NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Opposition Leader in Maharashtra Assembly Ajit Pawar. (Express file photo)Mumbai News Highlights (April 26): NCP chief Sharad Pawar said that AAP chief and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal is an honest politician, shortly after the BJP claimed that over Rs 45 crore was spent on renovating Delhi Chief Minister’s residence. Pawar also said that state industries minister Uday Samant told him that the government was only testing the soil for the proposed Barsu Solgaon refinery project and has not acquired any land till now, adding that he was told that all moves by the government have been halted.
Earlier, Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said Tuesday that he fears a “Jallianwala Bagh-like massacre” at Barsu-Solgaon. Ahead of a survey for the proposed petrochemical refinery, which has been opposed by the Opposition parties in the state, the Ratnagiri Police imposed section 144 of the CrPC in Barsu and Solgaon villages.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) on Tuesday, decided to launch an agitation against a proposed petroleum refinery at Barsu village in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district as local residents continued their protests against the multi-billion project, reported PTI. So far, as many as 111 people, including women, have been arrested in Barsu-Solgaon village amid the tensions.
Water levels in Marathwada region at 72.33 per cent of the dam's full capacity is higher as compared with last year at 69 per cent. (Express Photo)
West apartment for next 3 years. According to Zapkey which aggregates publicly available information, the rent agreement registration took place on February 16.
As per the documents accessed in first year the per month rent will be Rs 1.5 lakh, second year it will be Rs 1.575 lakhs pm, third year Rs 1.65 Lakhs per month. Khan took Rs 4.5 lakh as deposit for renting the apartment. The said rental agreement signed through power of attorney Abhijit Bhalerao, as per the Zapkey. Rajesh Harishchandra Gandhi is the tenant of Salman's flat.
The property is located on the 14th floor, Shiv Asthan Heights located on 16 Road Bandra West. The tenants has received 3 car parking space facility. The sprawling property is spread on 6673 sft carpet area.
Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde held a telephonic conversation with NCP chief Sharad Pawar over the issue of protests against Barsu Refinery in Ratnagiri.
A special court has rejected the plea of a convict sentenced to death in the 2006 Mumbai train blast case, who sought action against three prosecution witnesses claiming the false evidence given by them had resulted in his conviction.
Ehtesham Siddiqui, an alleged SIMI member, was sentenced to death in October 2015, along with four others, for their involvement in the serial bomb blasts in suburban trains that killed 188 people in 2006. He is currently lodged in Nagpur Central Jail.
Siddiqui's plea was rejected on April 25 by the special judge for cases under Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), A M Patil, saying it was devoid of merits and there was no explanation for filing the application seven years after the conviction.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will inaugurate the National Cancer Institute on Thursday during a two-day visit to Nagpur at a function that will also be attended by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, sources said.
A senior BJP functionary indicated that Maharashtra politics and national issues would feature in the leaders’ discussion. The cancer institute was scheduled to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had to defer his visit due to the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections, the sources said.
Shah’s visit to Nagpur, where the RSS headquarters is located, comes 10 days after his Navi Mumbai visit on April 16 for the Maharashtra Bhushan Award event where 14 people lost their lives due to sun stroke. This is Shah’s fourth visit to Maharashtra after the Shinde-Fadnavis government came to power.
NCP leader Supriya Sule said that news about NCP started being aired at a time 14 people died of heat stroke in Kharghar. Sule was referring to speculation about Ajit Pawar switching camp to BJP.
"Is this only a coincidence? This is a conspiracy against the NCP to defame the party and to sideline the Kharghar tragedy, " she said.
Mumbai Metro One services were disrupted due to a fault in the electrical converter unit of a train, from which passengers were evacuated at Asalpha Metro Station at around 4.45 pm.
The train was withdrawn from service and normal services resumed from 5.30 pm.
A MOTHER of two, a Mumbai-based couple sent on a holiday to Qatar, a mother-daughter duo hoping to win a reward for alerting authorities on gold smuggling – they are among those who find themselves on the wrong side of the law for traveling unknowingly with illegal drugs, facing charges similar to actor Chrisann Pereira, who is currently imprisoned in Sharjah.
