Page 80 - Maharashtra

LS polls: Amit Shah to address 3 rallies in MP, Maharashtra on Thursday

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday will visit Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra during which he will address three rallies to campaign for BJP candidates and attend other programmes, sources said. Shah will first travel to Mandla in Madhya Pradesh where he will perform puja at Maa Narmada Pujon Rapta ghat. After that, he will garland the statue of Rani Durgavati in the town. Subsequently, the senior BJP leader will address a rally at the local police ground under the Mandla Lok Sabha constituency, sources said. In the afternoon, he will travel to Katni in Madhya Pradesh where he will offer prayer at Vijaynath Dham mandir in the town and then he address a rally at the town, which comes under the Khajuraho Lok Sabha constituency. In the evening, Shah will travel to Nanded in Maharashtra where he will address a rally for the BJP candidate.

Water supply to breweries might be curtailed in Marathwada region

With parts of Marathwada region in Maharashtra facing water shortage due to inadequate rainfall, water supply to breweries in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district might be curtailed if necessary, an official said. The Jayakwadi dam's Nath Sagar reservoir supplies water to residential and industrial areas of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and neighbouring Jalna district. Twelve companies are involved in making liquor and beer in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. In the 2023-24 financial year, these companies manufactured 761.53 lakh bulk litres of liquor and 3,778.28 bulk litres of beer, an excise official said. They generated a revenue of Rs 5,455.70 crore for the state government, which was Rs 347.14 crore more than the previous year (2022-2023) year, the official said. Amid scarcity, 443 water tankers have been operating in the district as of April 4. As of now, 269 villages and 48 hamlets are dependent on tanker water supply, a revenue official said. Asked about the water availability and it

In Maharashtra deal, Uddhav's Sena gets lion's share, Cong takes back seat

Congress stepping back and allowing the Sena (UBT) to take the lead in the Lok Sabha fight was a sign of the national party's enlightened self-interest

MVA seat-sharing: Uddhav's Sena gets 21 seats, Congress 17 and NCP 10

Shiv Sena Uddhav (UBT) faction will be contesting polls on 21 seats, the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party will contest elections on 10 seats while Congress will fight the polls on 17 seats

Situation in Vidarbha favourable, PM's meet will ensure big win: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said the situation in Vidarbha is favourable for Mahayuti and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's public meeting later in the day will turn this favorability into a big win for the alliance. Talking to reporters here, Fadnavis said that the seat-sharing talks about a few seats were remaining now, and these constituencies will go to polls in the last phase of the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra. There is a lot of enthusiasm in Vidarbha ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's public meeting in Chandrapur, he said. "The situation in Vidarbha is favourable for Mahayuti and the BJP. But with Modiji's meeting, this favourability will increase and result in a big win," Fadnavis said. The Mahayuti' (grand alliance) comprises the ruling BJP, Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and the Ajit Pawar-headed Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Raj Thackeray met Union Home Mini

I rebelled because Bal Thackeray's ideology was being compromised: Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday said he rebelled because Uddhav Thackeray abandoned the ideology of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray. Addressing a meeting of his party workers in Ramtek in Nagpur, Shinde said he did not want to become chief minister but had to rebel after seeing Bal Thackeray's ideology being compromised. Shinde broke away from the Uddhav Thackeray-led outfit in June 2022 and formed government with the backing of the BJP. "Balasaheb Thackeray used to consider us (party functionaries) as friends but he thinks of us as house-helps," the CM said in another jibe at the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief. He also said a party grows when leaders reach out to the grassroot worker rather than sitting at home. Asking people to vote for the ruling alliance in order to make Narendra Modi prime minister for the third time, Shinde said the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi does not have any agenda or intention for development. "The seat sharing details between parties in the .

