Page 73 - Maharashtra

Now, dead frog found in packet of chips in Jamnagar; probe ordered

The civic authority here ordered an inquiry on Wednesday after a dead frog was allegedly found in a packet of potato wafers. The complaint came days after a Mumbai resident claimed to have found a piece of human finger in the ice cream he had ordered online. Samples of the production batch of the wafer packet will be collected as part of the probe, said an official of the Jamnagar Municipal Corporation. "One Jasmin Patel informed us that a dead frog was found in a packet of Crunchex, manufactured by Balaji Wafers. We visited the shop from where it had been purchased last night. Preliminary probe suggested it was indeed a frog in a decomposed state," food safety officer D B Parmar told reporters. "As directed by the municipal commissioner, we will collect samples of this batch of wafer packets to conduct an inquiry," he added. Patel, a resident of Pushkar Dham society, claimed that his four-year-old niece bought the packet from a nearby shop on Tuesday evening. She and his ...

BJP leadership, allies will take care of Mahayuti's CM face: Bawankule

There has been no discussion so far on who will be the chief ministerial face of the ruling Mahayuti' coalition in Maharashtra assembly polls due later this year, said state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Wednesday. The party's central leadership and alliance partners will take the call on it, he said, asserting that Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis remains the leader of his party in the state. Bawankule was talking to reporters at Nagpur airport on his return after attending the BJP's core group meeting in Delhi on Tuesday. He said they discussed the reasons for the below-par performance of Mahayuti, comprising BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and NCP under Ajit Pawar, in Maharashtra and why its vote share was left behind by 0.3 per cent compared to the Maha Vikas Aghadi. In the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls, the Mahayuti bagged just 17 of the state's 48 seats, with the BJP's tally coming drastically down to nine from the 23 (it won in 2019). By contrast, the MV

Monsoon gathering pace in Maharashtra, to progress by June 21-22: IMD

The south-west monsoon, which has slowed down after hitting Mumbai, is gathering pace and is expected to progress further by June 21-22, an official of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Wednesday. The progress of the monsoon will provide a much-needed relief to north India, which is reeling under an intense heatwave. "Monsoon activity was weak after it hit Mumbai, but it is slowly turning moderate. It will strengthen by June 21-22 and coastal Maharashtra is likely to receive good rainfall. Central Maharashtra, including Marathwada, will receive light to moderate rainfall during this time," Sunil Kamble, Head of the Regional Meteorological Department (IMD), Mumbai, said. Several parts of Mumbai received showers on Wednesday morning, but it was insufficient to give respite from oppressive heat. Monsoon arrived in Mumbai on June 9, two days ahead of its normal schedule. Since then it made little progress and it is yet to cover parts of northern Maharashtra and ...

NCW receives 12,600 complaints so far in 2024, highest from UP, Delhi

As many as 12,600 complaints have been received by the National Commission for Women (NCW) so far this year, with Uttar Pradesh achieving the dubious distinction of registering the highest number of complaints, according to official data. The highest number of complaints were received in the right to dignity category that involves harassment other than domestic violence. It stood at 3,107, according to the NCW data. This was followed by 3,544 complaints of domestic violence. Dowry harassment complaints stood at 1,957, molestation complaints at 817, police apathy against women complaints at 518, and rape and attempt to rape complaints at 657, the data showed. There were 493 complaints of sexual harassment, 339 of cyber crime, 345 of stalking and 206 of honour crimes, it stated. Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of complaints at 6,470 followed by Delhi at 1,113 and Maharashtra at 762, according to the data. Bihar recorded 584 complaints, Madhya Pradesh 514, Haryana 506, ...

Woman falls 300 feet into valley while reversing car to make reel. WATCH

The woman attempted driving in reverse while her friend was filming a reel at the time of the incident

After Maha CM meets Dy CMs, BJP leaders leave for review meet in Delhi

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde held a late night meeting with Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar after which some state BJP leaders left for Delhi for a review meet, sources said on Tuesday. Details of the meeting were not available. It was convened in the backdrop of the ruling Mahayuti's below par performance in the recently-concluded Lok Sabha elections. "CM Shinde held a meeting with Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar at his official residence 'Varsha'. After Pawar left, Shinde and Fadnavis continued the meeting for some time," a source in the BJP said on Tuesday. BJP's central leadership has called a review meeting with state leaders in connection with the party's performance in the Lok Sabha polls. "It is a routine exercise in the BJP to hold such review meetings with state leaders. (BJP leader) Fadnavis offered to resign some days back after the results were out. He had stated that he wished to work for the party full-time till the state assembly elections. This will

