Page 16 - Shiv Sena

Oppn questions Maha govt over Rs 11 cr reward to cricketers, BJP hits back

Opposition Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) in Maharashtra have raised question marks over the Eknath Shinde-led dispensation's announcement of giving Rs 11 crore reward to the T20 World Cup-winning Indian team, and alleged that by doing so, the government wants to pat itself on the back. The opposition parties said that while they were proud of the cricketers' achievement, there was no need to give Rs 11 crore from the state coffers and asked the chief minister to pay the amount from his own pocket. BJP legislator Pravin Darekar, however, hit back at the Congress, accusing it of politicising the issue. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday announced Rs 11 crore cash reward for the Indian cricket team. The announcement was made in the Vidhan Bhavan (state legislature complex) here, where four Mumbai players from the team -- captain Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shivam Dubey -- were felicitated. Talking to reporters later, Leader of Opposition in the

Didn't change parties, corruption allegations never proved: Ajit Pawar

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has appealed to people to support him for development, asserting that he has stuck to his party ever since entering politics and that the allegations of corruption against him were never proved. People are my only party. Whatever I do, their welfare is my top priority. I always think how people will benefit, said the NCP leader in a video message. Pawar's video message, appealing to the people to back him, comes amid speculations of discontent within the ruling Mahayuti alliance, comprising BJP, NCP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, after its poor performance in Lok Sabha polls in the state. In this year's Lok Sabha elections, the Mahayuti bagged just 17 of the state's 48 seats, with the BJP's tally coming down to nine from the 23 (it won in 2019). While the Sena got 9 seats, NCP won only 1. By contrast, the MVA bloc of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) won 30 seats. Defending the budget he presented last week in the state ...

Maha council polls: 12 candidates in fray after nomination of 2 rejected

The nomination papers of two independent candidates for the July 12 biennial elections to the Maharashtra legislative council were rejected on Wednesday during the scrutiny, which left 12 candidates in the fray for the 11 seats of the Upper House of the state legislature. The two independent candidates whose nomination papers were rejected are Ajaysinh Motisinh Sengar and Arun Rohidas Jagtap. With this, there are now 12 candidates in the fray. If one of them does not withdraw nomination by July 5, the last date for doing so, elections to the legislative council from the MLA quota will take place on July 12. All candidates - nine of the ruling alliance Mahayuti and three of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) - filed their nomination papers on Tuesday. The Shiv Sena (UBT) has fielded Milind Narvekar, a close aide of party chief Uddhav Thackeray. The Congress has renominated sitting legislator Pradyna Satav, while the NCP (SP) is supporting sitting MLC and Peasants and Workers' .

Zero tolerance for drug trade in any form in Maharashtra: CM Shinde

Drug trade in any form will not be tolerated in Maharashtra, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said on Saturday. The Opposition has targeted the state government over the rising use of narcotic drugs and other banned substances following the arrest of some persons for alleged drug consumption at a pub in Pune city. Shinde was speaking to reporters after attending the 'palkhi' procession of Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj at Dehu in the district. The procession is part of the annual 'waari' or pilgrimage to Pandharpur which lakhs of devotees of Lord Vitthal undertake. "Any trade of drugs will not be tolerated in Maharashtra. The government is working on it, strict action will be taken against all those involved," the CM said. "I have given orders to remove 'paan' shops located near schools and colleges in the state. I have also asked police find the chain of peddlers or suppliers who are ruining the young generation. Officers who take a lax approach (while probing drug cases) will face ...

Uddhav demands complete farm loan waiver, implementation before Maha polls

Addressing a press conference, he also termed the monsoon session of the state legislature that commenced on Thursday

Aaditya Thackeray calls on Maha Governor, demands MH-CET marks disclosure

Aaditya Thackeray took to his social media handle on X and posted, 'This afternoon, we called on His Excellency, Governor Ramesh Bais ji, to seek his intervention on the MH CET chaos.'

Shiv Sena should get 100 seats to contest in Maharashtra polls: Leader

A senior leader of the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has said his party should get to contest at least 100 of the 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra. The Shiv Sena is part of the Mahayuti coalition which also includes the BJP and Ajit Pawar-led NCP. Assembly elections are due in the state in October. "We should get 100 seats to contest, and we will make sure that we win 90 out of them," former state minister Ramdas Kadam said on Wednesday at a function to mark the 58th Foundation Day of the undivided Shiv Sena, organised by the Shinde faction at the NSCI complex here. Notably, Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal recently said his party should get 80-90 seats to contest in the state assembly polls. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis later said BJP is the largest party and will contest more seats in the state election. However, the seat-sharing formula will be finalised only after leaders of the three parties meet and discuss, Fadnavi

Will never go with those who tried to 'finish off' Shiv Sena (UBT): Uddhav

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday asserted he will never go with those who tried to "finish off" his party, putting paid to speculation about a possible reconciliation with the BJP post the Lok Sabha polls. Addressing an event organised here on the 58th Foundation Day of the Shiv Sena, Thackeray said the Narendra Modi government, which took office on June 9, will collapse and it will replaced by an INDIA bloc-led dispensation. On the BJP's performance in the just held Lok Sabha polls, the former CM maintained the national party was trying to hide its failure by spreading news that the Shiv Sena (UBT) will join the ruling NDA. "We will never go with those who tried to finish off the Shiv Sena," Thackeray declared, responding to speculation that he will realign with the BJP. Thackeray said no poll should be held for 11 seats of the Legislative Council, where MLAs will be voting, till the Supreme Court rules on disqualification pleas related to some members of the .

