Page 78 - Maharashtra

BJP wants to win 400-plus seats to change Constitution, says Uddhav

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday claimed the BJP-led NDA wants a 400-plus seat mandate so that they can change the Constitution. "For them (BJP) the Constitution of India is a burden. They think why should they follow the Constitution written by a Dalit? They want 400-plus seats so that they can change the Constitution written by Dr B R Ambedkar," Thackeray claimed. He accused the Centre of betraying farmers by not giving adequate prices to farm produce. "I will restore the glory of Maharashtra which was robbed by these people after we return to power. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had looted Surat (for Swarajta) but now these two (persons) from Surat are looting Chhatrapati's Maharashtra," Thackeray alleged while addressing an election rally for MVA candidate Shobha Bacchav in Dhule.

Phase 3 Lok Sabha elections 2024: What was the voter turnout at 9 am?

In the Phase 3 of the Lok Sabha elections 2024, 93 out of 543 constituencies have gone to polls in 11 states and Union Territories. Votes will be counted on June 4

Lok Sabha elections: Polling underway for 11 of 48 seats in Maharashtra

Polling began Tuesday morning for 11 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, including Baramati, where Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule is pitted against Sunetra Pawar, wife of the veteran leader's estranged nephew and Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar. Polling began at 7 am and will end at 6 pm at the 23,036 polling centres, set up for the third phase of the elections, an official said. The seats where polling is taking place are Baramati, Raigad, Osmanabad, Latur, Solapur, Madha, Sangli, Satara, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, Kolhapur and Hatkanangale. Prominent contestants also include royal scions Shahu Chhatrapati of the Congress in Kolhapur and BJP's Udayanraje Bhosale in Satara as well Union minister Narayan Rane in Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg. Altogether 2.09 crore persons are eligible to vote for 258 candidates in the third phase, the official said. There are 1,07,64,741 male voters, 1,02,26,946 female voters and 929 from the third gender in the third phase, he said. In the fourth .

Lok Sabha polls 2024: Gujarat among 11 territories voting in third phase

Tuesday's polling covers 93 seats in 11 states and territories, with Gujarat and Maharashtra in the west and Karnataka in the south accounting for 50 seats

Lok Sabha polls: Getting migrant voters back key for Satara suitors

Shinde says his priorities on getting elected will be to work for setting up an industrial estate and IT park and encourage tourism

Lok Sabha elections: Modi missing, it is Pawar vs Pawar in Baramati

The electoral battle here is shaped by a slew of local factors as well as the ongoing tussle between the two Pawar factions

Supriya vs Sunetra: Baramati first electoral battle for Pawar clan rivals

Baramati in Maharashtra's Pune district is one of the most keenly watched seats in the state in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls as it is for the first time that two members of the influential Pawar family are contesting against each other. Sharad Pawar's daughter and sitting MP Supriya Sule and nephew Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra Pawar have been pitted against each other by the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) from the constituency that goes to polls on May 7. This is also the first major electoral battle between the factions after the party split in July last year. In February, the Election Commission (EC) recognised the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the NCP as the official party and granted it the party's "clock" symbol while allotting "Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar" as the party name for the group led by Sharad Pawar. With the constituency gearing up for polling in the third round of the seven-phase general elections, campaigning by the candidates has .

Defamation case against Rahul over RSS remark: Hearing posted for June 29

A court in Thane in Maharashtra on Saturday posted the hearing in the defamation case filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to June 29. When the matter came up for hearing during the day in the magistrate's court in Bhiwandi, an adjournment was sought on the ground that a writ petition filed by the applicant was pending in the High Court and no order had been delivered on it as yet, Gandhi's counsel advocate Narayan Iyer told PTI. After hearing both parties, the magistrate posted the matter for hearing on June 29, Iyer said. The defamation case was filed by local RSS member Rajesh Kunte claiming Gandhi in a speech had linked the organisation to the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.