Prosecutors, defence lawyers and anti-drug authorities say there are many who are made ‘carriers’ for drugs by being tricked into doing so by partners, relatives, and acquaintances.
Read full story here
The Navi Mumbai police in Maharashtra have booked self-proclaimed Hindu rights activist Kajal Shingala alias Kajal Hindustani for a communal speech targeting members of a particular community, officials said.
Kajal, who is popular on social media for her provocative speeches, allegedly delivered a speech that incited hatred and communal tension between two religious groups at a rally taken out by the Sakal Hindu Samaj on February 26 in Vashi, Navi Mumbai. Read more
Before being arrested on Monday for allegedly planting drugs on actor Chrisann Pereira (27), leading to her arrest in Sharjah, in the UAE, on April 1, Anthony Paul (35) had reportedly tried to frame four others in a similar manner since January, according to sources in Mumbai Police Crime Branch.
Read more
CM Ekanth Shinde is likely to travel to Nagpur from Satara, where Home minister Amit Shah is visiting tomorrow for a two-day visit. Shinde has gone to his native village Dare in Satara.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has cleared 65 files via video conferencing in a day and dismissed claims by the rival Shiv Sena faction that he was "on leave". The chief minister, who is touring his home district Satara, virtually cleared 65 files of various departments and gave necessary directives to officials concerned, according to the Chief Minister's Office (CMO).
"I never go on leave. Today, I reviewed the work of Tapola-Mahabaleshwar road, laid the foundation stone of a stretch of road and held a meeting of district officials over the infrastructure of the hill station to ensure that tourists get all the facilities," Shinde said.
Shinde also directed the Relief and Rehabilitation Department to be prepared to extend help to the people affected by unseasonal rains.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar said that AAP chief and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal is an honest politician, shortly after the BJP claimed that over Rs 45 crore was spent on renovating Delhi Chief Minister's residence at a time the country was in the grip of Covid-19.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar said that his nephew and party leader Ajit Pawar has expressed displeasure over poster claiming the latter to be the future chief minister came up in Dharashiv. "Whatever Sanjay Raut has said about a change in CM must be from his own sources. I don't have any information on this," he said.
As scores protest in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri district over the proposed Barsu Solgaon petrochemical refinery project, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said that state industries minister Uday Samant told him that the government was only testing the soil and has not acquired any land till now, adding that he was told that all moves by the government have been halted.
"I had told him to stop the testing till talks are held with locals who are opposing. It is important to understand the reasons behind opposition to the project. Our position is to hold talks with locals and find way out. That is the only then the issue can be settled," Pawar said.
He further said that Samant said government officials will be holding a meeting with the locals on Thursday.
The Mumbai traffic police have closed vehicular traffic from 5 am to 7.30 am on the Eastern Express Highway service road between Airoli junction and Pant Nagar in Ghatkopar. The police took the measure to ensure the safety of people going on morning walks on the road.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Raju Bhujbal (Eastern suburb traffic) issued the order Tuesday, effective from April 26 to July 31.
Read more
Speaking to media during his Assembly election campaign in Karnataka on Tuesday, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the government was ready to hold talks with peaceful protesters but will not tolerate opposing the project just for the sake of politics. He added that the present state government was just taking the work forward and it was the Thackeray – led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government that finalised the project site.
Read more
The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) on Tuesday, decided to launch an agitation against a proposed petroleum refinery at Barsu village in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district as local residents continued their protests against the multi-billion project, reported PTI. So far, as many as 111 people, including women, have been arrested in Barsu-Solgaon village amid the tensions.
Due to large number of citizens using the south-bound service road of the Eastern Express Highway from Airoli junction till Ghatkopar Pant Nagar for morning walks, the road will remain closed for vehicular movement from 5 am to 7.30 am. The order by the Mumbai Traffic Police will be applicable from April 26 till July 31.
The Opposition parties in Maharashtra have asked the state government to stop the land survey process for the proposed oil refinery at Barsu-Solgaon in Ratnagiri district. They alleged that the government was misusing the police machinery to threaten and pressurise villagers and activists opposing the project.
Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar said: “It is dictatorial of the government to arrest protesters and stop the media from telecasting the proceedings at Barsu-Solgaon. The government must respect the sentiments of the people and stop the survey process immediately.”
Read the full story here
While two persons were arrested for planting drugs on Borivali-based actor Chrisann Pereira (27) and the latter is still lodged in a Sharjah prison since April 1, here’s a quick look on the actor’s career till now and what the police probe has revealed.
From plays to movies — Chrisann Pereira’s journey till now
Chrisann Pereira is an actor who has worked in movies like Sadak 2 and Batla House where she played supporting roles. Apart from that, the actress has been a part of several plays like Three Women, Drumroll and Sundays with Chitra. Pereira was also a part of a web series called Thinkistan. She lives in Borivli along with her parents and brother.
Read the full story here
Amid protests against a proposed oil refinery in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri district, state Industries Minister Uday Samant said the current site for the mega project was suggested by then-CM Uddhav Thackeray, while the Opposition urged the government to stop soil survey work and be sensitive in handling the situation arising out of the agitation.
Samant's statement came in the backdrop of protests by local people in the coastal district against the soil survey work for the multi-billion dollar project over environmental damage concerns.
Right to travel is an integral part of personal liberty, a special court has said while allowing former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh to travel outside Mumbai anywhere in the country till June 18.
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader is currently out on bail. One of his bail conditions was not to leave the city without the permission of the courts.
Deshmukh is an accused in money laundering and corruption cases being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), respectively.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray said the government's oppression in Barsu-Solgaon is "unfortinate".
"The government will not hesitate to attack on the son of soils of Konkan who are protecting the nature. Our stand is clear (on the refinery). First stop the atrocities on the villagers, interact with them, tell them who is going to be benefited from it. As the MVA had put the condition, the villagers should be taken into consideration before setting up the refinery. The government should give them presentation on the project and explain them everything . There should be transparency in whole process and the final decision (on setting up of the refinery) must be of the local villagers," Thackeray said.
Two accused identified as Anthony Paul, 35, from IC Colony Borivali, and Rajesh Bubhate, 35, also known as Ravi, have been sent to police custody for nine days in the case pertaining to planting drugs on actor Chrisann Pereira. Paul owns a bakery at Malad and Ravi is an assistant manager.
More than 30 women were detained by the police after they protested by lying on the road to stop government vehicles from entering the proposed site of a giant refinery at Barsu village in Maharashtra's coastal Ratnagiri district.
A government team was scheduled to conduct a survey at the site in Barsu and Solgaon areas of Rajapur, around 400km from Mumbai, on Monday, but locals started staging protests, the official said. Local people in the coastal district have been protesting against the soil survey work for the multi-billion dollar refinery project.
Several women participated in the protest on Tuesday morning, during which they lay on the ground to prevent vehicles of the district administration and police from entering the area.
A meeting was held at Matoshree, Uddhav Thackeray's residence, wherein he was briefed about the situation in Barsu. A senior party functionary said he might address the press on the issue today.
Meanwhile, NCP chief Sharad Pawar held talks with Minister Uday Samant about police action in Barsu-Solgaon. He has asked him to not arrest protesters.
Notably, the Barsu-Solgaon location for the refinery project was suggested by Uddhav Thackeray himself when he was the Chief Minister of the state.
"This project will generate employment in Konkan and it is in the interest of Maharashtra. That is why the then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had written a letter to the central government for this projec," Industries minister Uday Samant said.
In an attempt to encourage more pillion riders to wear helmets, Mumbai Traffic Police has started a new initiative of felicitating riders and their pillion riders for wearing helmets.
Officials said the initiative was started on April 10 and in the last 15 days, 500 such riders and their pillion riders were felicitated and were also given a certificate of appreciation by the traffic police. Read more
BJP leader and state PWD Minister Ravindra Chavan on Monday said that despite his efforts, he has not been able to stop illegal transfers in his department by corrupt officials.
