thackeray faction's plea to disqualify 16 MLAs of the ruling camp, including Shinde.

Challenging the orders passed by the Speaker, the Thackeray faction has claimed they are "patently unlawful and perverse" and that instead of punishing the act of defection, they reward the defectors by holding they comprise the political party. (PTI)

#WATCH | Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut says, "If Chhagan Bhujbal has given his resignation to Devendra Fadnavis then it is illegal. The resignation should be given to the CM...They are trying to fool people."

On Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray's statement, he says, "We… pic.twitter.com/o0tha63Tcb

— ANI (@ANI) February 5, 2024

Refering to The Indian Express news about contractors writing to CM Eknath Shinde alleging threats, extortion; Maharashtra's LoP Vijay Wadettiwar slams the state government saying the ruling side is indulged in collecting Khokas (Boxes) of money from contractors before elections. Wadettiwar says that the letter throws light on the state's law and order situation where nobody is allowed to work and locals political goons are threatening contractors.

A Maharashtra minister from Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) was surprised to receive a notice from a government body for an agro-industrial unit linked to him. What was more surprising was that his own department had sent the notice. When he inquired about the issue and asked why none of his staffers knew about it, they said that nobody had realised the notice was to the unit linked to the minister. The leader is now left with no option but to laud the transparency and honesty within his department, whether he likes it or not. Read More

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Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal said he had submitted his resignation to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde as he is responsible for the allocation of portfolios. "I handed over my resignation to CM Shinde. I have already made it public," the Food and Civil Supplies Minister told reporters.

"It is always the prerogative of a chief minister whom to include in his Cabinet, and accordingly, the state governor is informed,"
Bhujbal said, while refusing to elaborate on the issue.

Maharashtra BJP MLA Ganpat Gaikwad, who is accused of shooting and injuring a Shiv Sena leader and one more person inside a police station in Ulhasnagar in Thane district, has been booked in a Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act case on the complaint of a villager, a police official said.

Gaikwad had pumped six bullets into Kalyan Shiv Sena leader Mahesh Gaikwad and also injured the latter's associate Rahul Patil late Friday night inside the cabin of the Hill Line police station's senior inspector. The three-time Kalyan East MLA has been charged with attempt to murder and other offences in the case.

"On the complaint of a resident of Dwarli village on Saturday, Ganpat Gaikwad and seven others have been charged under sections of the Indian Penal Code and SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act," a Hill Line police station official said. As per the complainant, she was subjected to caste-based abuse by Ganpat Gaikwad and the others on January 31.

A 35-year-old man, who went missing from his hometown Alwar in Rajasthan two years back, was found in Mumbai and reunited with his family, a police official here said.

The man, Amit Kumar Saini, who has mental health issues, was spotted roaming on the streets in Bandra and Khar areas, assistant police inspector Gokul Bhoi said. When a police officer enquired with him and checked his belongings, some torn documents were found wherein there was a phone number based on which his family was contacted.

"A police team during patrolling found him in a dishevelled condition and roaming on the Linking Road in Khar area. He had been roaming around the Bandra station, Khar station areas for the last two years. As he was not talking, his bag was searched and a copy of an old driving license was found in the torn documents which had a phone number on it," Bhoi said.

On Sunday, his brother Ajay along with a friend reached Mumbai. "We handed Amit Saini over to them. They told us that he was driver and suddenly disappeared two years back," the official said.

The National Board of Wildlife has granted approval for the Rs 16,600 crore Thane-Borivali twin tunnel project, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) said.

As per a statement issued by the MMRDA, the proposed twin tunnel between neighbouring Thane city and Borivali under the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) will provide direct connectivity between the Eastern and Western Express Highways. The outer diameter will be 13.05 metres (two tunnels each of two lanes plus one emergency lane), and there will be cross passages every 300 meters, it stated.

The twin tunnel will cut down the travel time between the neighbouring Thane city and Borivali by one hour and decongest the traffic, the release said.

The district authorities in Maharashtra's Thane district have rescued four persons, among them two children, who were forced into bonded labour in Padgha, an official said on Sunday.

A woman from Chhattisgarh had lodged a complaint with the Surajpur district collector alleging that her husband had been held captive and forced to work by a contractor in Mumbai for the past four months, he said.

The complaint was forwarded to Thane district collector Ashok Shingare who ordered an investigation and the captive worker was tracked down on February 1, the official said.

The captive worker Indrapal Singh (30), Manbod Dhani Ram (49) and two minor boys were digging pits for laying of electrical cable lines in Padgha, he said.

The rescued labourers, who belong to Surajpur district of Chhattisgarh, have alleged that they had not been paid wages for the last four months, the official said.

Based on the complaint lodged by the Padgha circle officer, a case has been registered under the IPC, Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, and Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, he said.

(PTI report)

Police have registered a case against three persons for allegedly cheating a 50-year-old woman from Navi Mumbai in Maharashtra of Rs 18 lakh by promising jobs to her son and son-in-law in a state-owned company, an official said on Sunday.

The victim had got to know about the accused through one of her acquaintances.

To gain the confidence of the woman and her kin, one of the accused showed them an ID card purportedly belonging to the company and claimed he worked there, the official from Rabale police station said.

The accused also presented fabricated appointment letters to the victims, the police said.

The three accused allegedly took Rs 20 lakh from the woman, a resident of Airoli area, since September 2021.

But when the promised jobs did not materialise, the accused returned Rs 2 lakh to her and later gave evasive replies regarding the remaining amount, the official said.

Following a complaint by the woman, the police on Saturday registered a case against the three accused - two from Pune and one from Ratnagiri - under Indian Penal Code sections 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 170 (impersonating a public servant), 506 (criminal intimidation) and (common intention), he said. 