Maharashtra govt asks police to crack down on deepfake creators

The Maharashtra government on Friday directed the state police to take stern action against those creating deepfakes, saying such content is a cause for concern amid the poll season. According to an official release, the number of deepfakes and doctored photos being circulated on social media and digital media has risen during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. Deepfake is a video of a person in which their appearance has been digitally altered so that they look like somebody else. Such manipulated content is being created using machine learning (ML) or artificial intelligence (AI), it said, adding that the use of this machinery during elections is a cause for concern. Deepfake content creates misunderstanding and is defamatory, said the government. The government has asked the Director-General of Police (DGP) to curb such practices and ensure a clean and transparent electoral process. The police have been asked to take stern action against anti-social elements making and circulatin

Pvt helicopter going to pick Shiv Sena (UBT) leader tilts in Maha's Raigad

The pilot of a helicopter was injured after it tilted during landing in Maharashtra's Raigad district on Friday, a police official said. The chopper was scheduled to pick Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushma Andhare for a public rally in connection with the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, he said. The helicopter got tilted when the pilot tried to land on a makeshift helipad at Mahad around 9.30 am, he said. While the pilot suffered injuries, the helicopter's rotor blades got damaged in the incident, he said, citing preliminary findings.

Breaking up of parties has not gone down well with people: Supriya Sule

Sule says: "There is no Modi wave"

Sugar production beats estimates with late pick up in rains raising output

That is down 1.8% from the previous full year, but already above the around 29 million metric tons expected at the start of the current season due to drought in Karnataka and Maharashtra states

LS polls: Shiv Sena nominates Naresh Mhaske as its candidate from Thane

The Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday nominated former Thane mayor Naresh Mhaske as its candidate for the Thane Lok Sabha seat. Mhaske will take on Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate and incumbent MP Rajan Vichare. It also officially announced the candidature of CM Shinde's son Shrikant Shinde as its candidate from the Kalyan Lok Sabha seat. He currently represents that seat. Shinde's nomination had been announced by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis as a candidate of the ruling 'Mahayuti' (grand alliance), comprising Shiv Sena, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Ajit Pawar, last month. Thane is known to be bastion of CM Shinde. He represents the Kopri-Pachpakhadi assembly constituency in Thane. The party is yet to announce candidates for the Nashik and Palghar Lok Sabha seats.

Maharashtra Day 2024: Schools, banks, offices to remain closed today

Maharashtra Day 2024: Every year, Marathi people celebrate Maharashtra Day on May 1 as the state was formed on a linguistic basis. Banks, schools, and offices are to remain closed today

Mumbai property registrations rise 11% to 11,628 units in April: Report

Registration of properties in the Mumbai municipal area rose 11 per cent in April to 11,628 units mainly on strong housing demand, according to Knight Frank. In April 2023, the registration of properties in Mumbai stood at 10,514 units. In March 2024, the registration of properties stood at 14,145 units. According to Knight Frank, the registration of properties stood at 11,628 units last month. "The enduring confidence of homebuyers in the Mumbai market has maintained a positive outlook. This optimism has driven Mumbai's property registrations consistently exceeding the 10,000 mark for the fourth consecutive month in 2024," Knight Frank said. Of the overall registered properties, residential units constitute 80 per cent. Shishir Baijal, Chairman & Managing Director, Knight Frank India, said, "The buoyant market conditions have significantly boosted the state treasury, marking its highest-ever revenue collection for April. Property registrations in April have surged, highlighting

Why has PM ignored plight of Marathwada's farmers: Cong slams Modi

The Congress on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of ignoring the plight of farmers in Marathwada, and also asked what is his vision to address water scarcity in that region. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posed questions to the prime minister ahead of his rallies in Marathwada region of Maharashtra. "Why has the PM ignored the plight of Marathwada's farmers? What is the PM's vision to address water scarcity in Marathwada? Why has the export ban only been lifted on Gujarat's white onions?" Ramesh said in a post on X. Elaborating on what he said were "jumla" details, Ramesh said that in the first half of 2023, the Marathwada region accounted for the highest number of farmer suicides in Mahrashtra. "As many as 685 farmers took their own lives in Marathwada and the State Agriculture Minister's home district, Beed, reported the highest number of deaths at 186. Now, after suffering from drought conditions for the last four months, the Marathwada region has been hit

