Hyderabad: Killer Caught Ferrying Dead Kin in Ambulance

Hyderabad : A man caught his brother-in-law while he was transported the body of his cousin, whom he had murdered, and handed him over to the police. According to the Jubilee Hills, the accused, Chinna Manikyam, an autorickshaw driver and farmer, had murdered his cousin Kurva Shanti Kumar, 35, on Friday evening at his house in Guru Brahmanagar, Jubilee Hills. Manikyams brother in-law Astaram Arshappa, who was passing by, heard Maniykam and Shanti Kumar arguing. He was later informed by Shanti Kumars house owner that Manikyam had attacked Shanti Kumar. Manikyam placed Shanti Kumars body in his autorickshaw and took it to a private hospital nearby where the doctors declared him dead, police said. In the night, Manykam arranged an ambulance to transport the victim's body to their native place in Karnataka when Arshappa and his family member alerted the police. Police rushed to the spot, arrested Manikyam after inspecting the crime scene along with CLUES team, collected the boulder used in the murder from Shanti Kumars house, sources disclosed. Manikyam had recently registered two acres of ancestral land on his name without informing Shanti Kumar, his younger brother Chinna Manikyam and sister Lakshmi, K. Venkateshwar Reddy, Jubilee Hills police inspector. said. Fearing that Shanti Kumar would disclose it to his family members, he murdered his cousin and tried to transport the body to his native place but got caught. Based on a complaint lodged by Arshappa police registered cases of murder, giving false information, trying to disappear evidence from the investigation officer against Manikyam. Ayurvedic Meds with Misleading Advertisement Seized Hyderabad : Drugs Control Administration (DCA) officials on Saturday seized Ayurvedic medicines with misleading claims on their labels, stating they treat rheumatism, fevers and haemorrhoids. Officials seized Rumalaya Liniment, an ayurvedic oil which claims treating rheumatism being circulated in Rajanna Sircilla district, Bhringraj Choornam, an ayurvedic powder claiming to treat fevers sold in Nizamabad district, and PileBan cream claiming to solve haemorrhoids in Suryapet district. Officials also raided a quacks clinic, Raghu Rama First Aid Centre run by Gangadhari Ramesh, in Mahbubabads Dornakal. Ramesh falsely claimed he was a a rural medicine practitioner. Officials found 22 varieties from him. Telangana Police Arrest Man for Mini-Truck Theft Hyderabad : Telangana polices special zonal crime team on Saturday nabbed a man for stealing a mini-truck worth Rs.10 lakh. The accused, 23-year old Masnaaji Raju, a native of Maharashtras Nanded district, is a Golnaka resident. They also seized the mini truck from Sultan Bazaar police station limits. During interrogation, Raju claimed he stole the vehicle as he was in need of money to meet his daily expenditure. Officials handed over the car to the Sultan Bazaar police.

Over 53 per cent polling till 5pm in eight LS seats in Maharashtra

One incident of voter breaking EVM was recorded in Nanded constituency

Lok Sabha elections 2024: 56.42 pc turnout recorded in eight seats of Maharashtra

According to officials, there were a total of 204 candidates in the fray -- 21 in Buldhana, 15 in Akola, 37 in Amravati, 24 in Wardha, 17 in Yavatmal-Washim, 33 in Hingoli, 23 in Nanded and 34 in ...

Lok Sabha election 2024 phase 2: 53% turnout in eight seats in Maharashtra

According to data, Wardha recorded 56.66% turnout, Amravati 55.12%, Yavatmal-Washim 54.04%, Parbhani 53.79%, Nanded 53.53%, Buldhana 53.29%, Akola 52.49%, Hingoli 52.03%

Free haircut, mehendi for women on offer as Maharashtra votes in Phase 2

Shillong, April 26: A voter turnout of 53.51 per cent was recorded till 5 p.m. for the 8 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra where voting was held on Friday. Wardha registered the highest polling percentage till 5 p.m. at 56.66 per cent, followed by Amravati (54.50), Yavatmal-Washim (54.04), Parbhani (53.79), Akola (52.49), Nanded (52.47), Buldhana [] The post Free haircut, mehendi for women on offer as Maharashtra votes in Phase 2 appeared first on The Shillong Times .