(PTI report)

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said the resignation of senior OBC leader and state cabinet minister Chhagan Bhujbal has not been accepted.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will be able to clarify on this, Fadnavis told reporters late Saturday night.

Bhujbal, who has accused the Maharashtra government of facilitating "backdoor entry" of the Maratha community into the quota for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), on Saturday said he resigned from the state cabinet on November 16 last year.

He further said that he kept quiet for more than two months because the chief minister and the deputy CM asked him not to speak about it.

Talking to reporters, Fadnavis said, "The chief minister will be able to clarify on this, but I can only say as of now that Bhujbal's resignation has not been accepted by the chief minister or me." Bhujbal, who belongs to the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the NCP, on Saturday reiterated that he is not opposed to Marathas getting the reservation but is against sharing the existing quota for the OBCs.

"I will work for the welfare of OBCs and their rights throughout my life. There is no need to demand my resignation or kick me out as some opposition leaders and those from my alliance are demanding. I quit on November 16 last year," he said.

"I was silent on the issue for two-and-a-half months because the chief minister and the deputy chief minister had asked me not to speak about it," he added.

A Shiv Sena MLA from the Eknath Shinde camp had said Bhujbal should be sacked for trying to create a rift in society.

Bhujbal has accused the government of pandering to the demands of Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange.

(PTI report)

Indicating a departure of five degrees above the normal, on Saturday, the IMD's Santacruz observatory recorded a maximum temperature of 36.2 degrees while the Colaba coastal observatory registered a maximum temperature of 34.9 degrees.

The minimum temperatures also hovered three degrees above normal with the Santacruz station recording 21 degrees on Saturday.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday termed Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal's disclosure that he tendered his resignation from the state cabinet last November as a 'hogwash'.

Bhujbal claims he resigned from the cabinet last year but he attended the cabinet meetings after that, Raut noted while talking to reporters here.

Addressing a rally in Ahmednagar on Saturday, Bhujbal, who has accused the Maharashtra government of facilitating "backdoor entry" of the Maratha community into the Other Backward Class (OBC) quota, said he tendered his resignation from the state cabinet on November 16, 2023.

The senior OBC leader further said he kept quiet for more than two months because the chief minister and the deputy CM asked him not to speak about it.

Bhujbal, who belongs to the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the NCP, also said he is not opposed to Marathas getting the reservation but is against sharing the existing quota for the OBCs.

"It is said that (Deputy Chief Minister) Devendra Fadnavis is behind Bhujbal's outbursts against handling of the Maratha quota agitation by (activist) Manoj Jarange. Both are hand in glove. I will resign but you will not accept it or you resign and we will not accept it," Raut claimed.

The Rajya Sabha member sought to know who has the authority to accept Bhujbal's resignation - Chief Minister Eknath Shinde or Deputy CM Fadnavis.

It has been a precedent that those who oppose the chief minister or the government have no right to be a part of it, he claimed.

"We are of the view that all communities should get their rights but not at the cost of encroaching on others' rights," he said adding that even Bhujbal says the same.

On BJP stalwart and former deputy prime minister L K Advani getting the Bharat Ratna, Raut said what the BJP is today is because of Advani's 'Rath Yatra'.

"He (Advani) could have been appointed the country's president but the BJP didn't do it. He had the capability of becoming the prime minister but was sidelined," the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader claimed.

The Bharat Ratna will be bestowed on Advani in a year of the Ram temple's consecration, which marks a triumphant closure for the BJP of an issue which was thrust into popular consciousness by the veteran leader through his 'Ram Rath Yatra' in 1990. 

(PTI report)

A 37-year-old man from Navi Mumbai in Maharashtra has allegedly lost Rs 10.13 lakh after being lured with the promise of high returns for some online tasks, police said on Sunday.

The cyber police station in Navi Mumbai has registered a case against four persons in this connection, they said.

The accused contacted the victim, a resident of Old Panvel area, between January 16 and 27 and offered him to undertake some online prepaid tasks.

They forwarded him certain links, assigned the tasks and promised lucrative returns. Subsequently, the victim made payments totalling Rs 10,13,005 into the bank accounts and through UPI IDs as instructed, an official from cyber police station said.

However, after completing the tasks, the victim neither received the promised returns nor his money was refunded. When he asked the accused for payment, they gave evasive responses.

The victim then filed a police complaint, based on which a case was on Wednesday registered against four persons under sections 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (cheating) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code, the official said.

(PTI report)

At Gadchiroli, a naxal district, Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis flagged off the Maha Marathon 2024 today, organised by the police.

Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal, who has accused the state government of facilitating “backdoor entry” of the Maratha community into the OBC quota, has disclosed that he tendered his resignation from the state cabinet last November.

Addressing a rally here on Saturday, Bhujbal, who belongs to the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the NCP, reiterated that he is not opposed to Marathas getting the reservation but is against sharing the existing quota for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

Mahesh Gaikwad, who was shot at six times by BJP MLA Ganpat Gaikwad, is the Shinde Sena’s Kalyan (East) city chief and a former corporator from the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal corporation (KDMC).

The rivalry between Mahesh Gaikwad and Ganpat Gaikwad is not new with a murky past.  Tensions had been brewing between the two leaders for several years and they have openly traded accusations against each other on different issues in the past. Their political rivalry was well known in Kalyan town’s political circle.

A BJP MLA, Ganpat Gaikwad from Kalyan East, has been arrested for shooting at a local Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) leader inside a police station in Ulhasnagar, in Thane district of Maharashtra, on Friday night, police said. Two of the MLA’s associates have also been arrested.

The person who was shot at has been identified as Mahesh Gaikwad, the Kalyan city president of the Shiv Sena (Shinde). Hospital sources said he suffered six gunshot injuries and is critical. One of his associates was also shot twice.

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