Chavan said there must be transparency in transfers and despite his efforts to stop illegal transfers, corrupt officials continue to indulge in it. Read more
Bollywood popular actor Alia Bhatt who played several characters, including Gangubai Kathiawadi, has bought a Rs 37.8-crore apartment in the posh Pali Hill of Bandra, Mumbai.
According to a real estate advisory firm IndexTap.com, the apartment is spread over an area of 2,497 sqft.The sprawling apartments located on the sixth floor of Aerial View Cooperative Housing Society Limited at Nargis Dutt Road was registered in the name of Eternal Sunshine Production Pvt Ltd which is the production house of Alia Bhatt on April 10. The buyer received two parking facilities with this apartment. Read more
Maharashtra Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar has opposed state's use of police force to undertake land survey for oil refinery at Barsu and Solgaon villages where locals have been opposing the project.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said: "I am afraid that on the lines of Jallianwala massacre in Punjab, there will be massacre in Barsu and Solgaon where thousands of villagers are opposing the proposed petrochemical refinery project. The state is misusing police machinery to suppress the protest and threatening the villagers. They might shoot down the villagers,"
Earlier, Ratnagiri Police imposed Section 144 of the CrPC in both the villages in Rajapur taluka of Ratnagiri district.
Local residents have been opposing the project for the past two years.
The Mumbai Crime Branch on Monday arrested two persons for allegedly framing Borivali-based actor Chrisann Pereira (27) in a narcotics case by giving her a memento that had drugs hidden in it and asking her to deliver it to someone in Sharjah, where she is imprisoned since April 1.
The probe revealed that Pereira, who has appeared in movies like Sadak 2 and Batla House, was framed by one of the arrested, Anthony Paul, as he wanted to get back at her mother with whom he had an issue. Read more
Four children, in the age group of 14 to 15 years, have gone missing after leaving for school from their homes in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Tuesday.
The incident took place in Ambernath town on Monday following which the police registered a case under Indian Penal Code Section 363 (kidnapping) against unknown persons, an official from Shivaji Nagar police station said.
The children, residents of different localities in Ambernath and studying in the same school, left their homes at around 7 am, but did not return, he said. (PTI)
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is on a on two-day tour to Karnataka to campaign for the upcoming elections in the state.
Maharashtra has sent a team of 80 BJP members for Karnataka Assembly polls campaign and coordination. Of these 36 are state BJP leaders, office bearers and elected members.
Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar and vice president Prasad Lad are already touring their respective districts assigned by the party in Karnataka.
A 39-year-old yoga instructor allegedly died by suicide in Mumbai’s Kandivali, allegedly after an argument with her husband over personal issues, the police said.
According to the Samata Nagar police, on Saturday night, the woman and her husband had an argument after he said he should take yoga classes online instead of conducting them at a student’s house. On Sunday morning, the husband found her in an unconscious state and rushed her to a private hospital, where she was declared dead, the police added. Read more
A lawyer on Monday filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Bombay High Court seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged deaths of 14 people from heatstroke during the Maharashtra Bhushan Award ceremony held at Navi Mumbai’s Kharghar on April 16.
Lawyer Shaila Jitendra Kanthe on Monday filed a PIL through advocate Nitin Satpute seeking a criminal complaint, including murder charges, against the organisers of the award ceremony. Read more
It’s been a week since the Maharashtra State Chemists & Druggists Association (MSCDA) made allegations of corruption in state Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Minister Sanjay Rathod’s office and threatened to go on strike if no action was taken.
It’s not the first time that the state chemists and druggists body has made such allegations. In 2013, a committee was set up to address such complaints but was discontinued after the change of government in 2014. It was never re-establised. Read more
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) president and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao addressed a public meeting in Aurangabad on Monday.
This was the third public meeting of the BRS in Maharashtra with the first held at Nanded on February 5 and the second on March 26 at Kandhar Loha. Read more here
Ratnagiri Police have imposed Section 144 of the CrPC in Barsu and Solgaon villages in Rajapur taluka of Ratnagiri district, ahead of a survey for the proposed petrochemical refinery project in the area. Local residents have been opposing the project for the past two years.