Lok Sabha polls: Man damages EVM at polling booth with iron object; detained

A 26-year-old man was detained after he allegedly damaged an EVM by hitting it with an iron object when he came to cast his vote for Lok Sabha elections 2024 at a polling booth at Rampuri in Maharashtra`s Nanded

Voter Turnout Reaches 43% by 3 PM in Maharashtra's 2nd Phase of LS Elections

Voter Turnout Reaches 43% by 3 PM in Maharashtra's 2nd Phase of LS Elections A voter turnout of 43.01 percent was recorded till 3 pm in eight constituencies in Maharashtra in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections on Friday, officials said. Voting started at 7 am in Akola, Amravati, Buldhana, Wardha and Yavatmal-Washim seats in Vidarbha (eastern Maharashtra) and Hingoli, Nanded and Parbhani constituencies in the central Marathwada region, and will end at 6 pm. Wardha recorded 45.95 percent turnout, Akola 42.69 percent, Amravati 43.76 percent, Buldhana 41.66 percent, Hingoli 40.5 percent, Nanded 42.42 percent, Parbhani 44.49 percent and Yavatmal-Washim 42.55 percent, election officials said. Former chief minister Ashok Chavan, who recently switched over from the Congress to the BJP, voted along with his family members in the initial hours in Nanded. As many as 1.49 crore voters (77,21,374 men, 72,04,106 women and 432 persons from third gender category) are eligible to cast ballots across 16,589 polling centres. There are a total of 204 candidates in the fray -- 21 in Buldhana, 15 in Akola, 37 in Amravati, 24 in Wardha, 17 in Yavatmal-Washim, 33 in Hingoli, 23 in Nanded and 34 in Parbhani. On April 19, five seats in eastern Vidarbha Nagpur, Ramtek, Chandrapur, Bhandara-Gondia and Gadchiroli-Chimur went to polls, registering a voter turnout of 63.70 per cent. Buldhana, Yavatmal-Washim and Hingoli are seeing a direct contest between the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Uddhav Thackerays Shiv Sena (UBT). The undivided Shiv Sena contested the last general elections in the state in alliance with the BJP. It split in 2022 after Shinde led a rebellion, toppled the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government and joined hands with the BJP to become the CM. In Buldhana, sitting Shiv Sena MP Prataprao Jadhav is pitted against Narendra Khedekar of Sena (UBT). The Shiv Sena has nominated Rajashri Patil in Yavatmal-Washim, dropping sitting MP Bhavana Gawli. Patil is pitted against Sanjay Deshmukh of the Thackeray-led party. In Hingoli, Rajashtri Patil's husband and sitting MP Hemant Patil was replaced by the Shiv Sena, which gave the ticket to Baburao Kohalikar. The Sena nominee is contesting against Nagesh Patil Ashtikar of Sena (UBT). In Parbhani, Mahadev Jankar of Rashtriya Samaj Paksha is contesting against MP Sanjay Jadhav, nominated by the Shiv Sena (UBT). Jankar has been backed by the ruling Mahayuti alliance, comprising BJP, Shiv Shinde Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP. Dr B R Ambedkars grandson Prakash Ambedkar, who heads the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), has fielded candidates in seven seats, including himself from Akola. His brother Anandraj Ambedkar is in the fray in Amravati as a Republican Sena nominee. In Akola, the contest is between Anup Dhotre of BJP and Abhay Patil of Congress, with Prakash Ambedkar as the third candidate. Amravati is seeing a battle between MP Navneet Rana, now contesting as a BJP nominee, against Balwant Wankhede of Congress. Dinesh Bub is the Prahar Janshakti Party candidate. The Prahar party, which has two legislators in the assembly, is an ally of the ruling coalition. In Wardha, there is a fight between former Congress MLA Amar Kale, contesting on the symbol of the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) a man blowing turha (a traditional trumpet) against BJP MP Ramdas Tadas. In Nanded, BJP MP Pratap Chikhalikar is pitted against Congress nominee Vasant Chavan. Maharashtra, which has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second highest after Uttar Pradesh, will vote in three more phases between May 7 and May 20.

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Former Maharashtra CM Chavan casts vote in Nanded

The Lok Sabha elections 2024 first phase was held on April 19 across 21 states and UTs. The Lok Sabha Elections 2024 third phase will be held on May 7. Initially, 89 constituencies were scheduled to go to polls today, but following the death of a Bahujan Samaj Party`s candidate, the EC later announced that voting won`t take place in Betul

31.77% Voter Turnout Recorded in Phase 2 of Maharashtra LS Polls for 8 Seats by 1 PM

