News Analysis India

Tag: Maharashtra

  • Modi 3.0: Cabinet sees 6 Maharashtra ministers including Gadkari, Goyal; State’s strength dips by 2

    Mumbai: Six MPs from Maharashtra have joined the Modi 3.0 coalition government, with the BJP securing four positions and allies Shiv Sena and RPI (A) receiving one each. Notably, the NCP led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar declined the BJP’s offer of Minister of State (MoS) with independent charge, insisting on a cabinet berth for Praful Patel.During the second term of the Modi government from 2019-24, there were eight ministers from Maharashtra representing the BJP and its allies. This number has decreased to six as of Sunday.In the new government, BJP MPs Nitin Gadkari and Piyush Goyal retained their positions as cabinet ministers.Raksha Khadse, the sole woman MP from Maharashtra representing the BJP, along with first-time MP Murlidhar Mohol, were sworn in as Ministers of State.AllUttar PradeshMaharashtraTamil NaduWest BengalBiharKarnatakaAndhra PradeshTelanganaKeralaMadhya PradeshRajasthanDelhiOther StatesAmong the BJP’s allies, RPI (A) chief Ramdas Athawale retained his position as Minister of State with independent charge, while Prataprao Jadhav from the Shiv Sena, under the leadership of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, also took oath as Minister of State with independent charge.The NCP, led by Ajit Pawar, declined the offer of Minister of State, insisting on a cabinet berth for Rajya Sabha member Praful Patel due to his extensive experience.Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said coalition formulas must be respected, assuring the NCP would be considered in future cabinet expansions. “We had offered one berth of minister with independent charge to the NCP but they wanted Praful Patel’s name to be finalised. Due to his experience, the NCP believed he could not be made MoS with independent charge,” Fadnavis said.

    In a coalition government, a formula has to be drawn, which cannot be broken for one party, he said.

    “I can confidently say whenever cabinet expansion takes place, the government will consider the NCP. We did try to include NCP right now, but they insisted on cabinet portfolio,” the senior BJP leader said.

    Speaking to reporters in Delhi, Ajit Pawar asserted the NCP “was ready to wait” but wanted a cabinet berth.

    The eight ministers from Maharashtra who were part of the Modi-led government from 2019-24 included Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal, Narayan Rane, Bhagwat Karad, Raosaheb Danve, Bharti Pawar and Kapil Patil- all from BJP, and Ramdas Athawale of the RPI (A).

    In the recently held Lok Sabha elections, the BJP fared poorly in Maharashtra as it could win only nine seats, compared to the 2019 tally of 23 out of the total 48 constituencies in the state. The Shiv Sena led by Shinde bagged seven seats and Ajit Pawar-led NCP just one.

    Gadkari, Goyal, Khadse and Mohol won from Nagpur, Mumbai North, Raver and Pune Lok Sabha constituencies, respectively, in the recent elections.

    Notably, the BJP did not re-induct Narayan Rane in the Union cabinet though he won from Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg Lok Sabha seat.

    Three other BJP ministers – Raosaheb Danve, Bharati Pawar, and Kapil Patil- in the previous government lost the elections this time.

    Inputs from PTI

  • ‘Mungerilal Ke Haseen Sapne’, Devendra Fadnavis mocks Rahul Gandhi’s claims of INDIA bloc forming govt on June 4 – The Economic Times Video

    Varanasi (UP): While reacting to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s claims of INDIA bloc forming government on June 4, Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis called such claims ‘Mungerilal Ke Haseen Sapne’. He said, “When I was a child, there used to be a serial called ‘Mungerilal Ke Haseen Sapne’. Like Mungerilal, Rahul Gandhi can also dream. He can dream till June 4 and even become the President of the US. People are with PM Modi.”

  • Ujjwal Nikam Replaces BJP MP Poonam Mahajan From Mumbai North Central Against Congress` Varsha Gaikwad

    Ujjwal Nikam has replaced Poonam Mahajan from the North Central seat of Mumbai.

  • Shiv Sena: Fadnavis told me in 2019 he will groom Aaditya as next CM and will move to Delhi: Uddhav Thackeray

    Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray has claimed the then chief minister Devendra Fadnavis told him in 2019 that he would groom his son Aaditya Thackeray as the next CM of Maharashtra as part of the power-sharing agreement between their parties. Thackeray also said Fadnavis, a senior BJP leader, had told him that he would move to the Centre in the next two to three years. Addressing a rally in Dharavi on Saturday, Thackeray claimed the then BJP chief Amit Shah had come to ‘Matoshree’, the private residence of the Thackerays, to seek an alliance with Shiv Sena (undivided). “At that time, Fadnavis was made to sit outside the room of late Bal Thackeray while the two leaders (Shah and Thackeray) discussed modalities,” he claimed. It was assured to me that the post of chief minister will be shared for 2.5 years (between BJP and Sena-undivided), he said. AllUttar PradeshMaharashtraTamil NaduWest BengalBiharKarnatakaAndhra PradeshTelanganaKeralaMadhya PradeshRajasthanDelhiOther States”Later, Devendra Fadnavis told me, Uddhav Ji, I will groom Aaditya for 2.5 years. We can make him CM after 2.5 years. I told him (Fadnavis) that he (Aaditya) is just starting his electoral career. Do not put anything like this in his mind,” Thackeray said. When I asked Fadnavis how a senior leader like him would work under Aaditya, he (Fadnavis) said he would move to Delhi, the former CM added. The claim evoked a sharp reaction from Fadnavis, current deputy chief minister in the Mahayuti government of BJP, Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde and NCP led by Ajit Pawar, who said Thackeray has “lost his mind”. “Uddhav Thackeray has become ‘bhramishta’ (delirious). He is hallucinating. Initially, he said Amit Shah promised him a chief ministership in some room. Now he says I promised to make his son a CM. To hide one falsehood, another lie is being told,” Fadnavis said.

    He, however, admitted to having told Thackeray that Aaditya should be trained as he will eventually take control of the party (Shiv Sena) one day.

    “Leave alone making him (Aaditya) a chief minister, I wouldn’t make him even a minister. He (Aaditya) became a minister later (when MVA was in power) which landed the Shiv Sena (UBT) in its current situation today,” Fadnavis said.

    In his speech, Thackeray slammed Fadnavis for his reference to “some room” during his talks with Shah and said the room of Bal Thackeray is like a temple.

    Later Fadnavis posted on X, “We respect late Balasaheb Thackeray because he was always true to his word and never deviated from his ideals. We don’t respect those who sacrificed the ideals of the late leader.”

    “Who are you trying to fool by speaking imagined scripts? You are misleading yourself,” he stated while slamming Thackeray.

    Fadnavis further said that Maharashtra’s “socio-politics” and development is not a “Salim-Javed” script.

    “You have nothing to do with politics and development. So don’t try to get involved in such scripts. You will get a befitting reply,” he said.

    Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said there is a limit to speaking lies.

    “He (Uddhav) wanted to become chief minister. As he couldn’t become a CM when he was part of the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance, he switched sides,” Shinde told reporters, referring to Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (undivided) joining hands with the NCP (undivided) and the Congress after the 2019 assembly elections.

    Notably, a split engineered by Shinde led to the collapse of the Thackeray-led MVA government in June 2022.

  • Mollywood Film Industry :Who is 'Supermen of Malegaon'

    Superman of Malegaon movie, which is a small budget spoof about the world famous Superman.

  • US National Found Dead In A Five- Star Hotel Room In Mumbai, Probe Launched |

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  • Rajya Sabha polls: Nominations filing for Rajya Sabha polls ends; Check full list of candidates here

    BJP chief J P Nadda, Ashok Chavan, a recent addition to the party, and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi are among the candidates competing in the Rajya Sabha elections, as the deadline for submitting nominations concluded on Thursday.

    The biennial elections are scheduled on February 27 in 56 seats – 10 in Uttar Pradesh, six each in Maharashtra and Bihar, five each in West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh, four each in Gujarat and Karnataka, three each in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan and Odisha, and one each in Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

    However, a majority of the candidates are likely to get elected unopposed. February 20 is the last date of withdrawing candidature. Voting is scheduled to take place from 9 am to 4 pm on February 27 and the counting will be held on the same day from 5 pm onwards.Here is the complete list of all the candidates:

    Uttar Pradesh:

    CandidatePartyR P N SinghBJPChaudhary Tejveer SinghBJPAmarpal MauryaBJPSangeeta BalwantBJPSudhanshu TrivediBJP Sadhna SinghBJPNaveen JainBJPSanjay SethBJP Jaya BachchanSPRamjilal Suman SPAlok RanjanSPGujarat:CandidatePartyJP NaddaBJPJashvantsinh Parmar BJPMayank NayakBJPGovind DholakiaBJPRajasthan:CandidatePartySonia GandhiCongressChunnilal GarasiyaBJPMadan Rathore BJP

    Maharashtra:

    CandidatePartyAshok ChavanBJPMedha KulkarniBJPAjit GopchhadeBJPMilind DeoraShiv SenaChandrakant HandoreCongressPraful PatelNCP

    Odisha:

    Ashwini VaishnawBJPDebashish SamantarayBJDSubhasish KhuntiaBJD

    Madhya Pradesh:

    L MuruganBJPDalit seer Umesh Nath MaharajBJPMaya NaroliyaBJPBanshilal GurjarBJPAshok SinghCongress