Fadnavis never opposed Eknath Khadse, claims BJP leader Bawankule

Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Sunday said state Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis never opposed veteran leader Eknath Khadse, who is set to return to the saffron party. More than three years after he ended his 40-year-old association with the BJP following differences with state leadership and crossed over to the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (undivided), Khadse on Saturday said he will join his parent party next week in New Delhi. Khadse had to resign in 2016 as a minister of the erstwhile Devendra Fadnavis cabinet owing to a land deal case. Once one of the tallest leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Maharashtra, Khadse was relegated to the political wilderness for almost five years before Sharad Pawar rehabilitated him in NCP (undivided) in 2020. Notably, Khadse had blamed Fadnavis and his confidant Girish Mahajan for harming his political career. Talking to mediapersons in Pune, Bawankule said, "There is a central as well as state committee of ou

Sitars, tanpuras made in Maharashtra's Miraj town get awarded with GI tags

The sitars and tanpuras of Miraj, a small town in Maharashtra's Sangli district known for its craftsmanship in making musical instruments, have been awarded the coveted Geographical Indication (GI) tags. These instruments made in Miraj are much in demand among some of the prominent artistes, including those renowned in the field of classical music as well as film industry, the makers claim. The GI tag denotes the product comes from a particular geographical area, and often enhances its commercial value. The tradition of making sitars and tanpuras in Miraj goes back more than 300 years, with over seven generations of craftsmen having worked towards making these string instruments, the makers say. On March 30, the government of India's intellectual property office issued GI tag to the Miraj Musical Instruments Cluster for its sitars and to the Soultune Musical Instrument Producer firm for tanpuras. The Miraj Musical Instruments Cluster functions as the apex body for both the sitar a

Election 2024: Eknath Shinde's son Shrikant to contest from Kalyan seat

Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis says that the BJP will firmly back Shrikant Shinde and will get him elected with more margin than last election

Cong ousts Sanjay Nirupam for 6 yrs for indiscipline, anti-party statements

The former MP was removed from Congress, days after criticising Maharashtra's party leadership during seat-sharing discussions with Shiv Sena (UBT) for the Lok Sabha elections

Voters won't repeat mistake of electing Cong in Maha's Chandrapur: BJP

Maharashtra minister and BJP's Chandrapur Lok Sabha seat candidate Sudhir Mungantiwar has said voters made a "mistake" once of giving a chance to the Congress from the constituency but they would not do it again. In an interview with PTI, Mungantiwar, the MLA from Chandrapur, said he has carried out 300 development works in the area and asked the Congress to spell out even two such initiatives taken by it in the last five years. He also ruled out any sympathy votes going in favour of his Congress opponent. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Suresh alias Balu Dhanorkar who was the lone Congress MP elected in Maharashtra from Chandrapur Lok Sabha seat. He died in May last year. To a query on whether aiming for 400 Lok Sabha seats is realistic for the BJP, Mungantiwar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has "divya drishti" and the target will be achieved under his leadership. Mungantiwar, who is currently Maharashtra's forest and culture, is locked in a direct fight with Congress candidate .

Cash-starved Congress shouldn't waste energy on me, says Sanjay Nirupam

Former MP mocks party after not getting a chance to contest election in coveted Mumbai seat

LS polls: Jalgaon MP Unmesh Patil joins Sena (UBT) after BJP denied ticket

Unmesh Patil, the BJP MP from Jalgaon in north Maharashtra who failed to get the saffron party ticket for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, joined the opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) on Wednesday. Patil joined the Sena (UBT) at 'Matoshree', the residence of party head and former state chief minister Uddhav Thackeray in suburban Mumbai, along with his followers. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said Patil joining the party will bolster its prospects in Jalgaon and north Maharashtra and make its path to victory easier. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has replaced Patil with Smita Wagh in the Jalgaon parliamentary constituency. Patil met Raut here on Tuesday, sparking speculation about his future political move. The BJP is fighting the Lok Sabha polls, to be held in five phases in Maharashtra from April 19 to May 20, as part of the 'Mahayuti' (grand alliance) with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) headed by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar as its two other