Sharad Pawar seeks to meet CM to discuss drought-like situation in Pune

Nationalist Congress Party (SP) head Sharad Pawar has written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde seeking a meeting to address the drought-like situation in Purandar, Baramati, Indapur and Daund tehsils of Pune district. In the letter dated June 16, which he posted on a micro-blogging site on Monday, Pawar said the state government had undertaken irrigation schemes in the region to mitigate the drought-like situation but problems were found in their implementation when he visited some of these areas recently. During discussions with the public in these visits, villagers also suggested some measures along with demands to solve the problem of agriculture and drinking water, the former Union minister said in the letter. "There is a need to take permanent measures to overcome the traditional drought situation in the above mentioned talukas of Pune district. For this, we request you to organise a meeting in Mumbai under your leadership and in the presence of the two deputy chief

Waikar should be stopped from taking oath as LS member: Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday said Shiv Sena leader Ravindra Waikar should be stopped from taking oath as the Lok Sabha member, amid a controversy after he won the Mumbai North West seat by a thin margin of 48 votes. The Vanrai police in Mumbai have registered a case against Waikar's brother-in-law for allegedly using a mobile phone at a counting centre in Goregaon (which is part of Waikar's constituency) on June 4, when results of the general elections were announced. Speaking to reporters here, Raut said, "Waikar's electoral victory is under suspicion, and a complaint has already been filed at the Vanrai police station in Mumbai. Due to the ongoing controversy surrounding the poll outcome, Waikar should be prevented from taking oath as a member of the Lok Sabha." "It would be a true display of democracy if he is stopped from being a Lok Sabha member until the investigation is concluded," he added. Waikar, candidate of the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Ekn

Highlights: BJP will break TDP, JDU if it fails to secure Lok Sabha speaker post, says Sanjay Raut

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MVA's Lok Sabha election victory is beginning, not end, says Uddhav

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said the victory of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in the Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra is the beginning and not the end, and expressed confidence that the opposition alliance will win the upcoming assembly elections in the state. Thackeray, whose party is a constituent of the MVA, was addressing a joint press conference of the MVA members in south Mumbai, where NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan also spoke. The three parties also held a preliminary meeting for the state assembly polls scheduled later this year. Thackeray said people of the state showed how hollow the myth of Bharatiya Janata Party's invincibility is. "Lok Sabha poll victory for Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is not the end, it is the beginning," the former chief minister said. Congress leader Chavan said after the Lok Sabha poll results, change of government was imminent in Maharashtra. Taking a swipe at the prime minister, Pawar sai

Genuine introspection, strategy needed to revive BJP's fortunes: Fadnavis

In the wake of the BJP's Lok Sabha tally coming down from 23 to 9 in Maharashtra, senior party leader and state Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday stressed the need for genuine introspection and a strategy to revive the saffron outfit's fortunes. Addressing a meeting of the party aimed at taking stock of the results of the Lok Sabha elections, Fadnavis claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lost several seats due to polarisation. "We require a strategy and genuine introspection. Just analysis is not enough," he said. "Heavens have not fallen. We got only two lakh votes less in the state, while in Mumbai we received two lakh more votes. BJP was ahead in 130 assembly segments. But there was tremendous polarisation," the former chief minister said. There was a false narrative that the BJP would change the Constitution if voted to power. This narrative was strong in the first three phases. But we countered this narrative well after the three phases. Hence, we ...

Looking to contest 20 assembly seats in Maha, says BJP-Sena ally Kadu

Prahar Janashakti Party (PJP) chief Omprakash Kadu on Thursday said his outfit, an ally of the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP-NCP coalition, was looking to contest 20 of the 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra where state polls are due in October. Kadu, whose outfit is a part of the ruling Mahayuti but still fielded its candidate against BJP's Navneet Rana in the Amravati Lok Sabha seat, said the PJP is assessing whether it can contest 20 seats independently or with an alliance with another outfit. "We are strong in 20 seats and we are working on it over the last one year. We have started preparations. With whom we will contest the seats will be decided later. We will be assessing whether we can contest the 20 seats independently or with someone," Kadu said. The former state minister informed the party is planning to soon hold a conclave of its workers at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in central Maharashtra to discuss the issue. Asked whether he will quit the Mahayuti, he said, "There is no ...

