The Peasants and Workers Party (PWP), a smaller constituent of the Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra, expressed unhappiness on Wednesday as the Shiv Sena (UBT) announced candidates from Uran, Sangola and Loha assembly seats. The PWP led by Jayant Patil had staked claim to these three constituencies. "We will talk to (NCP-SP chief) Sharad Pawar about this," Patil told PTI. He also visited Sangola during the day, he said. The PWP has sought a total of six seats from the MVA: Panvel, Uran, Pen, Alibaug, Sangola and Loha. The Sena (UBT) fielded Eknath Pawar from Loha, Deepak Salunkhe Patil from Sangola and Manohar Bhoir from Uran. The Loha seat is currently represented by a PWP MLA. During the Lok Sabha elections, MVA candidates won in many seats by small margins due to the help of the smaller allies, Patil said. Samajwadi Party's Maharashtra president Abu Azmi, another ally, also said he has not received any further communication about the seat-sharing talks. After days of ...
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday said 99 per cent of work on the Maha Vikas Aghadi's seat-sharing arrangement has been completed and leaders of the three alliance parties are expected to announce the formula later in the day. Talking to reporters, Raut also indicated his party could contest 100 seats. Elections to the 288-member Maharashtra assembly are scheduled on November 20 and votes will be counted on November 23. Top leaders of the opposition's Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance met here late Tuesday night with indications that the seat-sharing arrangement for the assembly elections has been finalised. The MVA comprises the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP (SP). After the talks, especially those between the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress, hit a roadblock, senior state Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat first met NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar on Tuesday and then Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray. Later, Thorat and other leaders of the MVA again sat together
On October 18, after the recent announcement of the assembly election dates in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena convened a meeting with its office bearers
The delay in finalising a seat allocation agreement among the Maha Vikas Aghadi allies for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections has ignited concerns among smaller constituents as the nomination process commenced on Tuesday. As discussions on seat-sharing drag on among the MVA partners, minor parties within the opposition bloc, including the Samajwadi Party (SP), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Left parties, and the Peasants and Workers Party (PWP), are growing increasingly restless. Aspirants from various parties are flocking to MVA offices seeking tickets as the nomination filing process got underwaywith a deadline of October 29. The continued delays in seat allocation could potentially jeopardise their electoral prospects. With the MVA having secured 31 out of 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra during the last general elections, the smaller parties are keen to contest under the INDI alliance banner, which effectively relegated the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to just 17 ...
Former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh on Tuesday said he will soon come out with a book detailing the "conspiracy" against him by framing him on "false" charges and to expose those who worked to dislodge the previous MVA government. NCP (SP) leader Deshmukh said he started writing the book, titled 'Diary of Home Minister', during his 14-month incarceration. The book, which will also throw light on how he came out of jail after a long court fight, will soon be released and will be available in Marathi, Hindi and English, he said in a press release. The former home minister is facing a CBI case for alleged corruption and another case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for money laundering. Deshmukh resigned as the state home minister in April 2021 and was arrested in November 2021. He was released on bail in December 2022. "The book will tell about the whole conspiracy against me, how efforts were made to overthrow the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government through
The Congress' Central Election Committee met here on Monday to finalise candidates for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly polls. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, Congress general secretary (In-charge, Organisation) K C Venugopal, among others, attended the meeting at the AICC headquarters. The CEC meeting for Maharashtra was to take place Sunday evening but was postponed with party leaders citing various reasons including Karwa Chauth and holding of meeting for Jharkhand polls as well on the same day. Earlier in the day, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said the Maha Vikas Aghadi -- comprising Shiv Sena (UBT), the Congress and Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP) -- has reached consensus on 210 of the 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra, which is a "significant achievement". The aim is to ensure the defeat of forces looting Maharashtra, he said in a swipe at the ruling alliance comprising Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, the BJP a
Ahead of the Maharashtra assembly polls, the opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) on Monday alleged there were attempts to include bogus names in the voters' lists across 150 assembly constituencies which it claimed the BJP was planning to contest. An editorial in 'Saamana', the mouthpiece of the Sena (UBT) led by former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, also claimed such "tampering" was being resorted to as the BJP fears a defeat in the state polls. Elections to the 288-member Maharashtra assembly are scheduled on November 20, and vote counting will be held on November 23. The Shiv Sena (UBT) is a constituent of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) along with the Congress and Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP). "The BJP has resorted to such unethical measures to tamper with the electoral roll due to the fear of losing the state. There are some 150 assembly constituencies that the BJP is planning to contest in this election. The party has scrutinised the voting patterns in the past and identified so
