Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra legislative council Ambadas Danve on Monday claimed that the state government has failed to fulfil the promises it had made for the development of Marathwada on the Hyderabad Liberation Day last year. Addressing the media here, the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader alleged that the state government had not released even 5 per cent of the funds it had announced for the region earlier. Hyderabad Liberation Day is observed on September 17 to mark the annexation of Hyderabad state, which was under the rule of Nizam, into the Union of India following military action initiated by the then Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. "Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will come and make new announcements here on September 17. Last year, the state government announced Rs 37,016 crore for Marathwada. It announced Rs 14,000 crore to bring water from the western rivers to prevent drought in Marathwada. The state recently allotted just Rs 60 crore to make a project report a year
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said he didn't harbour aspirations to become Maharashtra CM, a remark coming against the backdrop of MVA allies' reluctance to face assembly polls with a CM face. Addressing protesters in Ahmednagar, Thackeray said he didn't aspire to become the chief minister in (November) 2019 also. "Whether I am in power or not, I feel empowered by the support of the people. Balasaheb (Thackeray) never held a position of power but all powers were wrested with him because of people's support," Thackeray said. He was addressing state government employees protesting for the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme. Notably, Thackeray had last month asked NCP (SP) and Congress to decide on a chief ministerial face for the Maha Vikas Aghadi but failed to get a positive response. NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, the chief architect of the MVA, had asserted that there was no need for the MVA to declare a CM face. The chief ministerial candidate would be deci
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray has welcomed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's release on bail and used the occasion to take a swipe at those who split the Shiv Sena in 2022. In a post on X, Thackeray on Friday said truth prevails over politics. "Glad to see @ArvindKejriwal ji walk out and ready to fight for democracy and the Constitution again," he said. "There are coward gaddaars who betray their own and run away, and on the other side there are those like Arvind ji who choose to fight for the truth! Satyamev Jayate!" Thackeray said in the post in a reference to the rebellion led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Shinde brought down the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government led by Uddhav Thackeray in June 2022 and went on to become the chief minister with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) also joined his government in July last year. Kejriwal walked out of Tihar Jail on Friday, hours after the .
Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Tuesday said the party will throw more weight behind its Mahayuti allies, the Ajit Pawar-led NCP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, in the state elections. Bawankule was replying to a question about a news report claiming that BJP had proposed friendly contest in 25 constituencies where there is a tussle for contesting the seat among the ruling alliance partners. "These reports are baseless. The BJP will throw more weight behind the candidates of NCP and Shiv Sena," he said. Asked about the accident involving the Audi car belonging to his son in Nagpur, he said the matter was under investigation. "Let there be an investigation in the case. Be it my son or anybody's son, whatever rules are there, they should be applied. It is a matter for the police to investigate, I am thankful to God that no one was injured," he said. Asked about a social media post by NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar where he cited a survey predicting 65 to 70 seats
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday said there is no point in Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar "repenting" some of his political actions and claimed the NCP leader would lose the upcoming assembly poll from his home turf Baramati. Raut's remarks came after Ajit Pawar recently admitted publicly that he had made a mistake by fielding his wife Sunetra against his cousin and NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule, the daughter of his uncle Sharad Pawar, in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and said politics should not enter the home. Ajit Pawar joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government in the state last year along with some other NCP leaders, leading to a split in the party founded by Sharad Pawar. On Sunday, Ajit Pawar said he was satisfied with the development work he had carried out as a legislator, adding that people of Baramati for once must get an MLA other than him so they could make comparisons. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief has been MLA from Baramati since 1991. In the 20
Fissures have emerged in Maharashtra's ruling Mahayuti over the 'Ladki Bahin Yojana' with a Shiv Sena minister raising objection against ally NCP and its president Ajit Pawar for "omitting" Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's name from advertisements and promotional material of the scheme. Speaking to reporters here on Friday, state Excise Minister Shambhuraj Desai, who belongs to the Shiv Sena led by CM Shinde, expressed disappointment over the Deputy CM Pawar virtually "hijacking" the 'Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin' scheme, which offers a financial assistance of Rs 1,500 per month to eligible women in the state. He said not using the full name of the scheme during his (Pawar's) public outreach programmes was not as per the protocol. "The scheme has 'Chief Minister' in its name, and removing it from the scheme is inappropriate. It should not have been done," Desai alleged. "It is a state government scheme and he (Pawar) should have taken everyone along," the Excise Minister said. Ahe
