Mumbai this week: Much Ado about political ads; City finally gets rains, thanks to cyclone Biparjoy

🔴 This prompted the NCP to ask if the BJP has accepted Shinde being the Chief Ministerial face in Maharashtra above Fadnavis.

🔴 In a stern message to its alliance partner, the BJP’s central leadership has warned it not to cross the ‘laxman rekha’ or try to undermine senior party leader and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, sources said.

🔴 In a step perceived to be an attempt at damage control, the Shinde Sena released another advertisement featuring Shinde and Fadnavis together as the face of development and growth in Maharashtra and quoted a survey saying 49.3 per cent voters in Maharashtra prefer the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance.

🔴 Both leaders tried to downplay the ‘advertisement row‘ at the event and, praising each other, both dismissed speculations of a rift between the alliance partners.

In other political news:

• For the first time since the inception of Shiv Sena in 1966, there will be two foundation day celebrations on June 19. While CM Shinde’s Sena will organise the 57th Foundation Day of the party at NESCO exhibition centre in Goregaon, the Thackeray-led Sena will hold the foundation day celebrations at Shanmukhanand hall. Read Shubhangi Khapre’s report on how the question about ‘real’ Shiv Sena resurfaces
• The Maha Vikas Aghadi allies will form a coordination committee comprising three senior leaders each from the three parties to discuss the seat-sharing formula for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
• Former Congress leader Ashish Deshmukh rejoined the BJP after almost five years on June 18.
• Three exits from Shiv Sena (UBT) – Former MLA Shishir Shinde, who resigned from the Uddhav Thackeray-led party, is likely to join Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s party. Former BMC corporator from his party Suvarna Karanje and MLC Manisha Kayande also left the party and will join Shinde’s party soon.
• The Congress has chalked out plans for 29 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, where it believes it has a strong candidate or the party can help the MVA win.

Following are the other important updates from Mumbai in the past week (June 12-18):

Religious notes in schools?

🏫 Two separate incidents involving strict action over matters pertaining to religion came to light. One was a teacher’s suspension from a Kandivali school for allegedly playing the Azaan during the morning assembly. The incident also sparked a political row leading to protests at the school.

🏫 The other incident saw the alleged rustication of a few school students for raising the “Jai Shri Ram” slogan. While MNS protested outside the convent school, the school authorities said nobody was rusticated but a few students were reprimanded for screaming during a break.

Monsoon delayed, but Cyclone Biparjoy brings some relief

🌀 Mumbai recorded a sharp drop in minimum temperature since the week’s beginning as the city experienced light to moderate rainfall and gusty winds at double the normal speed, triggered by Cyclone Biparjoy.

🌀 While fishermen and the general public were asked not to venture near the rough seas, five NDRF teams were positioned in Mumbai in preparation for any eventuality that may arise owing to the weather brought on by the cyclone. Five trains from Mumbai were cancelled. Four boys were washed away by the sea off Juhu Koliwada, with one of them still missing. The bodies of the other three were recovered during a search operation conducted for almost two days.

Mira Road killing

🚨 In further revelation of gory details pertaining to the murder of a woman by her live-in partner in Mira road, the police found that Ramesh Sane gave buttermilk laced with insecticide to Saraswati Vaidya. A Thane court extended his custody till June 22.

Other important news this week:

1. Sushant Singh Rajput death: 3 years on, CBI yet to file chargesheet or close case, remains tight-lipped
2. Maharashtra to get a mental health hospital after 100 years with hi-tech facilities
3. Part of Mumbai Coastal Road to be operational from Nov: BMC
4. Nirav Modi case: HC says it is public money, no steps taken by Bank
5. IIT student suicide case: SIT seeks disciplinary action against cops for failing to spot suicide note
6. Minor married off thrice in last 4 yrs; complaint filed against 30
7. NEET results: Mumbai boy is state topper, secures AIl-India Rank 7
8. Mumbai Ahmedabad Bullet train project: Largest TBM to dig India’s first undersea rail tunnel next year
9. Mumbai University girls’ hostels to get women security guards round the clock
10. Mumbai court acquits 2 in 2002 Gujarat Best Bakery case, orders their release
11. ‘Another glass ceiling broken’: Fadnavis lauds first woman MSRTC driver
12. History-sheeter known to Sanjay Raut arrested over threat call to him

Photo of the week

The Eknath Shinde and Uddhav Thackeray factions are gearing up to celebrate on the foundation day of the Shiv Sena by organising events at two separate venues. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)

News to watch out for next week:

1. Monsoon likely to make landfall in Mumbai this week.
2. Actor Chrisann Pereira expected to return to Mumbai this week.
3. The Shiv Sena factions led by CM Eknath Shinde and former CM Uddhav Thackeray will hold separate events to mark the party’s foundation day on June 19.
4. The BMC’s special technical committee set to take final decision of setting up the desalination plant on Monday, following which tenders will be floated. The 400 MLD plant is expected to curb Mumbai’s water crisis by a significant margin.

News from Mumbai: June 5 – 11

News from Mumbai: May 29-June 4

News from Mumbai: May 22-28