    Karnataka:

    CandidatePartyAjay MakenCongressNaseer HussainCongress G C ChandrasekharCongressNarayana Krishanasa BhandageBJP

    West Bengal:

    CandidatePartySagarika GhoseTMCSushmita DevTMCMohammad Nadimul HaqueTMCMamta Bala Thakur TMCSamik BhattacharyaBJP

    Himachal Pradesh:

    CandidatePartyAbhishek Manu SinghviCongress

    Telangana:

    CandidatePartyRenuka Chowdhury CongressM Anil Kumar YadavCongress

    Bihar:

    CandidatePartyAkhilesh Prasad SinghCongressManoj Kumar JhaRJDSanjay Yadav RJDSanjay Kumar JhaJDUBhim Singh BJPDharamsheela GuptaBJP

    Chhattisgarh:

    CandidatePartyDevendra Pratap SinghBJP

    Haryana:

    CandidatePartySubhash BaralaBJP

    Uttarakhand:

    CandidatePartyMahendra BhattBJP

    Andhra Pradesh:

    CandidatePartyGola Babu RaoYSRCPYV Subba ReddyYSRCPMeda Raghunath ReddyYSRCP

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  • Rajya Sabha Polls: BJP Nominates JP Nadda From Gujarat, Ashok Chavan From Maharashtra |

    New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday released another list of seven names for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls, nominating party president JP Nadda from Gujarat and newly inducted leader Ashok Chavan from Maharashtra. In its latest list, the BJP has declared four names from Gujarat and three from Maharashtra. Besides JP Nadda, the BJP nominated Govindbhai Dholakia, Mayanbhai Nayak and Jashvantsinh Parmar from Gujarat.

    For Maharashtra, besides Ashok Chavan, the party has named Medha Kulkarni and Ajit Gopchhade. Former Maharashtra chief minister Chavan quit Congress earlier this week and joined the BJP in the presence of deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday.

    Meanwhile, Nadda, who is currently a Rajya Sabha member from Himachal Pradesh, is being fielded from Gujarat since the BJP does not have the numbers to win the lone seat in the Congress-ruled hill state.

    Earlier today, the BJP announced that it’s nominating Union ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw from Odisha and L Murugan from Madhya Pradesh for the upcoming elections. On Sunday, the BJP named 14 candidates for the Rajya Sabha polls, including former Union Minister R P N Singh and party spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi.

    The last day for filing nomination papers is February 15. The term for Rajya Sabha MPs is six years and elections are held after every two years for 33 per cent of the seats. Currently, the Rajya Sabha has a strength of 245 members.

    Out of the total 245 members, out of which 233 are representatives of the States and Union Territories of Delhi, Puducherry Jammu and Kashmir (w.e.f. 31.10. 2019) 12 are nominated by the President. Based on population, each state is allocated a certain number of candidates in the Upper House.

    Members of the state legislative assemblies choose Rajya Sabha members through an indirect election system of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote.

    The Election Commission has scheduled the Rajya Sabha elections for 15 states, including Uttar Pradesh, for February 27. Voting will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on this date, with the deadline for nominations set for February 15. The results of the elections will be announced on the same day, February 27. The Election Commission has announced the biennial Rajya Sabha polls on February 27 for 56 seats, as the tenure of incumbents ends in April. 

  • 132 Lok Sabha Seats, Four States: PM Modi’s Spiritual Outreach -Unveiling Strategy Behind BJP’s Southern Quest |

    Lord Ram is worshipped across the country and in many foreign countries as well. Ram Lalla’s consecration ceremony on January 22 will mark his return to Ayodhya after a gap of around 450 years. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the consecration ceremony, he is visiting several temples in the south which has strong connections with Lord Ram. Starting from Maharashtra, PM Modi has so far visited Andhra Pradesh and Kerala as well. 

    Now, he will be visiting various significant temples in Tamil Nadu on 20-21 January. On 20th January, he will participate in a programme at Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu. He will also listen to various scholars reciting verses from the Kamba Ramayanam in this temple. Thereafter, he will reach Rameswaram and perform Darshan and Pooja in Sri Arulmigu Ramanathaswamy Temple. On 21st January, the Prime Minister will perform Darshan and Pooja at Kothandaramaswamy Temple, Dhanushkodi. Near Dhanushkodi, Prime Minister Modi will also visit Arichal Munai, which is said to be the place from where the Ram Setu was built.