31.77% Voter Turnout Recorded in Phase 2 of Maharashtra LS Polls for 8 Seats by 1 PM A voter turnout of 31.77 per cent was recorded till 1 pm on Friday in eight constituencies of Maharashtra in the second phase of the Lok Sabha polls, officials said. Voting started at 7 am in Akola, Amravati, Buldhana, Wardha and Yavatmal-Washim seats in the west Vidarbha region and Hingoli, Nanded and Parbhani constituencies in Marathwada, and will end at 6 pm, they said. As per the election office, till 1 pm, Parbhani recorded 33.88 per cent voting, Nanded 32.93, Wardha 32.32, Akola 32.25, Yavatmal-Washim 31.47, Amravati 31.40, Hingoli 30.46 and Buldhana 29.07. Former chief minister Ashok Chavan, who recently switched over from the Congress to the BJP, voted along with his family members in the initial hours in the Nanded constituency. As many as 1.49 crore voters, including 77,21,374 men, 72,04,106 women, and 432 persons from the third gender category, are eligible to cast their ballot across 16,589 polling centres to seal the fate of 204 candidates in the fray in the eight seats. There are a total of 204 candidates in the fray, of whom 21 are in Buldhana, 15 in Akola, 37 in Amravati, 24 in Wardha, 17 in Yavatmal-Washim, 33 in Hingoli, 23 in Nanded, and 34 contestants in Parbhani seat. On April 19, five seats in east Vidarbha Nagpur, Ramtek, Chandrapur, Bhandara-Gondia and Gadchiroli-Chimur went to polls, registering a voter turnout of 63.70 per cent. Buldhana, Yavatmal-Washim and Hingoli are seeing a direct contest between the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the Uddhav Thackerays Shiv Sena (UBT). The undivided Shiv Sena contested the last general elections in the state in alliance with the BJP. It split in 2022 after Shinde led a rebellion, sunk the then Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government and sided with the BJP to become the CM. In Buldhana, sitting Shiv Sena MP Prataprao Jadhav is pitted against Narendra Khedekar of Sena (UBT). The Shiv Sena has nominated Rajashri Patil in Yavatmal-Washim, dropping sitting MP Bhavana Gawli. Patil is pitted against Sanjay Deshmukh of the Thackeray-led party. In Hingoli, Rajashtri Patil's husband and sitting MP Hemant Patil was replaced by the Shiv Sena, which gave the ticket to Baburao Kohalikar. The Sena nominee is contesting against Nagesh Patil Ashtikar of Sena (UBT). In Parbhani, Mahadev Jankar of Rashtriya Samaj Paksha is contesting against MP Sanjay Jadhav, nominated by the Shiv Sena (UBT). Jankar has been backed by the ruling Mahayuti alliance, comprising BJP, Shiv Shinde Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP. Dr B R Ambedkars grandson Prakash Ambedkar, who heads the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), has fielded candidates in seven seats, including himself from Akola. His brother Anandraj Ambedkar is in the fray in Amravati as a Republican Sena nominee. In Akola, the contest is between Anup Dhotre of BJP and Abhay Patil of Congress, with Prakash Ambedkar as the third candidate. Amravati is seeing a battle between MP Navneet Rana, now contesting as a BJP nominee, against Balwant Wankhede of Congress. Dinesh Bub is the Prahar Janshakti Party candidate. The Prahar party, which has two legislators in the assembly, is an ally of the ruling coalition. In Wardha, there is a fight between former Congress MLA Amar Kale, contesting on the symbol of the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) a man blowing turha (a traditional trumpet) against BJP MP Ramdas Tadas. In Nanded, BJP MP Pratap Chikhalikar is pitted against Congress nominee Vasant Chavan. Maharashtra, which has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second highest after Uttar Pradesh, will vote in three more phases between May 7 and May 20.

18.83 pc turnout in eight LS seats in Maharashtra till 11 am in second phase

Voting started at 7 am in Buldhana, Akola, Amravati, Wardha and Yavatmal-Washim seats in the west Vidarbha region and Hingoli, Nanded and Parbhani constituencies in Marathwada, and will end at 6 pm

Lok Sabha polls: Former Maharashtra CM Ashok Chavan casts vote in Maharashtras Nanded

The News Mill

Ashok Chavan Expresses Optimism After Resigning: ''I Made My Decision, Confidence in Brighter Future''

Ashok Chavan Expresses Optimism After Resigning: ''I Made My Decision, Confidence in Brighter Future'' Former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan, who recently crossed over from Congress to the BJP, said on Friday that he had made his decision and that everything would be fine. Chavan was speaking to reporters after casting his vote along with his family members at Ambedkar Nagar in Nanded city in the second phase of Lok Sabha polls. There is enthusiasm among voters here and people are standing in queues to cast their ballots. As there is increasing heat, I hope people will complete their voting by the afternoon. I expect the voting percentage to go up this time, he said. Besides the Nanded constituency, polling is underway in Buldhana, Akola, Amravati, Wardha, Yavatmal-Washim, Hingoli and Parbhani seats in the state in the second phase of the general elections. Asked about some Congress leaders remark that people from Nanded should take revenge on him for the betrayal of Rahul Gandhi, Chavan said, I took my decision and everything will be fine. Let anyone say what they want. People here know what they want. In Nanded, BJP MP Pratap Chikhalikar is pitted against Congress nominee Vasant Chavan.

7.4 per cent turnout recorded in eight LS seats in Maharashtra till 9 am

Till 9 am, the Nanded constituency recorded 7.73 per cent voting for the second phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024

Polling begins in Maharashtras eight Lok Sabha constituencies

The constituencies where polling started at 7 a.m. are Buldhana, Akola, Amravati, Wardha, Yavatmal-Washim. Hingoli, Nanded, and Parbhani.