Maharashtra MLC polls: Shiv Sena (UBT) to contest three seats, Congress one

A day after the Congress accused Uddhav Thackeray of unilaterally announcing his party's candidates for the upcoming Maharashtra Legislative Council polls, the two parties finalised the deal on Wednesday with the Shiv Sena (UBT) deciding to contest three out of four seats, while the grand old party will fight one. The biennial elections to four legislative council seats- Mumbai Graduates' constituency, Konkan Graduates' constituency, Mumbai Teachers' constituency and Nashik Teachers' constituency - became necessary as the terms of sitting members are expiring in July. Voting will be held on June 26 and results will be declared on July 1. Today was the last date of withdrawal of applications. As per the seat-sharing deal finalised by the two Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) constituents, the Shiv Sena (UBT) will contest Mumbai Graduates' constituency, Mumbai Teachers' constituency and Nashik Teachers' constituency, while the Congress will fight the Konkan Graduates' constituency. Maharashtra

Oppn takes potshots at Eknath Shinde, Ajit Pawar over ministerial berths

Leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi opposition alliance on Monday took potshots at CM Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar over their share in the new Union ministry led by PM Narendra Modi. At the swearing in ceremony on Sunday, Prataprao Jadhav of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena was sworn in as MoS with independent charge, while the Ajit Pawar-led NCP declined a minister of state berth, insisting on a cabinet post. Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Sanjay Raut on Monday said the minuscule representation to the two parties in the Modi cabinet has proved that the BJP has shown them their place. This is what you get when you decide to be someone's slaves, Raut told reporters. Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar said if the Ajit Pawar-led NCP doesn't accept the MoS post, they should forget any cabinet berth in future. Ajit Pawar must have realised albeit late that the BJP has a use and throw policy for its allies, said Wadettiwar, the Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly. Baramati Lok

Uddhav worked hard in elections but Congress, NCP (SP) benefitted more: BJP

BJP leader Chandrakant Patil on Tuesday said though Uddhav Thackeray took a great deal of efforts during the Lok Sabha elections campaign, the allies Congress and NCP (SP) seem to have benefitted more than his own party. Thackeray was not keeping well but he still campaigned hard, said Patil, a senior Maharashtra minister, at an event here. "Uddhav Thackeray's health was not in good condition, still he took a lot of efforts. I was worried about his health. However, the outcome indicates that NCP (SP) and Congress benefitted more from his efforts than his own party. "When Thackeray was with BJP, his party had won 18 Lok Sabha seats. With Congress and NCP (SP), he ended up winning nine seats. He needs to introspect," Patil further said. Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) contested 21 out of 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state, but won only nine. Congress, on the other hand, contested 17 and won 13. Congress leader and rebel candidate in Sangli Lok Sabha constituency also won and later extended

Not surprised that Ajit Pawar-led NCP didn't get berth in new cabinet: Sule

NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) MP Supriya Sule on Monday said she was not surprised that the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) did not get a berth in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new cabinet. Speaking to reporters here on the 25th foundation day of the NCP, founded by her father, the Baramati MP said as the NDA holds its first cabinet meeting, it should grant full loan waiver for farmers.. "During the UPA regime, the NCP worked as an ally in the Manmohan Singh government. Manmohan ji showed trust and love towards Pawar saheb, and he got two and a half cabinet berths although the party had only eight or nine MPs at the time," she said. The Congress did not think about numbers and respected the party as its ally, she said. "In the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government also, everyone treated each other with respect. We did not stick to any formula. Our relationship was based on mutual respect and merit," Sule said. The MP said she was not surprised that the NCP did not get a

Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders may join our party, claims Sanjay Shirsat

Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Shirsat on Friday claimed that a few leaders of the rival Shiv Sena (UBT) will join his party over the next few days. He also blamed Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut for being the cause of the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction's downfall. "Some important people (from the Sena (UBT)) will be joining our party before June 10," Shirsat told reporters. Following the results of the Lok Sabha elections where the opposition alliance outperformed the ruling coalition in Maharashtra, some Sena (UBT) leaders have claimed that five-seven MLAs of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena would soon switch sides. Shirsat dared them to disclose the names of these MLAs. "This news was spread to stop their MLAs from leaving the party," he added. Reacting to Shirsat's claims, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sachin Ahir said the Lok Sabha election was only a "trailer" of what was to come. Not just MLAs of Shinde-led Sena but some legislators of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP too were in touch with the Se

Balance regional aspirations, national interests: Naidu at NDA meet

Key BJP allies -- TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu and Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar -- on Friday endorsed Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the leader of the National Democratic Alliance with a message to balance regional aspirations and national interests. Speaking at the NDA Parliamentary Party meeting here, BJP allies JD(S) leader H D Kumarswamy, Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde, NCP chief Ajit Pawar, HAM(S) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi among others supported the proposal moved by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to elect Modi as the leader of the NDA. "Balancing regional aspirations and national interests must run parallelly while ensuring holistic development for all strata of society," Naidu said. Naidu said Modi's rallies in Andhra Pradesh helped the TDP win 16 seats in the Lok Sabha elections. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed confidence that Modi will develop India in a big way and also pay attention to Bihar. "We are confident that Modi will develop Indi