BJP appoints incharges for poll-bound Maharashtra, Haryana, J'khand, J-K

BJP president JP Nadda on Monday appointed the party's election incharges and co-incharges for assembly poll-bound Maharashtra, Haryana, Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir. Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Bhupender Yadav has been appointed as the incharge for Maharashtra while Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw will be the co-incharge for the state, according to a statement issued by the party. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has been made the BJP's election incharge for Haryana and former Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb the co-incharge for the state, it said. Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister and Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is the election incharge for Jharkhand and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma the co-incharge for the state, the statement said. Union Minister G Kishan Reddy has been appointed as the incharge for Jammu and Kashmir, it said. While assembly polls in Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand are due later this year, the Supreme Court has ...

Light-to-moderate rainfall likely in east, north-east region in a few hours

The met body has also said that occasional intense spells of rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds are "very likely" in the region.

Genuine introspection, strategy needed to revive BJP's fortunes: Fadnavis

In the wake of the BJP's Lok Sabha tally coming down from 23 to 9 in Maharashtra, senior party leader and state Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday stressed the need for genuine introspection and a strategy to revive the saffron outfit's fortunes. Addressing a meeting of the party aimed at taking stock of the results of the Lok Sabha elections, Fadnavis claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lost several seats due to polarisation. "We require a strategy and genuine introspection. Just analysis is not enough," he said. "Heavens have not fallen. We got only two lakh votes less in the state, while in Mumbai we received two lakh more votes. BJP was ahead in 130 assembly segments. But there was tremendous polarisation," the former chief minister said. There was a false narrative that the BJP would change the Constitution if voted to power. This narrative was strong in the first three phases. But we countered this narrative well after the three phases. Hence, we ...

Looking to contest 20 assembly seats in Maha, says BJP-Sena ally Kadu

Prahar Janashakti Party (PJP) chief Omprakash Kadu on Thursday said his outfit, an ally of the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP-NCP coalition, was looking to contest 20 of the 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra where state polls are due in October. Kadu, whose outfit is a part of the ruling Mahayuti but still fielded its candidate against BJP's Navneet Rana in the Amravati Lok Sabha seat, said the PJP is assessing whether it can contest 20 seats independently or with an alliance with another outfit. "We are strong in 20 seats and we are working on it over the last one year. We have started preparations. With whom we will contest the seats will be decided later. We will be assessing whether we can contest the 20 seats independently or with someone," Kadu said. The former state minister informed the party is planning to soon hold a conclave of its workers at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in central Maharashtra to discuss the issue. Asked whether he will quit the Mahayuti, he said, "There is no ...

After losing LS elections, Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra enters RS poll fray

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra on Thursday filed nomination papers as the NCP candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, days after she lost the Lok Sabha polls from Baramati. Incidentally, barring leaders from the NCP, no politician from the Ajit Pawar-led party's allies in the ruling Mahayuti -- the BJP and the Shiv Sena -- was present when Sunetra Pawar filed her nomination at the Vidhan Bhavan in south Mumbai. Senior NCP leaders like Rajya Sabha member Praful Patel, Maharashtra cabinet minister Chhagan Bhujbal, party's state unit president and Lok Sabha MP-elect Sunil Tatkare and legislative assembly deputy speaker Narhari Zirwal were present at the filing of the nomination. Bhujbal said though he was keen on contesting the Rajya Sabha polls, he was not upset with Sunetra Pawar's nomination, which he described as a "collective decision" of the party. In the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections, Sunetra Pawar lost from the Baramati constituency

Mercedes Benz to invest Rs 3,000 crore in Maharashtra: Minister Samant

German car-maker Mercedes Benz will make an investment of Rs 3,000 crore in Maharashtra, state Industries Minister Uday Samant said on Thursday. In a post on X, Samant said while on a tour of Germany, he met top executives of Mercedes Benz on Thursday and discussed investment opportunities in the state. "Mercedes Benz will invest Rs 3,000 crore in Maharashtra this year. This will help create employment opportunities in the state," he said. The development could give a shot in the arm, ahead of assembly elections, to the Shiv Sena-BJP-NCP government which has been battling charges from the opposition that Maharashtra is losing big-ticket industrial projects to other states including Gujarat.