Nationalist Congress Party (SP) president Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said there was no need for the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) to declare a chief ministerial face ahead of the Maharashtra assembly polls with his ally Shiv Sena (UBT) saying there was no tussle over the post. The MVA's chief ministerial candidate will be decided on the basis of which party wins the most number of assembly seats in the opposition alliance, he asserted. The former Union minister's comments came in the wake of Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray's recent statement favouring declaration of the opposition bloc's CM candidate ahead of the polls which are likely to be held in November. However, on Wednesday Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, who was in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in central Maharashtra, maintained there was no tussle among the MVA allies over the CM post. Talking to reporters in Kolhapur, Pawar said the decision on who will be the chief minister can be made after the poll results ar
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said only the Mahayuti alliance will burst crackers after Diwali, signalling the certainty of winning the upcoming assembly elections. Addressing a gathering at home turf Thane on Sunday late night, Shinde also paid rich tributes to his mentor, Anand Dighe, and Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, emphasising that Sena led by him continues to uphold their teachings and principles. "Do you want all the schemes and programs started by the Yuti government to continue?" Shinde asked the audience which responded with affirmation. The ruling 'Mahayuti' or grand alliance comprising the Shiv Sena, BJP, and NCP headed by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar faces stiff opposition from Maha Vikas Aghadi of Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP), and Congress in the assembly polls, due in October-November. Referring to political opponents, Shinde said, "Let them go to gallis (alleys) or Delhi, don't give them any importance. We will continue our work." He also mentioned his decision
Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Sunday said seat-sharing talks for the assembly polls between the ruling allies will conclude in 10 days. Chances of winning and not the number of seats contested will be the criteria, he told reporters in Nagpur. "The seat-sharing talks in Mahayuti will conclude in 10 days. We have decided that seats will be allotted on the basis of winnability. We will leave some seats for our allies. How many each will contest is not important. What is important is to have double engine government to ensure continuity of welfare schemes," he said. Bawankule also said directives have been issued to all BJP functionaries to not make comments that could cause discord in the alliance, which also comprises Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP. Those violating this diktat will face strict action from the party, Bawankule added. Earlier, on Saturday, CM Shinde, and Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar held ...
The NCP (SP) on Friday latched onto Shiv Sena minister Tanaji Sawant's remark that he feels like vomiting after sitting next to NCP ministers, saying it's time for the BJP to throw Ajit Pawar's party out of Mahayuti. It's also the time for Ajit Pawar to "wake up and smell the coffee", said the rival party led by his uncle Sharad Pawar. The BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and NCP are the partners in the ruling coalition Mahayuti. NCP (SP) spokesperson Clyde Crasto said Sawant's remark shows that Mahayuti does not need the NCP any longer. The RSS' mouthpiece had questioned the BJP why they aligned with Ajit Pawar. The BJP cadre is also posing the same question, he said. Now, Shinde Sena leaders are saying derogatory things like feeling nauseating when they sit next to NCP leaders, Crasto said. The time has come when the BJP will, slowly but steadily, throw Ajit Pawar out of Mahayuti. All is not well and cracks are getting bigger by the day. "It is time for Ajit Pawar to wake up an
Shiv Sena minister Tanaji Sawant has said that he sits next to his NCP peers at cabinet meetings but feels like vomiting after coming out, prompting a sharp reaction from the Ajit Pawar-led party. Speaking at an event on Thursday, Sawant, who is Maharashtra's health minister, said he is a hardcore Shiv Sainik and never got along with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders. Even if we sit next to each other in the cabinet, I feel like vomiting after coming out, Sawant said. The BJP, Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar's NCP are partners in the ruling Mahayuti coalition in the state. NCP spokesperson and Member of Legislative Council (MLC) Amol Mitkari condemned Sawant's remark and asked whether it was the responsibility of only his party to keep the alliance intact. Sawant has made remarks in the past that have hurt the NCP, he said. We are quiet only to maintain the coalition dharma, Mitkari said. It is only the chief minister who can treat his nausea,
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said it is a pity that instead of taking action against culprits involved in crimes against women, the Maharashtra government was standing with them. Addressing party workers during a demonstration over crimes against women, and the alleged sexual assault on two kindergarten girls at Badlapur, Thackeray said it is imperative to dislodge the Mahayuti government to ensure the safety of women in the state. It is a pity that instead of taking action against the culprits it is standing with them, Thackeray alleged. The Bombay High Court on Friday restrained political parties from going ahead with the bandh called by the opposition grouping Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) on August 24 to protest against the Badlapur incident. Thackeray asked his party workers to run a signature campaign with the slogan Bahin Surakshit tar Ghar Surakshit' (home is safe if sisters are secure) which will be then presented to the Bombay High Court. The court stoppe
Addressing a press conference, Thackeray further claimed the outfits led by Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar will not get these anti-incumbency votes in the assembly polls
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday alleged that the Maharashtra government used its favourite petitioner to approach the court to stop the bandh called by the Maha Vikas Aghadi against the Badlapur sexual assault. Talking to reporters, Raut said the bandh called by MVA partners was going to be 100 per cent successful and it would not have portended positively for the BJP-led Mahayuti government. The Bombay High Court on Friday restrained political parties or individuals from proceeding with a Maharashtra bandh on August 24 or any future date over the Badlapur school sexual assault incident. The government made its favourite petitioner file a petition in the court against the bandh, Raut said. He was referring to activist and lawyer Gunaratna Sadavarte, who approached the court against the bandh. Where is democracy in the country if our voices are going to be suppressed? The bandh was a manifestation of the anger in the minds of people, he said. It will be the ...
