Mumbai diary

Express News Service

Protest endears youth leader to UddhavThe Narayan Rane saga has given a leg up to budding Shiv Sena leader Varun Sardesai, the Yuva Sena leader, who hogged the limelight after leading a protest in front of the Union minister’s house in Juhu, Mumbai. Varun Sardesai, a relative of Thackeray, is known to be soft spoken and moderate. He has done MS in civil engineering from Colombia University. He led the protest after accepting challenge from Narayan Rane’s son Nitesh Rane, who tweeted none should dare protest in front of their house. Sources said Uddhav Thackeray was happy with the Yuva Sena’s performance and he called its leaders to Varsha and appreciated their work.

NCP’s studied silence on Narayan Rane saga Despite Union minister Narayan Rane’s intemperate remarks against Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and the subsequent drama making national headlines, Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil maintained a studied silence. This did not go unnoticed since his predecessor, Anil Deshmukh, was known to issue statements on all matters of national importance. Sources said that Patil’s silence was representative of the NCP, which, too, remained largely mum over the issue. This also gave fodder to Narayan Rane, who questioned whether the home ministry was with Patil or Shiv Sena minister Anil Parab’s, whose audio clip giving orders to the police went viral.

Cong suggests Sood, Ritesh & Milind as mayor faceThe Mumbai Congress has prepared a blueprint to take on the BJP and the Shiv Sena in the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections, which are scheduled for February 2022. The document prepared after much brainstorming suggests that the Congress should project and declare film actors Sonu Sood, Ritesh Deshmukh or Milind Soman as its mayoral candidate. This out-of-the-box suggestion, party leaders claimed, would help draw people without political affiliations towards it and even make it big in the BMC elections.

Pawar unhappy with leaders’ performanceNCP chief Sharad Pawar had expressed displeasure over the functioning of the leaders of the frontal organisations. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who last on last Thursday convened a meeting of state party president Jayant Patil, organisational presidents and office-bearers, conveyed the party patriarhc’s displeasure. They were told that instead of reaching out to the people, the party post holders were mostly camped in Mumbai. Ajit Pawar has all present during the meeting to pull their socks up and spread the word on the party’s achievements to every nook and cranny of the state.

Sudhir Suryawanshi Our correspondent in Maharashtra [email protected]