Pawar vs Pawar: NCP fields Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra against Supriya Sule

The Nationalist Congress Party on Saturday declared the candidature of Sunetra Pawar, wife of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, from Baramati Lok Sabha seat, pitting her against sister-in-law and Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule from the home turf of Pawars. In her first reaction, Sunetra Pawar said this was a lucky day for her. The announcement of her candidature was made by Maharashtra NCP unit president Sunil Tatkare, hours after the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) declared its first list of five candidates for Lok Sabha elections from Maharashtra. The NCP(SP) retained Supriya Sule from Baramati and fielded Nilesh Lanke, who switched sides from the Ajit Pawar camp, from the Ahmednagar constituency. Tatkare said the battle in Baramati is of ideology and principles, and not a family one. "This is a lucky day for me. I thank Narendra Modiji, Amit Shah, and all leaders of Mahayuti (Shiv Sena, BJP, and NCP) for considering me capable of fighting the election," Sunetra Pawa

Congress should stand up to Sena (UBT): Nirupam on LS seats in Mumbai

In the wake of the Shiv Sena (UBT) announcing 17 candidates for the Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra, Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam on Saturday said his party should not allow itself to be arm-twisted by the Uddhav Thackeray-led outfit for the seats in Mumbai. He claimed that the Sena (UBT) was not in a position to win any seat without Congress' support. Earlier this week, the Sena (UBT) brought out a list of 17 candidates, and said it would contest a total of 22 parliamentary seats in Maharashtra. These seats included four in Mumbai. Nirupam himself is eyeing to contest the Mumbai North-West seat from where he lost in 2019, However, the Thackeray-led party's move triggered unease among the other two Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies - Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) - as the three parties are yet to finalise the seat-sharing deal for the Lok Sabha polls, which will be held in five phases in Maharashtra starting April 19. Talking to PTI, Nirupam said, "Th

Maharashtra Congress wants 'friendly fights' on six seats, says Naseem Khan

Maharashtra Congress leader Naseem Khan on Friday said the unilateral announcement of candidates by the Shiv Sena (UBT) had angered his party workers and the state unit was keen on "friendly fights" in six Lok Sabha constituencies. The Congress, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) comprise the Maha Vikas Aghadi. "We met today and decided to communicate to the central leadership that we will have friendly fights on six seats, namely Sangli, Mumbai South Central, Mumbai North West and some more places. The manner in which Shiv Sena (UBT) announced candidates on seats claimed by Congress has angered our party workers," Khan said. The Shiv Sena (UBT) announced its candidates in Sangli, Mumbai South Central, Mumbai North West, while the NCP(SP) is claiming Bhiwandi.

Lok Sabha polls: Govinda makes a political comeback. Tracing his journey

Lok Sabha elections: Bollywood actor Govinda on Thursday joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, marking his re-entry into politics after a 14 year hiatus. Here is his journey

Congress likely to hold meet on Sunday to finalise remaining LS candidates

The top Congress leadership is likely to hold a meeting of its Central Election Committee (CEC) here on March 31 to discuss and finalise the remaining candidates for the Lok Sabha polls starting April 19. Sources said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Sonia Gandhi and AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, besides other senior leaders and members of the CEC, are likely to attend the meet. The sources said the names of the candidates that would be discussed during Sunday's CECs meeting would include those to be fielded from Delhi and Maharashtra. The Congress has so far announced a total of 208 candidates for the Lok Sabha polls that are scheduled to be held in seven phases staring April 19. The counting of votes will be taken up on June 4.

Assembly elections: BJP releases list of 10 candidates for Andhra polls

The BJP has fielded Navneet Rana from Amravati in Maharashtra and Govind Karjol from Chitradurga in Karnataka

Feasibility check of four Indian states in pursuit of a $1 trn economy

Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra aim to achieve this milestone by 2027-28, while Tamil Nadu targets 2030-31 and Karnataka aims for 2031-32