ED raids Fairplay's premises for involvement in 2024 poll results betting

The Enforcement Directorate Thursday said it has conducted raids in Mumbai and Pune as part of a money laundering investigation against a website that allegedly indulged in online betting on 2024 Lok Sabha election results and illegal broadcast of IPL cricket matches. The searches were launched on Wednesday at 19 locations in the two cities of Maharashtra of the portal 'Fairplay'--https://thefairplay.io, the federal agency said in a statement. Cash, bank funds, demat account holdings and luxury watches to the tune of Rs 8 crore were seized or frozen apart from various other incriminating documents and digital devices, it said. The portal was involved in "illegal broadcasting of cricket/IPL matches and various online betting activities including results of Lok Sabha Elections 2024, the agency said. The Lok Sabha poll results were declared on June 4. The money laundering case stems from an FIR of the Mumbai Police cyber cell which was filed on the complaint of Viacom18 Media Pvt Lim

Taking control of Maha my endeavour; NCP (SP) must win state polls: Pawar

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Thursday said it would be his endeavour to take control of Maharashtra, for which his party must win the state assembly polls scheduled later this year. The Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) helmed by him put up an impressive show by winning eight out of ten Lok Sabha seats it contested in Maharashtra in the recently-concluded general elections. Pawar's daughter and NCP (SP) candidate Supriya Sule won the high-stake family battle for the Baramati seat for the fourth straight term, defeating her cousin Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra Pawar. Following the Lok Sabha poll results, Pawar has been meeting people in Baramati and making preparations for the state assembly polls. Addressing people from Shirsuphal village in Baramati, the former Union minister said the people of Baramati constituency remained silent during the election period. "Our party functionaries used to tell me that people are silent and they are not speaking openly. I asked ...

Woman gives 'supari' to get father-in-law killed for Rs 300 crore property

A woman in Nagpur, Archana Puttewar, who served as a senior bureaucrat, has been arrested by the police for plotting the murder of her father-in-law for his property worth crores

Oppn takes potshots at Eknath Shinde, Ajit Pawar over ministerial berths

Leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi opposition alliance on Monday took potshots at CM Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar over their share in the new Union ministry led by PM Narendra Modi. At the swearing in ceremony on Sunday, Prataprao Jadhav of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena was sworn in as MoS with independent charge, while the Ajit Pawar-led NCP declined a minister of state berth, insisting on a cabinet post. Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Sanjay Raut on Monday said the minuscule representation to the two parties in the Modi cabinet has proved that the BJP has shown them their place. This is what you get when you decide to be someone's slaves, Raut told reporters. Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar said if the Ajit Pawar-led NCP doesn't accept the MoS post, they should forget any cabinet berth in future. Ajit Pawar must have realised albeit late that the BJP has a use and throw policy for its allies, said Wadettiwar, the Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly. Baramati Lok

Onion prices rise 30-50% in 14 days due to high demand ahead of Bakri Eid

Traders have started hoarding stocks in anticipation that the government may relax its measures to control prices

Mumbai Cricket body head Amol Kale dies of cardiac arrest in New York

Mumbai Cricket Association president Amol Kale has died of a cardiac arrest in New York after attending the T20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan. On Sunday, Kale was present at the Nassau County Cricket Stadium to watch the game between the arch-rivals along with other MCA officials including secretary Ajinkya Naik and apex council member Suraj Samat. The 47-year-old Kale had become the MCA president after defeating former India and Mumbai cricketer Sandip Patil in the elections held in October 2022. During his tenure, the MCA had taken some vital decisions including the move to match the BCCI match fee for all its red-ball players for the upcoming 2024-25 season.

K Ram Mohan Naidu youngest, Jitan Ram Manjhi oldest in Council of Ministers

At 36, Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu is the youngest minister while 79-year-old Jitan Ram Manjhi is the oldest minister to be sworn in. Naidu, Srikakulam MP from Telugu Desam Party (TDP), was sworn in as a minister of state (MoS) in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new Council of Ministers. Another young minister is Raksha Khadse (37), an MP from Maharashtra. She won the Raver Lok Sabha seat in Maharashtra. Manjhi was sworn in as a Union Cabinet Minister in Modi 3.0 government. He has served as the 23rd chief minister of Bihar, and is the founding president of Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM). Previously, Manjhi had served as the minister for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes welfare in Nitish Kumar's Cabinet. He won the Gaya seat in 2024 general elections. Some of the other young ministers include Chirag Paswan and Jayant Choudhary. PM Modi, along with his 71 ministers, took oath on Sunday as the new coalition government was formed after two full tenures in which the BJP enjoyed a ma

At ten, UP has the most ministers in Modi govt. Check state-wise full list

PM Modi's third term: Union Council of Ministers is 72-strong, consisting 30 Cabinet ministers, five Ministers of State (independent charge) and 36 Ministers of State. They will be assigned portfolio