Page 25 - Maharashtra Assembly Elections

AAP unlikely to contest Maha, J'khand polls; looks to strengthen INDIA bloc

Our focus is Delhi and we don't want to create further confusion in minds of voters in Maharashtra which could lead to splitting anti-BJP votes, AAP sources said

Maharashtra polls: Congress' first list likely on Oct 20; BJP's in a week

The power struggle between the two coalitions, Mahayuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi, and among the six parties within the alliances is expected to shape an interesting election battle in Maharashtra

People want Jayant to take responsibility of rebuilding state: Sharad Pawar

Hinting at a bigger role for Maharashtra NCP (SP) president Jayant Patil after the next month's assembly elections, party chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said it was everyone's wish that Patil should take "responsibility to rebuild the state." Speaking at the concluding rally of 'Shiv Swarajya Yatra' campaign of the party at Islampur in Sangli district, Jayant Patil's hometurf, Pawar said several freedom fighters from this region played a big role in the freedom movement, and it is the responsibility of everyone to create the Maharashtra of their dreams. "I am very happy the way Jayant Patil is working towards this goal, he is reaching out to every corner of the state, giving confidence to the people. I am sure that the new generation of the state will rally behind him," Pawar said. "It is yours, mine and entire Maharashtra's wish that Jayant Patil should take the responsibility to rebuild the state and for that your power is needed," the veteran politician added. Pawar further ..

Maharashtra polls: BJP reviews candidates, list expected within week

BJP leader and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the party's national president JP Nadda chaired the meeting

CM Shinde slams Maha Vikas Aghadi as he presents his govt's 'report card'

Ahead of the Maharashtra assembly polls, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday accused the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi of working with an anti-development vision, as he along with allies presented a "report card" of his government's work. Putting up a united face, Shinde addressed a joint press conference here along with Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar and Union minister Ramdas Athawale, a day after the Election Commission announced the state poll schedule. Fadnavis said the seat-sharing discussions among the ruling allies were in the final stages. The Mahayuti allies presented a "report card" of the government's work in the last two years, as Shinde, Fadnavis and Pawar accused the opposition of creating a "fake narrative". Flaunting the "report card" which compared the work done by the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi dispensation and the current Mahayuti government, Shinde said the ruling alliance was ready to go to the people's court. "The opposition Maha Vikas Aghdi

Mahayuti's MLC nominations reflect caste balance ahead of Maharashtra polls

Ahead of the Maharashtra assembly polls, the ruling Mahayuti appears to have maintained a balance in the representation of various communities and tried to avoid any potential rebellion while nominating seven members for the MLC posts, as per political analysts. Of the seven new members of the legislative council who took oath on Tuesday, the BJP has nominated three, while the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's NCP have two members each. On Monday, the state cabinet cleared seven out of 12 names and received approval from Governor C P Radhakrishnan. With his approval, the swearing-in ceremony was held at the Vidhan Bhavan on Tuesday, hours before the announcement of the Maharashtra assembly elections. The newly sworn in MLCs are BJP's Chitra Wagh, Vikrant Patil and spiritual leader of Banjara community Dharmaguru Babusingh Maharaj Rathod, NCP leaders Pankaj Bhujbal and Idris Naikwadi and Shiv Sena's Manisha Kayande and Hemant Patil. Rathod is a seer

CM Shinde needs to make sacrifices like us: Maha BJP prez on seat-sharing

Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Wednesday said Chief Minister Eknath Shinde should be willing to make "sacrifices", in terms of seat-sharing for the assembly polls, like the BJP has done to keep the alliance intact. The comments come a day after the Election Commission announced the schedule for polls to 288 seats in the state assembly. Voting is scheduled on November 20 and the counting will take place on November 23. "Chief Minister Eknath Shinde must remain open-minded and be willing to make sacrifices. We, too, have made sacrifices to uphold the alliance. It is evident that the BJP aims to contest the seats we previously held," Bawankule told ABP Majha news channel in Nagpur. As the dominant party in the alliance, it is only natural for the BJP to seek more seats, he said. Asked if Union Home Minister Amit Shah reportedly stated that the BJP "sacrificed" the CM's post while forging an alliance with Shinde-led Shiv Sena, Bawankule said, "I do not know what