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Polling begins in 8 LS constituencies in Maharashtra

Voting started at 7 am in Buldhana, Akola, Amravati, Wardha and Yavatmal-Washim seats in the west Vidarbha region and Hingoli, Nanded and Parbhani constituencies in Marathwada, and will end at 6 pm

LS polls: Sena vs Sena in three seats in Maha second phase polling on April 26

MUMBAI: Eight seats in Maharashtra will go to polls on Friday in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections where 1.49 crore voters from the state can cast their ballot to seal the fate of 204 candidates. Voting will be held in Buldhana, Akola, Amravati, Wardha and Yavatmal-Washim seats in the west Vidarbha region and Hingoli, Nanded and Parbhani constituencies in Marathwada from 7 am to 6 pm across 16,589 polling centres, officials said. Of these seats, Buldhana, Yavatmal-Washim and Hingoli will see direct contests between the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT). A total of 1.49 crore eligible voters, including 77,21,374 men, 72,04,106 women, and 432 persons from the third-gender category, are eligible to exercise their franchise in these eight constituencies. All preparations for the smooth conduct of the elections in the eight Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra have been done, said an official on Thursday. On April 19, five seats in east Vidarbha- Nagpur, Ramtek, Chandrapur, Bhandara-Gondia and Gadchiroli-Chimur ,went to polls, registering a voter turnout of 63.70 per cent. Of the 204 candidates in the fray, there are 21 in Buldhana, 15 in Akola, 37 in Amravati, 24 in Wardha, 17 in Yavatmal-Washim, 33 in Hingoli, 23 in Nanded, and 34 contestants in Parbhani. Pawar & Uddhav face spin attack in a battle to regain the 'lost glory' The undivided Shiv Sena had contested the last general elections in the state in alliance with the BJP. It split in 2022 after Shinde led a rebellion, sunk the then Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government and sided with the BJP to become the CM. In Buldhana, sitting Shiv Sena MP Prataprao Jadhav faces off with Narendra Khedekar of Sena (UBT). The Shiv Sena has nominated Rajashri Patil in Yavatmal-Washim, dropping sitting MP Bhavana Gawli. Patil is pitted against Sanjay Deshmukh of the Thackeray-led party. In Hingoli, Rajashtri Patil's husband and sitting MP Hemant Patil was replaced by the Shiv Sena, which gave the ticket to Baburao Kohalikar. The Sena nominee is contesting against Nagesh Patil Ashtikar of Sena (UBT). Autocracy detrimental to country, says Uddhav; bats for coalition government at Centre Mahadev Jankar of Rashtriya Samaj Paksha is contesting against sitting MP Sanjay Jadhav, nominated by the Shiv Sena (UBT). Jankar has been backed by the ruling Mahayuti alliance, comprising BJP, Shiv Shinde Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP. Dr B R Ambedkar's grandson Prakash Ambedkar, who heads the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), has fielded candidates in seven seats, including himself from Akola. His brother Anandraj Ambedkar is in the fray in Amravati as a Republican Sena nominee. In Akola, the contest is between Anup Dhotre of BJP and Abhay Patil of Congress, with Prakash Ambedkar as the third candidate. Amravati will see a fight between sitting MP Navneet Rana, now contesting as a BJP nominee, against Balwant Wankhede of Congress. Dinesh Bub is the Prahar Janshakti Party candidate. The Prahar party, which has two legislators in the assembly, is an ally of the ruling coalition. Wardha will see a fight between former Congress MLA Amar Kale, contesting on the symbol of the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) a man blowing turha (a traditional trumpet) against sitting BJP MP Ramdas Tadas. In Nanded , sitting MP Pratap Chikhalikar of the BJP is up against Congress nominee Vasant Chavan. Maharashtra, which has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second highest after Uttar Pradesh, will vote in five phases between April 19 and May 20.

Voting in 8 LS constituencies in Maharashtra on Friday in 2nd phase; Sena versus Sena in 3 seats

Voting will be held in Buldhana, Akola, Amravati, Wardha and Yavatmal-Washim seats in the west Vidarbha region and Hingoli, Nanded and Parbhani constituencies in Marathwada from 7 am to 6 pm across 16,589 polling centres, officials said.

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Can Ashok Chavan Turn Tide in Nanded?

The BJP has again fielded Prataprao Patil Chikhalikar who humbled Ashok Chavan in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls by over 40,000 votes.