While the administration is all set to start the survey, Ratnagiri Police has implemented preventive measures in the villages. They have also arrested at least four anti-refinery activists and issued preventive notices to 45 local residents who are opposing the Barsu-Solgaon refinery project. Read more
There was no large gathering. No pomp, no ceremony. The bride’s baarat had just two little children — an 11-year-old girl and a 9-year-old boy. And yet, the exuberance was palpable as Prachita Dhise, looking beautiful in a red sari, emerald green bangles and a bashing (a forehead ornament), got remarried in the presence of her little ones.
In India’s deeply patriarchal society, where remarriage of women is frowned upon, a WhatsApp matrimony group has so far helped 22 women from rural Maharashtra find love once again. The WhatsApp group was created by an NGO, Corona Ekal Mahila Punarvasan Samiti, specifically for women who had lost their spouse to Covid. Though the WhatsApp group was started for these women, later, men were added to the group – over 150 men, including widowers, divorcees and bachelors have signed up – to help them find each other. Read more here
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a forecast for rain in Mumbai and several parts of Konkan Maharashtra for Wednesday, officials said Monday, adding that there was a possibility for Mumbai to receive rain on Tuesday as well. Read more
Shortly after TMC chief Mamata Banerjee held a meeting with Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and RJD chief Tejashwi Yadav to discuss Opposition unity for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said his party will also hold a meeting with the West Bengal CM soon.
His statement comes at a time Sharad Pawar's statement on MVA not having discussed seat-sharing formula for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls created speculation about Opposition rift. Pawar later clarified that he stands united with the MVA.
Mumbai reported 59 COVID-19 cases, the addition to the tally dipping below the 100-mark for the first time since April 10, when 95 cases were detected, a civic official said. It took the tally to 11,61,946, while the death toll stood unchanged at 19,761, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation official added.
Mumbai had reported 141 cases on Sunday, and the dip on Monday may be due to fewer coronavirus tests conducted on weekends, he pointed out.
THE MUMBAI police on Monday opposed bail to 18-year-old IIT-Bombay student Arman Khatri, booked for allegedly abetting the suicide of fellow student Darshan Solanki, stating that it was yet to record the statements of the Solanki family in Gujarat.
The special court was also informed that Darshan’s parents were issued notice to file a reply to Arman Khatri’s bail plea but they were yet to respond, for which the court has granted time till April 27. Read more
When Girish Subramaniam, 52, suffered a massive heart attack, even a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery could not start the pumping of his heart, leading to multiple-organ failure.
Then a cumbersome machine for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) took over the functioning of his heart and behaved as a surrogate heart while his native heart rested. It is a technique providing prolonged cardiac and respiratory support to people whose heart and lungs fail to carry out adequate gas exchange.
Read the full story here
The Santacruz police in the western suburbs of Mumbai have traced and reunited 100 ‘missing’ persons with their families after they got lost at Juhu beach during the three days of Eid celebration. These persons included kids and senior citizens.
The police Monday said that every year during the festivals, local citizens and tourists from across the country visit the popular beach in high numbers. Read more
The Maharashtra BJP has adopted a wait-and-watch approach amidst reports of differences within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance on contesting the 2024 Assembly elections.
With the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders expressing independent views without any unanimity, the BJP has decided to exploit the situation to its political advantage. Top BJP leaders in the state quickly pointed out that the divide within the MVA was not surprising. Read more
Maharashtra Congress leader Arif Naseem Khan said the state government must provide Rs 25 lakh as compensation to the kin of the 14 people who lost their lives due to sunstroke and other health complications at the Maharashtra Bhushan award event on April16.
"The kin of the deceased must be given Rs 25 lakh as compensation. Moreover, the number of deaths is 50 and not 14 as mentioned by the authorities. A judicial probe must be initiated to fix responsibility. A culpable homicide case must be registered against the event contractor," he told reporters.
Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, in a step towards providing cheap, green and clean electricity to farmers, launched the 'Mukhyamantri Saur Krishi Vahini Yojana 2.0'.