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut has said that those who had protested at Badlapur against the alleged sexual assault on two kindergarten girls at a school were locals and not outsiders as claimed by the Maharashtra government. In a post on X late on Wednesday night, Raut shared a copy of the police remand application of the people arrested for rioting at Badlapur station which said that most of the protesters were locals. In the post, Raut also tagged Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. On Tuesday, hundreds of protesters blocked the railway tracks at Badlapur station over the alleged sexual assault on the two 4-year-old girls by a male attendant at a local school. The police had to resort to lathi charge after the protesters pelted stones. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had said on Wednesday that the protest at Badlapur station over the alleged sexual assault on the two KG students was politically motivated with an aim to malign the state government and those ...
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Sunday said the Maha Vikas Aghadi will scrap the Dharavi redevelopment project after coming to power if residents are not given 500 square feet homes. He was speaking at the 'Dharavi Bachao' rally organised by the MVA, which also includes the Congress and Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (SP). "The state government wants to facilitate development of the Adani group and not people of Dharavi through the project. The MVA will work to rehabilitate all residents of Dharavi at the same place. The state government, however, wants to send residents of Dharavi to salt pan lands," he alleged. Thackeray said residents should be shifted to transit camps in nearby Bandra Kurla Complex instead. "In 2014, the Bharatiya Janata Party promised Rs 15 lakh each in bank accounts of every Indian and now it is (giving) Rs 1500. The BJP wants to create a social divide to win elections but Maharashtra will not bow before it. When the MVA government ..
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday insisted that MVA decide its chief ministerial face first rather than going by the logic of which party wins most seats, asserting he would back any candidate announced by the Congress and NCP (SP). His Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) ally Sharad Pawar, who heads NCP(SP), did not touch upon the contentious issue but stressed the need for a single-point agenda to change the government in Maharashtra if the situation has to improve in the state. Pawar told the MVA cadres the three partners will take along the Left outfits, Peasants and Workers Party of India (PWP) and Samajwadi Party by giving them due respect, and present a united face before the people of the state. The Congress too pitched for focussing on unseating the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition, with the party's state unit chief Nana Patole saying the leaders of INDIA bloc will decide on who will be the chief minister. Addressing party workers of the opposition bloc MVA here, Thackeray .
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday said he will back any candidate announced by the Congress and NCP (SP) as Maha Vikas Aghadi's chief ministerial face. Addressing party workers of the opposition bloc MVA here, Thackeray said the assembly polls are a fight to preserve Maharashtra's self-respect. Maharashtra assembly elections are likely to be held in October or November. The MVA comprises the Sena (UBT), Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) and Congress. Uddhav Thackeray will back any candidate announced by Congress and NCP (SP) as the CM face of MVA. I don't have the feeling that I am fighting for myself but for the rights of Maharashtra, Thackeray said. He insisted that the chief ministerial candidate must be decided first, rather than by the logic of the party that wins the most seats in the elections. Thackeray asked the MVA cadres to rise above self-interest and fight for the sake of protecting Maharashtra's pride and interest. He also urged them to be the ambassadors of t
Union minister Prataprao Jadhav has claimed Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray was bowing before "trivial people" with an eye on the chief minister's post ahead of Maharashtra polls and had abandoned the Sena's ideology. The state assembly elections are due in October this year. Last week, former state chief minister Thackeray visited Delhi and met top Congress leaders. Some BJP leaders later claimed Thackeray wanted to ensure he would be the chief ministerial candidate of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). The Congress, Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) are chief constituents of the opposition alliance, pitted against the ruling 'Mahayuti' coalition of the BJP, Shiv Sena headed by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and NCP. Speaking at a felicitation programme in Jalna on Sunday, Union minister Jadhav, who belongs to the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, said during the time of party founder Balasaheb Thackeray, leaders used to visit his residence 'Matoshree' in Mumbai. In contr
Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule has launched a scathing attack on Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, claiming the former chief minister has abandoned the "bhagwa" (saffron) ideology and distanced himself from the legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Bawankule's comments come in the wake of Thackeray's speech to party workers in Thane on Saturday, where he accused Chief Minister Eknath Shinde of capitulating to Delhi and declared the upcoming assembly elections as a battle against those who "hate" Maharashtra. During his address, Thackeray referred to his party workers as his 'wagh-nakh' (tiger-claw), a symbolic reference to a weapon used by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in historic battles. The former CM did not shy away from controversy, previously labelling BJP leader Amit Shah as "Ahmed Shah Abdali" after Shah accused Thackeray of leading the "Aurangzeb fan club". In a post on social media platform X, Bawankule derided Thackeray, asserting, "Aurangzeb fan