    Maharashtra – 48 Lok Sabha Seats

    Nashik holds significant connections to the Aranya Kand of the Ramayana, the epic where Lord Ram, Sita, and Lakshman resided along the banks of the Godavari River. Notably, it is the locale where Lakshman cut off Surpanakha’s nose. The revered Shree Kala Ram Mandir which PM Modi visited, stands in the Panchavati Area of Nashik, a place deeply intertwined with the events of the Ramayana. Panchavati holds a special significance as it witnessed key episodes of the epic. Lord Ram, accompanied by Sita and Lakshman, spent a considerable time in the Dandakaranya forest, which encompasses the Panchavati region. The legend has it that Lord Ram chose this region for his abode due to the auspicious presence of these five significant trees – Panchvati – five banyan trees. Now, by visiting the temple, PM Modi sent a message to the people of Maharashtra that the Ram Temple is ready for devotees. Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha seats and BJP is facing tough competition there due to the NCP-Sena UBT-Congress alliance. 

    Andhra Pradesh – 25 Seats

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed darshan and puja at Veerbhadra Temple in Lepakshi, Puttaparthi, in Andhra Pradesh on January 16. PM Modi heard verses from the Ranganatha Ramayan in Telugu and witnessed the tale of Jatayu visually presented through the traditional shadow puppetry art form from Andhra Pradesh known as Tholu Bommalata. Lepakshi’s historical significance is rooted in the Ramayana, as it is believed that the injured bird Jatayu, wounded by Ravana during the abduction of Goddess Sita, descended at this location after an intense battle and attended Mokhsa. Even if the BJP manages to win three to five seats out of 25 in the state, it will be a boost for the saffron party.

    Kerala – 20 Lok Sabha Seats

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed darshan and puja at Guruvayur Temple in Guruvayur, Kerala on January 17. PM Modi appealed to people to light Ram Jyoti on January 22 to mark the Ram Temple consecration ceremony. The BJP has significantly increased its vote share in some of the seats including Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta, Thrissur and Attingal seats. Of the 20 seats, the BJP is trying to win at least 3-5 seats with the help of Hindu and Christian voters.

    Tamil Nadu – 39 Lok Sabha Seats

    The BJP has gained significant popularity in the state under state unit chief K Annamalai. Now, with PM Modi’s regular visits and temple darshans, the BJP is trying to carve a niche among the Hindu voters. PM Modi’s popularity clubbed with the dynamism of Annamalai is likely to increase BJP’s vote share. And if this translates into victory, it would mark the saffron party’s south expansion. There are 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu. 

    With the Lok Sabha elections just three months away, the BJP is working round the clock to increase its vote share in the southern states.

  • ‘This Is Just A Trailer’: Eknath Shinde After Milind Deora Joins Shiv Sena |

    MUMBAI: In a big setback for Congress, former Union Minister and Congress leader Milind Deora joined Shiv Sena on Sunday, prompting Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to declare that this move is just the beginning.

    Shinde Hits Out At Congress

    During a gathering in Mumbai, Chief Minister Shinde likened the event to a trailer, hinting at more prominent political figures making their way into Shiv Sena’s fold before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Shinde, drawing parallels with his own past, highlighted the critical decisions involved in such transitions.

    “I am not a doctor. Despite not being a doctor, I performed an operation one and a half years before…didn’t even have to make stitches, and the operation was done. I won’t say anything more than this…This is just a trailer, the film is yet to come in,” expressed Shinde.

    Deora’s Emotional Outburst

    Milind Deora, expressing sentiments similar to Shinde’s past, shared his feelings about the decision. The event unfolded as Deora formally joined Shiv Sena in the presence of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and other party leaders in Mumbai.

    Deora Pledges To Strengthen Shinde’s Leadership

    In a ceremony held at Varsha, the official residence of the Chief Minister, Deora reaffirmed his commitment to strengthen Shinde’s leadership. He praised Shinde’s vision for Mumbai and the state, expressing his intention to contribute to the party’s growth.

    “I am joining him to strengthen his hands further. Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah also have a vision for the country. I want to strengthen their hands as well through the Shiv Sena,” stated Deora.

    End Of An Era: Deora Bids Farewell To 55-Year-Old Association With Congress

    With this move, Deora concluded his 55-year association with Congress, a legacy passed down from his father Murli Deora. While emphasizing his commitment to Congress, Deora explained the rationale behind his decision, citing the party’s evolving landscape.

    “I have been receiving a lot of phone calls since morning that why did I sever 55-year-old ties of my family with the Congress party…I was loyal to the party during its most challenging decade,” said Deora.

    Deora’s Reflections On Changes In Congress

    Highlighting the transformation in the Congress party, Deora emphasized the differences between the current scenario and the Congress of the past. He pointed out the importance of constructive suggestions, merit, and capability, suggesting that these factors played a role in his and Shinde’s decision to join Shiv Sena.

    As the political landscape in Maharashtra undergoes a significant shift, the entry of Milind Deora into Shiv Sena sets the stage for more twists and turns in the run-up to the upcoming elections.