He further said that Shiv Sena (UBT), Nationalist Congress Party held a meeting on Sunday
Mahayuti govt faces scrutiny as schemes like Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana strain fiscal resources amid rising unemployment and prices of food items
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Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday alleged that the Election Commission's Maharashtra poll schedule, which gives only 48 hours for government formation, is the BJP's ploy to ensure the MVA is unable to stake a claim. The current assembly's term ends on November 26. The state will go to polls on November 20, and the votes will be counted on November 23. Speaking to reporters, the Rajya Sabha MP alleged, "The BJP with Amit Shah seems to have accepted that the party would not win the Maharashtra assembly polls. There appears to be a strategy to limit the time available for the Maha Vikas Aghadi to discuss and decide about government formation. If the MVA constituents fail to stake a claim, the governor will recommend the President's Rule for six months." He claimed the BJP was taking proactive steps to keep the MVA from returning to power. "Additionally, the ECI has scheduled the polls in such a way that it restricts the MVA's opportunity to form a government effectively," h
Patole also said that Sanjay Raut was the leader of Uddhav Thackeray and Patole's leaders were Malikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi and the leader of NCP (SCP) was Sharad Pawar
Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala met Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday amid a stalemate among Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) constituents over seat-sharing for the upcoming Maharastra polls. The AICC in-charge, however, downplayed the visit, saying he met Thackeray to inquire about his health. The MVA and the ruling Mahayuti are yet to declare their much-awaited seat-sharing pact. The elections to the 288-member state assembly will be held on November 20, and votes will be counted on November 23. Earlier on Friday, MPCC president Patole said there was a stalemate in the MVA over 25 to 30 assembly seats and maintained the party's state unit would abide by any decision its high command takes. Speaking to reporters after the meeting at Thackeray's residence 'Matoshree' in Bandra, Chennithala downplayed his visit, saying he had come to meet Thackeray to inquire about his health as the Sena (UBT) leader had been hospitalised a few days ago. Chennithala was accompanied by ..
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday said the seat-sharing talks between his party and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) have concluded as these two parties are driven by a desire and mindset to resolve issues. His remark is apparently targeted at the third Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partner Congress again, a day after he expressed disappointment over the delay in the seat-sharing talks in the alliance and accused the Maharashtra Congress leaders of being incapable of making decisions. Talking to reporters, Raut said the current national politics is being driven by regional parties and his party's stand is that they must get space in their respective states. He said Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister of the country with the help of regional parties like Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Janata Dal (United) (JD-U). There is a majority of regional parties in the INDIA bloc, he added. The Rajya Sabha member also said that Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav spoke to Shiv Sena
Maharashtra Assembly polls: Maharashtra is set to hold its Assembly elections in a single phase on November 20, with the vote counting taking place on November 23
Shiv Sena leader and MLA Dilip Lande praised Chief Minister Shinde and said, Nath ke Nath, Eknath Shinde hai
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Friday expressed disappointment over the delay in the seat-sharing talks among MVA partners and claimed that Maharashtra Congress leaders are not capable of making decisions. Talking to reporters, Raut said Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partners Congress, Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) have reached a consensus on 200 of the 288 assembly seats. The Rajya Sabha member said he spoke to Congress general secretaries K C Venugopal and Mukul Wasnik and the party's Maharashtra in-charge Ramesh Chennithala on Friday morning over seat-sharing. The Sena (UBT) leader said he would also speak to top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi later in the day. The pending decision should be expedited. Very little time is left. Maharashtra Congress leaders are not capable of making decisions. They have to send the list to Delhi frequently and then discussions happen. The decision will have to be taken at the earliest, Raut said. Late on Thursday evening, Maharashtra Congress president
Maharashtra's coastal belt, stretching from Mumbai to the southernmost district of Sindhudurg, was once a Congress citadel, but the party lost ground to the undivided Shiv Sena over the years. The coastal Konkan belt's economy was known to be dependent on money orders sent from Mumbai, where most of its residents migrated for work and business after Maharashtra achieved statehood in 1960. But the situation is no longer the same. The region accounts for 75 of the total 288 state assembly seats, including 36 in Mumbai, and is expected to play a key role in deciding which coalition ruling Mahayuti or opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) governs Maharashtra after the November 20 polls. Former CM and BJP Lok Sabha MP from Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg Narayan Rane, who hails from the picturesque region, told PTI that Konkan has now become self-sufficient, thriving on exports of fish, mangoes and cashews. "Youths are embracing entrepreneurship. Infrastructure has also expanded with enhanced air a
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The Shiv Sena split and growing Maratha unrest over reservation demands have created an unpredictable electoral environment in the state