MahaRERA proposes to make developers mention amenity details with deadlines

Developers in Maharashtra may soon have to mention the finer details of amenities at housing projects and a deadline by when they will be available for use to buyers, the state's real estate regulator said on Monday. MahaRERA, the real estate watchdog, has proposed the norms to put an end to the uncertainty of guaranteed facilities and amenities in housing projects, according to a statement. Residents may be "enticed" by the vision of a swimming pool, gym, or a community centre, but the agreement often remains silent on when these facilities and amenities will become available or what their specifications might be, the statement said. The lack of clarity can lead to unfulfilled expectations and potential disputes in future, it said. At present, the 'Schedule Two' of the Model Agreement for Sale only mentions the facilities and amenities but does not provide for any details with regards to their features and delivery date, the regulator said. "The proposed order now makes it mandat

Firing outside Salman Khan's home: MCOCA slapped against all 6 accused

Mumbai police on Saturday invoked provisions of the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in the April 14 firing incident outside actor Salman Khan's home in Bandra in the metropolis, an official said. MCOCA provisions have been invoked against alleged shooters Vicky Gupta (24) and Sagar Pal (21) as well as Sonu Kumar Chander Bishnoi (37) and Anuj Thapan (32), who are accused of supplying two firearms and bullets, and gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his brother Anmol Bishnoi, who are shown as wanted accused. Gupta and Pal, both residents of Bihar, were held from Kutch in Gujarat on April 16, while Sonu Bishnoi and Thapan were held from Punjab on April 25. Anmol Bishnoi, who stays in Canada and travels to USA, had claimed responsibility for the firing through a Facebook post, though its IP address was traced to Portugal, as per police. Lawrence Bishnoi, accused of several crimes, is currently lodged in a jail in Sabarmati in Gujarat.

KSB Q4 results: PAT grows 8% to Rs 43 cr, expenses rise to Rs 483 cr

Pumps and valves maker KSB Ltd has reported a 7.75 per cent growth in net profit to Rs 43.1 crore for the quarter ended March 31, 2024. It had clocked a net profit of Rs 40 crore in the year-ago period, the company said in a statement on Saturday. The company follows January to December as financial year. During the quarter under review, the company's expenses rose to Rs 483.3 crore from Rs 432.4 crore a year ago. Sales revenues rose to Rs 544.2 crore from Rs 489.6 crore. This quarter we have registered a steady growth in sales revenue, which is 11.2 per cent higher than that of the corresponding Q1 2023 quarter. Our recent venture into the light water application of nuclear plant segment highlights our ongoing expansion efforts," Prashant Kumar, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, KSB said. The company has received a letter of award for a project worth Rs 63 crore under PM-Kusum scheme from Maharashtra Energy Development Agency for installation of 2,500 solar water pumping .

Upset over Cong not fielding any Muslim in Maha, Naseem writes to Kharge

Maharashtra Congress working president Naseem Khan on Friday expressed disappointment over the party or the opposition bloc MVA not fielding any Muslim candidate for the Lok Sabha polls in the state and told AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge he was pulling out of campaigning. In a letter to Kharge, Khan said he will not campaign for party candidates for remaining phases of the Lok Sabha polls and is also resigning from the state Congress campaign committee. The former state minister said the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), of which the Congress is a key constituent, has not nominated a single Muslim candidate in Maharashtra, which has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second highest after Uttar Pradesh (80). Many Muslim organisations, leaders and also party workers from all over Maharashtra were expecting the Congress to nominate at least one candidate from the minority community, but unfortunately this has not happened, he noted. Now, they are asking "Congress ko Muslim vote chahiye, candidate kyu