BJP's Stand on Constitution Paramount, Individual Remarks Secondary: Ashok Chavan

BJP's Stand on Constitution Paramount, Individual Remarks Secondary: Ashok Chavan BJP Rajya Sabha member Ashok Chavan has said an individual's opinion does not matter when it comes to narrative about the Constitution and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has clearly stated the statute book will not be changed. The former Maharashtra chief minister also pointed out on Wednesday that a party colleague and sitting MP who talked about changing the Constitution has been denied re-nomination from his seat in Karnataka. ''What my party's top leader (PM) says about it (Constitution) is more important to us (than an individual's comments on the issue),'' he asserted. Chavan, who quit the Congress and joined the BJP in February, was speaking to reporters in his home district Nanded, where polling will take place on Friday along with seven other Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. ''Those who spoke about bringing changes in the country's Constitution did not get a ticket from the BJP to contest Lok Sabha elections. I think it happened in Karnataka. The opinion of an individual does not matter...what my party's top leader says about it is more important to us,'' he said. Chavan was apparently referring to BJP's Uttara Kannada Lok Sabha member Anantkumar Hegde's controversial comments on the Constitution. Last month, Hegde said it is necessary for the party to gain a two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha and also come to power in more than 20 states to amend the Constitution aimed at setting right alleged distortions and unnecessary additions to it by the Congress. ''Our party's top leader and Prime Minister Modi has clearly communicated that there will not be any changes in the Constitution. The PM's comment is like a policy matter for us,'' emphasised Chavan. Asked about facing opposition from Maratha quota supporters, the former CM maintained he has told them that a law providing reservation to the community in jobs and education has been enacted by the 'Mahayuti' government in Maharashtra. ''I have been holding meetings in villages to explain to Maratha quota supporters that the Act offering reservation to the Maratha community is in force. Though the law has been challenged in court, it has not been stayed,'' the BJP leader added.

Chavans sway in Nanded fades, ire over party hop

Maha: Campaigning to end in 8 LS seats of Vidharbha & Marathwada region

Mumbai, April 24 (UNI) Campaigning for second phase of the Lok Sabha elections due to be held on April 26 in eight constituencies of Vidarbha and Marathwada regions in Maharashtra will end on Wednesday evening. These constituencies are Buldhana, Akola, Washim-Yawatmal, Wardha, Amravati, Hingoli, Nanded, and Parbhani. A total of 204 candidates are trying their... The post Maha: Campaigning to end in 8 LS seats of Vidharbha & Marathwada region first appeared on Central India's Premier English Daily .

Campaigning ends for 89 seats in second phase of Lok Sabha polls

Campaigning ends for 89 seats in second phase of Lok Sabha polls The high-octane campaigning for the second phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections came to an end on Wednesday evening with top leaders of the BJP-led NDA and the opposition INDIA bloc making a last-gasp effort to woo voters. The second phase which is scheduled for April 26, will witness polling in 89 constituencies across 13 states and Union Territories, including the remaining part of the Outer Manipur Lok Sabha constituency. The end of the campaigning marks the commencement of a 48-hour silence period. The last date for filing nominations for phase 2 for all 13 States and UTs was April 4. In phase 2, Kerala has a maximum of 500 nominations from 20 parliamentary constituencies, followed by 491 nominations from 14 PCs in Karnataka. A minimum of 14 nominations were received from the parliamentary constituency in Tripura. 16-Nanded Parliamentary Constituency in Maharashtra received a maximum of 92 nominations. The first phase of the polling covered 102 constituencies of 21 states and union territories (UTs). Ten states and UTs were fully covered, while 11 states and UTs were partially covered. As the high-decibel campaigns for the Lok Sabha polls kick off, promises and guarantees by various political parties took place. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the Modi Ki Guarantee as the central theme of his campaign, focusing on the development of youth, empowerment of women, and welfare of farmers and marginalized communities. Meanwhile, the Congress is banking on its 'Nyay' guarantees, aiming at justice for various sections of society. The BJP has come out all guns blazing at the INDIA bloc over corruption, dynasty politics, and insulting the Constitution and Hinduism. The Opposition leaders, in turn, have attacked the government over electoral bonds, alleged misuse of agencies, inflation, and unemployment among other issues. Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and several of their cabinet colleagues, leaders of the Congress such as Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, and other parties also canvassed for their candidates. Key constituencies like Wayanad, where Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is contesting, and Thiruvananthapuram, where Congress leader Shashi Tharoor will face BJP's Rajeev Chandrasekhar, will go to polls in the second phase. (ANI)

Watch | Ashok Chavan: Joined BJP to ensure development of Nanded doesnt suffer

The current state of affairs in Congress, particularly in Maharashtra, is in shambles, says Ashok Chavan

By inducting Ashok Chavan, BJP also became part of Adarsh Society scam, alleges Uddhav Thackeray

CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJINAGAR: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday hit out the BJP, saying that by inducting former Congress leader Ashok Chavan, the ruling party has also become a part of the multi-crore Adarsh Housing Society scam now. Earlier, the BJP used to target Chavan saying the families of martyrs were fooled in the Adarsh scam, but now the same party is involved in fooling them, he alleged. Thackeray was addressing a press conference at Nanded in Maharashtra, where he arrived to campaign for the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) candidate Vasant Chavan from the Nanded Lok Sabha constituency. Ashok Chavan, a former Maharashtra chief minister, is an accused in the Adarsh Housing Society scam wherein a 31-storey posh building in south Mumbai was constructed allegedly on land owned by the Defence Ministry without getting the requisite permissions and clearances. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2014 sought to delete Chavan's name from the case but this was rejected both by the special CBI court and later by the Bombay High Court in 2015. The matter is pending before the Supreme Court which in 2018 stayed proceedings in the case. Chavan joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in February this year and was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha after being fielded by the party. At the time of joining the ruling party, Chavan termed the Adarsh case as a political mishap and said he considered it a on-issue now. Autocracy detrimental to country, says Uddhav; bats for coalition government at Centre Thackeray said, The Adarsh scam case is yet to be decided by the court. Now, BJP has inducted Ashok Chavan into the party fold and made him a Rajya Sabha member. So this way, BJP is also involved in the Adarsh scam now. There are videos (of BJP leaders) saying that Adarsh Society was formed and the families of martyrs were fooled. But after Chavan joined the BJP, he was also praised on stage, he said. Earlier the BJP leaders used to say that families of martyrs were fooled in the Adarsh scam, Thackeray said. Now it is my allegation that BJP is also involved in fooling the martyrs' families, he said. Thackeray also said that after Chavan quit the Congress, several new faces came up in the party. Congress has received a fresh fillip after Ashok Chavan's departure. The barriers in the path of new leaders are now gone. The 'subhedari' in our party also crumbled, he said, apparently referring to the Eknath Shinde-led camp. On the state government's decision to provide a Y-plus security cover to Parth Pawar, the son of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, the Sena (UBT) president said, I have heard that rocket launchers and tanks are also being deployed for his security. People working at the residences of those who betrayed are being provided security, but common people are not secure. Firing took place in front of actor Salman Khan's residence. But the people who are with them (those in power) are given security. Who is paying for their security is the question. They (government) are collecting taxes from people, who are not safe, and providing security to the traitors, Thackeray alleged.

`No broadcast of election related matter on radio during 48 hrs before polling`

Collector Abhijit Raut, the returning officer for the Nanded Lok Sabha constituency, issued the order on Monday

He can`t digest a common labourer becoming CM: Eknath Shinde slams Thackeray

On April 21, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, addressing the Vijay Sankalp Sabha in Nanded, Maharashtra, said that the people of the country are eager to make Modi ji the Prime Minister again

Nanded: Little ground clearance for ex-CM

MUMBAI: Two months ago when former Maharashtra Congress chief minister Ashok Chavan joined the BJP, the saffron camp went euphoric about its forgone victory prospect in the Lok Sabha polls. A red zone turned safe zone in Nanded in the saffron parlance. Today, the constituency is anything but safe for the BJP even though Congress has fielded fresh and new candidate Vasant Chavan against BJPs Lok Sabha MP Prataprao Chikhalikar. In 2019, BJPs Chikhalikar won the Nanded Lok Sabha seat by over 40,000 votes against Congress Ashok Chavan. Interestingly, Prakash Ambedkar-led party candidate polled 1,65,341 votes that is 14.9% of the total votes while Ashok Chavan lost by mere 3.6% vote share. This was the second defeat of Ashok Chavan in Lok Sabha elections in his political career. Historical links Nanded holds a significant historical importance. The 10th and last Sikh Guru Sri Gobind Singh spent his last days in Nanded and passed on the mantle to the sacred Guru Granth Sahib before his passing in 1708. During the Marathawada Mukti Sangram, Shankarrao Chavan, the father of Ashok Chavan, who originally belonged to Paithan in Aurangabad, shifted base to Nanded and contested the first municipal corporation election and won. The Chavan family became Nanded residents. Later, Shankarrao Chavan and Ashok Chavan became CMs twice. The Chavan family nurtured Nanded as it grew into a Congress bastion. It was breached in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. Given the age-old ties, Nanded continued to support the Congress ideology. 2019 equations In the previous Lok sabha polls, the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) turned out to be a spoiler for Congress Ashok Chavan by grabbing 1,65,341 votes while Chavan lost by 40,000 votes only. This time too, the VBA factor is important as it is giving headaches to the BJP and Ashok Chavan who has taken the responsibility of this seat. The VBA has fielded a Lingayat community candidate in Nanded; the community has over 1.5 lakh votes, most of which predominantly comprise BJP supporters. The demography of the Nanded is very interesting. Out of the total 18 lakh voters, eight lakh are Maratha while 4.5 lakh are Dalit and Muslim and 1.5 lakh Lingaya. The remaining belong to various communities. Saffron spoiler This time too, VBA candidate Avinash Bhosikar may turn out to be a spoiler, not for Congress but for the BJP. Put together, the Lingayat vote can change the poll outcome which would not be good for the BJP. This time, Dalits could be rallying behind the Congress candidate given the narrative around the so-called changes in the Constitution whose chief architect was Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar said an observer. Muslims, too, could be looking at the Congress due to a campaign of hatred launched by sections of Hindu outfits, he added. The stance of the Maratha community is not very clear, making the Nanded contest tough. The first sign of disturbance for the saffron camp emerged a few days ago when reports came in that Ashok Chavan and his wife have started facing adverse reactions from people, particularly the Maratha community during Chavans campaign meetings. The couple was even barred from entering some villages in Nanded. At one place, the mob was so huge that the elderly Congressman of that particular village came out for Chavans rescue. The former CM has never faced this kind of public wrath. A video of Chavan speech being disturbed by Maratha community youths went viral. In the latest video, Chavan is seen addressing barely 50-80 people, as most chairs of the audience are seen empty. Chavan is seen pleading with the people that that he has given his word to the top BJP leadership that party candidate Prataprao Chikalikar would win from Nanded. If BJP loses Nanded, my political support will go down within the BJP. People should trust his guarantee even if they dont believe in Modis guarantee, Chavan has told villagers. Difficult situation The BJPs initial exuberance is somewhat calmed down as party leaders campaign rallies are scheduled one after another. Initially, it was planned that BJP chief JP Naddas rally would compensate for the voter anger. But ground reality. To encourage the cadre further, Union minister Amit Shahs rally was also planned. That, too, has helped little. An internal survey continued to give an edge to Congress candidates. Finally, the BJP state leadership decided to organise PM Narendra Modis rally in Nanded. It is rarely in the BJP that both Shah and Modi address the same election campaign rally. It was necessary because each seat is important in such a closely fought political battle, said a senior BJP leader, adding that the BJP gave a Rajya Sabha seat to Chavan to secure Nanded, but it turned out that the decision was wrong. The BJP leader said the reason people are not coming out in BJP support is that PM Modi raised the Adarsh housing scam which took place during Ashok Chavans tenure -- and a few days later, Chavan was not only inducted into the party but was also given the Rajya Sabha seat. Losing steam In the last 15 years, the BJPs committed workers fought against Ashok Chavan and Ajit Pawar. Both Chavans Adarsh housing scam and Ajit Pawars Rs 70,000 crore irrigation scam were hammered time and again to get votes. These leaders were termed as epitome of corruption, but have now become the strength of the party. For loyal party workers, it is like losing trust in the party, said a BJP leader. We not only lost the perception battle but also the ground support, which is now visible in Nanded and other parts of the state, he said. Congress candidate Vasant Chavan says Ashok Chavan left the Congress, but not the Congress workers. When he was in Congress, he was one of the most sought-after campaigners across the state, but sadly, Chavan cannot freely campaign in his home town, said a senior Congress leader who worked with Ashok Chavan.

