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BMC Polls
Polling for the first phase of 264 municipal councils and nagar panchayats across Maharashtra on Tuesday was marred by allegations of bogus voting and violence with even supporters of ruling allies BJP, NCP and Shiv Sena coming to blows at some places, officials said. A voter turnout of 47.51 per cent was recorded till 3.30 pm with the State Election Commission (SEC) not providing the final figure till late night. An official said data is being compiled from across districts and the final voting figure will be released on Wednesday. In a related development, the Bombay High Court directed the SEC not to hold the counting of votes for the first phase of local body polls on December 3, as scheduled earlier, on the ground the "disclosure of public mood" through the results might affect the subsequent phase of the elections. The results of Tuesday's elections should be published along with the results of the December 20 elections, the HC said. In a subsequent statement, the SEC said the
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday said he will talk to the Congress high command over its Mumbai unit's decision to go solo in the forthcoming city civic body polls, as the move could benefit the BJP. Speaking to reporters after a break of more than a month, Raut, who is undergoing medical treatment, also said it is necessary to have the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi fold to ensure the ruling BJP's defeat. Elections to various local bodies in the state are scheduled for Tuesday. The schedule for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections and some other civic bodies has not yet been announced. The Supreme Court has directed that the local body polls in Maharashtra be completed by January 31, 2026. Last month, the Mumbai Congress ruled out an alliance with the MNS and said it will contest the civic body polls independently. However, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) insists that the Congress should be
The Supreme Court on Tuesday observed that the final results of elections in Maharashtra for 57 local bodies, where 50 per cent ceiling on quota has been breached, will depend on its judgement in the case. The observations were made by a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi while deferring to November 28 the hearing on the issue of reservation in local body elections. The Maharashtra government, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, sought time to consult the state election commission (SEC) regarding compliance with the 50 per cent ceiling on quotas. Earlier on November 19, the bench had asked the state government to consider deferring the process of nomination for local body elections till the issue of grant of 27 per cent reservation for the Other Backward Class (OBC) is adjudicated upon by it. On Tuesday, the bench was informed by senior advocate Balbir Singh, appearing for the SEC, that elections to 242 municipal councils and 42 nagar .
The Congress on Friday reiterated its political aversion to MNS for the upcoming civic body polls, saying the party will never tie up with those who break the law or intimidate, a reference to the sons-of-the-soil brand of politics of the Raj Thackeray-led party. Hitting back, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Sandeep Deshpande said the Raj Thackeray-led party is an independent entity and not a member of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which includes Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and NCP (SP). "Raj Thackeray makes decisions in our party. We have nothing to do with what anyone says," he said. The Congress recently announced that it would contest the elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) independently, apparently due to the growing proximity between Sena (UBT), led by Uddhav Thackeray, and his cousin Raj Thackeray's MNS. The solo contest plan had prompted Sena (UBT) to ask Congress not to rush into any decision and emphasise the importance of the Opposition unity. "The
Elective merit will be a key factor in deciding seats for the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena head Eknath Shinde has said. Addressing shakha pramukhs (branch heads) of Shiv Sena on Sunday, Shinde also said the collective victory of Mahayuti is more important than the number of seats allotted to each constituent of the alliance in the BMC elections. He said due respect will be given to the Sena during a seat-sharing agreement of Mahayuti. The Mahayuti comprises the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP, headed by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar. "It is not important as to who gets how many seats. What is important is the elective merit, which will be the key in deciding the seats," Shinde said. He said the Sena is holding Lok Sabha constituency-wise meetings ahead of the civic polls, expected to be conducted by the end of January 2026. While shakha pramukhs, the crucial cogs in Shiv Sena, are well aware of the nature of work, they sh
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday hinted that his party might go solo in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election without exiting the Maha Vikas Aghadi. Talking to reporters, Raut said party workers were insisting the organisation go solo in the local body polls, as there were more aspirants than for the Lok Sabha or state assembly polls. "Talks are on between Uddhav Thackeray and other party leaders (about whether to go solo) for the BMC polls. Workers want the party to contest the polls solo," he said. The undivided Shiv Sena controlled the cash-rich BMC for 25 consecutive years from 1997 to 2022. The term of the previous elected representatives of the BMC ended in early March 2022, and fresh polls are due for nearly three years now. Raut said the party's power in Mumbai is undisputed. "If had we got more seats to contest in Mumbai (during the assembly polls), it would have won them," he said, claiming that it was necessary to win Mumbai or else the c
The Shiv Sena will contest the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls, likely to be held next year, as part of Maharashtra's ruling alliance Mahayuti, said Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday. Talking to reporters after a meeting with former BMC corporators, party MLAs, MPs and functionaries, Shinde said Mumbai has to be country's powerhouse and for doing so Mahayuti has to control its civic body just like it is in power in the state as well as at the Centre. The BMC polls will be contested as Mahayuti (alliance) in all 227 civic wards, said Shinde, who heads the Shiv Sena. The BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP are part of the Mahayuti alliance. Shinde's remarks assume significance as his main rival Shiv Sena (UBT), which is part of the opposition MVA, has hinted it may go solo in the BMC polls. Shinde said the Mahayuti government under him undertook several steps with regards to Mumbai's developmental work. He also listed steps taken to concretise roads to make them poth
A few hours before the code of conduct for the Maharashtra assembly elections kicked in, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) here on Tuesday announced a Rs 29,000 Diwali bonus for its employees. The country's richest civic body, with a budget of more than Rs 53,000 crore, is currently being run by a state-appointed administrator as civic elections are pending. Later in the day, the Election Commission of India announced the poll schedule for Maharashtra. The state will go to polls on November 20. The BMC has about 92,000 employees and officials on its payrolls. The ex-gratia this time is 11.53 per cent higher compared to the Rs 26,000 paid in 2023. The official release said the announcement of Diwali bonus was made following a discussion between commissioner-administrator Bhushan Gagrani and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Besides civic employees, the teachers, professors and educational attendants at BMC schools and colleges, both grant recipient and non-grant ones, will
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Saturday issued an advisory cautioning people against entering the Arabian Sea amid warnings about high tide till Sunday night. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and Indian National Centre for Ocean Information (INCOIS), the sea will witness a "swell of surge waves" from 11.30 am on Saturday to 11.30 pm on Sunday, the civic body said. During this time, the height of the waves will rise by 0.5 to 1.5 metres, it said. The BMC has also asked fishermen to exercise caution. BMC commissioner Bhushan Gagarin has asked civic personnel to coordinate with the police, and security guards at beaches in the city have been directed to stop people from entering the waters.
The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray party on Tuesday alleged that voters were being paid to choose None Of The Above or NOTA option in the November 3 Andheri East Assembly byelection in the city. The campaigning for the byelection came to an end at 5 pm. The party has raised this issue with the Election Commission as well as the police, said its senior leader Anil Parab The election will have ramifications in the coming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election too as for the first time it will see the combined strength of Maha Vikas Aghadi allies (Thackeray-led Sena, NCP and Congress), Parab said. Some people are being paid money to choose NOTA," the former Maharashtra minister alleged. His party has video clips showing purported workers of the Republican Party of India (RPI) indulging in such acts, he said. The RPI (Athawale faction) is part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. The Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena faction has fielded Rutuja Latke, the wife of ...