Maharashtra elections: Coastal belt's 75 seats crucial for power shift

The serene coastal belt of Maharashtra, including Mumbai, offers an interesting backdrop for a showdown between Mahayuti and MVA alliances in the next month's assembly elections, especially between two rival Shiv Senas. The most urbanised and industrial region, including the Mumbai metropolitan area, sends 75 MLAs to the assembly and 12 members to Lok Sabha. The coastal Konkan division in Maharashtra, spread from Sindhudurg to Mumbai, also covers Palghar, Thane, Raigad and Ratnagiri districts. Voting will be held on all 288 assembly constituencies in Maharashtra on November 20 and results will be declared on November 23. In the recent Lok Sabha polls, the Mahayuti alliance of Shiv Sena, BJP, and NCP, bagged seven seats. The BJP triumphed in Palghar, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, and Mumbai North, while the NCP, led by Ajit Pawar, had a face-saver in Raigad where its leader Sunil Tatkare retained his seat. In the upcoming polls, former Union Minister Narayan Rane, who won the ...

As Maha heads for polls, BMC announces Rs 29,000 Diwali bonus to employees

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

'Causing major distortions, time for self-introspection': CEC on exit polls

He also hinted at the possible linkage of the initial election results shown on electronic media with a desire to prove exit polls right

Maharashtra to vote on Nov 20, Jharkhand on Nov 13 & 20; results on Nov 23

The tenure of the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly ends in November, while the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly's tenure ends on January 5, 2025

Maharashtra Assembly polls: Gehlot, Baghel among Congress' poll observers

Maharashtra elections: The Congress has named former Union Minister Mukul Wasnik and AICC General Secretary Avinash Pande as state election senior coordinators

Maharashtra elections: Voting in single phase on Nov 20, results on Nov 23

Maharashtra Assembly elections: Out of 288, 234 seats in Maharashtra are general category, 25 seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribes (STs) and 29 seats are reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs)

No impediment in appointment of 7 MLCs: Maharashtra govt tells HC

The Maharashtra government on Tuesday told the Bombay High Court that there was no impediment in the appointment of seven MLCs for the 12 vacant posts in the state legislative council. Advocate General Birendra Saraf told a division bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar there was no stay or injunction from the court or any assurance given by the government that the appointment would not be made. This was after an advocate appearing for a former municipal corporator and Shiv Sena (UBT) functionary Sunil Modi told the bench that the appointment of the seven MLCs was being done, even as order was reserved on his plea challenging withdrawal of a list of 12 MLC nominees sent to the governor in 2020 by the then MVA government. Modi's advocate Harshad Shrikandhe told the bench that the petitioner only wanted to bring to the HC's notice the development of the appointment of seven MLCs and nothing else. The bench queried if the seven nominated members included persons

JMM will face crushing defeat, CM Soren's misrule to end after polls: BJP

Election Commission will announce the schedule for Assembly elections for Maharashtra and Jharkhand today

Maharashtra, Jharkhand Assembly election dates to be announced today

Maharashtra's 288-seat Assembly will see its term end on November 26, while Jharkhand's 81-seat Assembly will conclude on January 5, 2025

Poll-bound Maharashtra scraps entry toll for light motor vehicles in Mumbai

The toll fees for five entry points in Mumbai: Dahisar, Mulund, Vashi, Airoli, and Tinhanth Naka, were revised on October 1, inviting criticism against the Eknath Shinde government from the Opposition

Baba Siddique's murder: Three held; how the attack was planned for months

A member of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi's gang, Shubham Lonkar, claimed that he allegedly orchestrated senior politician Baba Siddique's murder due to his close links with actor Salman Khan

Maharashtra polls: Both alliances in conundrums over final candidate list

There is no sign that either alliance in Maharashtra is ready with a list of candidates for the Assembly election

Maharashtra would have been left far behind if MVA had not been removed: CM

The two rival factions of the Shiv Sena, one led by Shinde and the other by Thackeray, held separate Dussehra rallies, each seeking to demonstrate their strength ahead of upcoming Assembly elections