Bhujbal Withdrew from LS Polls Due to Fear of Maratha Backlash

Mumbai: NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal was told to pull out of the race for the Nashik Lok Sabha candidature due to the fear of Maratha backlash. A senior BJP leader said that Bhujbal had taken a stand against the Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil and was involved in an acrimonious verbal spat with the activist, which has not gone well with the Maratha community. Though the BJP-led grand alliance wants to field an OBC face from Nashik, Bhujbals candidature would have damaged the alliance in the entire state, the BJP leader said. Mr. Bhujbal, who is the food and civil supply minister in the Eknath Shinde government, on Friday, announced his withdrawal from the Nashik Lok Sabha constituency race in the interest of the alliance. However, it was done on the instructions of the BJPs top leadership. The BJP leaders realised that Bhujbals candidature would adversely affect the grand alliance, particularly in the Marathwada region, which has eight Lok Sabha seats. In 2019, the BJP-Shiv Sena (undivided) alliance had won seven out of eight seats. Marathwada, which is an epicenter of Maratha agitation for quota under the OBC category, witnessed many violent protests seven months ago. This has resulted in a schism between members of the Maratha community and the OBC community. Bhujbal was the most vocal political leader criticising Jaranges pressure tactics. The resentment in the Maratha community was seen when senior Maratha leaders like Ashok Chavan, who recently joined the BJP, were stopped during his speech in the Nanded district of the Marathwada region. After getting a response from the Maratha community during the poll campaign, the party leaders have realised that Bhujbals candidature may further damage the BJP. Therefore, we have communicated the same to the NCP leadership, the senior BJP leader said. The Mahayuti has not decided on its candidate for the Nashik seat as yet. After Bhujbals withdrawal, Shiv Sena is positive about getting the seat. However, the NCP has also clarified that it has not given up its claim. Brijmohan Srivastava, chief national spokesperson and national general secretary of the party said that they are still in negotiation with the Mahayuti leaders over Nashik seat. We are hopeful that the Nashik seat will be given to us, he said. The BJP leader said that the candidature for the Nashik seat will be announced after the second phase of voting, which is taking place on April 26. All Marathwada seats will go to poll in the second phase. Nashik will go to polls in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections. The filing of nominations will start on April 26.