Fadnavis had started this scheme in June 2017 when he was CM. The advanced version of the scheme plans to run agricultural feeders on solar energy in every district. A target has been set to solarize 30 per cent of agricultural feeders by December 2025.
from the Uddhav Thackeray faction met Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais, demanded filing of a case of culpable homicide against those responsible for the incident in Kharghar wherein 14 people died due to heat stroke.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar clarified that his statement was merely about the fact that MVA has yet not decided on seat-sharing formula in Maharashtra in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. He clarified that his statement was blown out of proportion and his position remains in favour of the unity of the MVA.
Following NCP supremo Sharad Pawar's statement indicating lack of clarity on the MVA constituents contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha polls together, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that no one can understand what Pawar wants.
"Sharad Pawar is senior and experienced leader. Whatever he speaks has significance. No one can think and understand what he exactly wants," Shinde said.
Three workers were killed and three others were injured when a fire broke out at a factory in Maharashtra's Nagpur district on Monday morning. The blaze erupted at around 11 am at Kataria Agro Pvt Limited in Sonegaon Nipani gram panchayat MIDC area, an official said. Fire tenders rushed to the spot and a fire-fighting operation was launched.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis informed that three workers had died and three others were injured in the incident. He tweeted that the injured persons have been shifted to a hospital and the blaze has been brought under control. (PTI)
Maharashtra Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar has urged the Central Government to invoke its powers to disqualify MPs and MLAs who have three children.
“Our country’s population is increasing by the day. When Vilasrao Deshmukh was the chief minister, we used to disqualify elected representatives who had three children. We took this decision with caution. But some people want to know why we didn’t disqualify MPs and MLAs who had three children. I want to tell them the powers to disqualify MPs and MLAs lie with the Central Government. The Centre should use its powers to disqualify such MPs and MLAs,” said Pawar at a private function in Baramati on Sunday. Read More
A Bombay High Court bench will Thursday hear a plea by comedian Kunal Kamra who has challenged the amendment to the Information Technology (IT) Rules that empowers the government to identify “fake news” about itself on social media platforms through a “Fact Checking Unit”.
The bench, led by Justice Gautam S Patel, on Monday also remarked that the impugned rules did not seem to offer protection to fair criticism of the government through parody or satire. Read More
A trend has emerged in Thane since Eknath Shinde became the Maharashtra Chief Minister.
Eleven FIRs were initially registered against former MP Anand Paranjpe, which were eventually reduced to one after the Bombay High Court rapped Thane police. Most FIRs have been registered under Section 153 (A) (promoting enmity between different groups) of the Indian Penal Code, which carries a maximum punishment of five-year imprisonment. Read More
At least 17 police personnel were injured when a van carrying them for security deployment overturned in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri district on Monday, an official said. The accident took place at around 9.30 am near Kasheli village under Nate police station limits, he said.
They were rushed to a civil hospital in Ratnagiri where they were undergoing treatment, he said. (PTI)
Amid political uncertainty in Maharashtra, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said Sunday that since seat-sharing talks within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) have not been held yet, it is difficult to say whether all three parties will contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections together.
“Today we are in an alliance and want to contest elections together. But only wishing to do so cannot be enough. We haven’t had a discussion on seat sharing yet so how we talk about contesting the election together?” Pawar said in a press conference held in Vidarbha’s Amaravati.
Pawar’s statement also comes on the backdrop of growing speculations over NCP leader and his nephew Ajit Pawar joining hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Last week, amid those rumours, Ajit Pawar had clarified he would not quit the NCP till his last breath. Read More
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and MP Sanjay Raut Monday claimed that things are moving in a direction in Delhi to remove Eknath Shinde as the chief minister of Maharashtra, and the BJP itself doesn't want this government to survive for more days. He added that the BJP realised that the Maharashtra government was causing damage to the party.
"Things are moving in a direction in Delhi to change the CM of Maharashtra. Everyone knows the reason behind this. Since becoming the chief minister, he (Shinde) has failed to achieve what the BJP wanted. This CM failed to lead the state and fulfil what BJP wanted to achieve politically from him. They (the BJP) wanted to overthrow our government, they used him (Shinde) for that. That work is done now. But the BJP could not achieve what it wanted to achieve politically in Maharashtra,” said Raut. Read More