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
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
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
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 ...
The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader was admitted at Reliance Hospital in Mumbai after feeling unwell. He may be reportedly required to undergo angiography as part of his evaluation
Opposition alliance Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) released 'Gaddarancha Panchnama' booklet accusing Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra govt of betrayal, corruption, and more
There is no sign that either alliance in Maharashtra is ready with a list of candidates for the Assembly election
Two youths involved in the killing of NCP leader Baba Siddique are from the same village in Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh. Both of them were from regular families and had no criminal history, police said on Sunday. Baba Siddique (66), a former Maharashtra minister, was shot dead by three assailants in Mumbai on Saturday night. Two of the accused, Dharmaraj Kashyap and Shiv Kumar alias Shiva Gautam, are residents of Gandara village in Bahraich. Superintendent of Police Vrinda Shukla said both of them were working at a scrap shop in Pune, Maharashtra. They have no criminal history in Bahraich, he said. Kaiserganj Circle Officer (CO) Anil Kumar Singh said, "Shiv Kumar had gone to Maharashtra a few years ago to work as a labourer and had invited Dharmaraj to join him." Shiva's mother, Suman, expressed shock and disbelief at the allegations. While speaking to the media, she described her son as a hardworking and peaceful person. She said that he had gone to Pune to work at a scrap
He further attacked Mahayuti Alliance (Shiv Sena; Eknath Shinde faction, BJP, NCP; Ajit Pawar faction), accusing them of 'corruption'
Siddique was shot dead by unidentified attackers in Mumbai on Saturday evening. Siddique, a three-time MLA from Bandra West, had joined Ajit Pawar's NCP earlier in February this year
Madhya Pradesh Police on Wednesday registered an FIR against Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut for allegedly making misleading remarks over the state government's flagship Ladli Behna Yojana, an official said. The case was registered this evening by the Bhopal crime branch after a complaint was lodged by BJP's Mahila Morcha district unit president Vandana Jachak and its vice president Sushma Chouhan, Deputy Commissioner of Police Akhil Patel told PTI. Raut has been booked under sections 353 (2) (circulating statements containing false information) and 356 (2) (Defamation) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS). The complainants accused Raut of deliberately making a misleading statement that the Ladli Behna Yojana had been shut. The statement was aimed at maligning the image of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, the FIR stated.
The BJP's victory in Haryana will have a positive impact on the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections, Shiv Sena minister Shambhuraj Desai said on Wednesday, expressing confidence that Mahayuti alliance will clinch a victory. Addressing a press conference with Mahayuti leaders and BJP MLC Prasad Lad, the coordinator of the alliance, Desai said the Mahayuti allies have completed the "homework" for the selection of nominees and sharing of seats. Desai also announced coordinators or "Vidhan Sabha Samanvayaks" from the three parties- Shiv Sena, BJP, and NCP, for all 288 seats who have been asked to work at the booth level. "Haryana polls will definitely impact Maharashtra elections positively," Desai added. The BJP won the Haryana polls for a third consecutive term, defeating its nearest rival Congress in a bipolar contest. Desai said the chief ministerial face for Mahayuti will be decided by leaders of three parties- Eknath Shinde (Shiv Sena), Devendra Fadnavis (BJP), and Ajit Pawa
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday also took a jibe at alliance partner Congress for its poor showing in the Haryana assembly elections
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said no "traitor" will be given entry into the party after they turn "jobless" in one-and-half months, a reference to the Maharashtra assembly polls likely to be held in November. The Shiv Sena split in June 2022 after Eknath Shinde led a rebellion against Thackeray, causing the Maha Vikas Aghadi government to fall. Since then, Thackeray and the Shiv Sena (UBT) have routinely referred to Shinde and his band of rebels as "traitors". Addressing a job fair organised by his party, Thackeray claimed the people of the state will show the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena its place in the assembly polls. "After one-and-half months, these traitors (MLAs, MPs who rebelled against the party) will come to us for jobs because they will be jobless. I am not going to give a job to any traitor after the polls," Thackeray said. In a further swipe at the Shinde government, the former chief minister also said his party, after coming to power,
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Friday welcomed the Centre's decision to grant classical language status to Marathi, stressing that it was a result of collective efforts and cannot be credited to a single party or leader. Talking to reporters, Raut said if the BJP-led Union government's motive behind the classical language status was to compensate for its Lok Sabha rout in Maharashtra, its "alms" are not needed, as Marathi is a great language. The Union Cabinet on Thursday accorded the classical language tag to Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, and Bengali. The move comes ahead of the Maharashtra assembly elections, likely to be held next month. The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said, "Every political leader and chief minister in the last 30 to 35 years worked to get the classical language status for Marathi. It is a great honour. It is due to collective contribution and not because of a single party or any leader." He said political parties had raised the issue in every session of
Bollywood actor and Shiv Sena leader Govinda was placing his licensed revolver into its case when it slipped from his hands, causing it to misfire
He also said the Maha Vikas Aghadi is not opposing the Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana as CM Shinde repeatedly claims; 'We will make it better when we come to power,' Patole said
The Shiv Sena (UBT) clean sweep in the Mumbai University senate polls is just the beginning and such a victory has to be replicated in the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly polls, Aaditya Thackeray said on Saturday. The Yuva Sena, which is headed by Thackeray and is the youth wing of the Shiv Sena (UBT), swept the senate polls and won all 10 graduate seats, convincingly defeating the RSS-led Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. Addressing jubilant party workers outside Matoshree, the residence of Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, he said voting for senate polls was not only held in Mumbai, but also neighbouring districts of Thane, Palghar, Raigad as well south Konkan districts of Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg, which shows the influence of his party. "We have shown what victory is. This is the start. We have to register a similar victory in Vidhan Sabha," Thackeray said. The victory reflects the trust reposed by graduates in former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, the Worli