Cradled Article 370 like a baby for 70 years: Amit Shah tears into Cong over handling of J-K issue

Cradled Article 370 like a baby for 70 years: Amit Shah tears into Cong over handling of J-K issue In an unsparing attack on the Congress over its alleged handling of the Jammu and Kashmir issue and not settling it decisively during its decades in power at the Centre, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said the grand old party held on to Article 370 and 'cradled' it like a baby on a mother's lap till the Centre, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, revoked it on August 5, 2019. Addressing an election rally at Akola in Maharashtra, Shah also came down heavily on Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge for questioning PM Modi's invocation of the scrapping of Article 370 from the erstwhile state during a rally in Rajasthan. Kharge-ji questioned what the people of Maharashtra and Rajasthan have to do with Kashmir. Kharge Saheb, perhaps, does not know that every youth of Akola cares as much about Jammu and Kashmir as the people in the Union Territory themselves, and are even prepared to lay down their lives for it. It was Modi-ji, who paved the way for making Kashmir an integral part of the country after making Article 370 history. The Congress, as we all know, kept cradling and safeguarding Article 370 for the last 70 years and it wasn't until you elected Modi-ji as PM for the second time, that it was consigned to history, Shah said, invoking the landmark scrapping of the Article, as part of which certain constitutional safeguards and privileges were vested in the erstwhile state. In a veiled counter to Opposition claims that the BJP-led NDA will bring changes to the Constitution if elected for a third time by a brute majority, Shah said despite securing a decisive mandate in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Centre used it to remove Article 370 from the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state as opposed to ringing changes to the country's salient statute book. Through the passage of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 in Parliament, Article 370, which gave special constitutional privileges to the erstwhile state, ceased to exist. The state of Jammu and Kashmir was split and reorganised into two UTs--Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh--in August 2019. Also taking aim at the Congress over its approach to dealing with external security threats while in power, the Union Home Minister said the grand old party chose not to respond to misadventures from across the border, in Pakistan, for the sake of safeguarding its 'vote bank'. Under the Sonia-Manmohan Singh government, Pakistan would carry out attacks against us every day and they remained unmoved for the sake of advancing their vote bank politics. When Pulwama and Uri were attacked, after the BJP came to power, we responded in 10 days. Under the leadership of PM Modi, we crossed over into Pakistan and launched surgical and air strikes on terror launch pads and hideouts in Pakistan. Modi-ji also eliminated the threat of Naxalism from Maharashtra, he said. He said while India ranked 11th among major economies under the Congress, PM Modi made it the fifth-largest major economy. If you bring him back as PM for a third time, he will make us the third-biggest global economy, Shah added. Eight Lok Sabha constituencies of Maharashtra will go to polls in the second phase on April 26. In the first phase on April 19, polling was held in Ramtek, Nagpur, Bhandara - Gondiya, Gadchiroli - Chimur, and Chandrapur. In the second phase, voting will be held in Buldhana, Akola, Amravati, Wardha, Yavatmal-Washim, Hingoli, Nanded, and Parbhani. The NDA--BJP and the undivided Shiv Sena--won 7 of these 8 seats in 2019. The BJP bagged Akola, Wardha, and Nanded, while the Sena won Buldhana, Yavatmal-Washim, Hingoli, and Parbhani. Navneet Rana, who is now with the BJP, won Amravati in 2019 as an Independent and is seeking a fresh term from the seat this year on a saffron ticket. (ANI)

Congress Fortress Nanded Gave A Father-Son Cms To Maharashtra

Nanded is famous for the Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib gurudwara, one of the Five Takhts in Sikhi ...

Marathas have faith in BJP,` says Prataprao Chikhalikar

Incumbent Prataprao Chikhalikar tells mid-day that he needs another term to fix Nandeds woes and bring growth to the region

Anger simmers in Nanded Lok Sabha constituency over pending Maratha quota, Ashok Chavans defection

Villagers have put up posters barring campaigning by politicians, especially from the rulingMahayuticoalition, ahead of polling in the seat in the second phase on April 26

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Marathas, Dalits, Muslims key deciders in Nanded

BJP, Congress navigate political turbulence amidst Maratha protest, VBA concerns; observers predict vote division between Dalits, Muslims

After dismal turnout in phase-1, Modi appeals to people to come out and vote

MUMBAI: After a significant decline in voter turnout in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday appealed to people to come out and vote for the parties they support. It is true that there are issues like marriages and agriculture work, but despite all odds, people should come out and cast their vote. We should see the soldier who, irrespective of the weather, stands at the border for our security. He is there during the rainy season, snowfall, and heat; he always stands for the country, Modi said at an election rally in Nanded, Maharashtra. Voters should not think that they are doing any favour, rather they are ensuring a good future. There should be bumper voting. Workers of parties may feel that they are losing so why should they work, but they should not get discouraged. They will get an opportunity tomorrow or day after tomorrow, if not today. They should not sit at home. Though they are losing elections, they should motivate voters to vote, Modi said. He said the voting percentage should be high because of its impact and to make the world talk about it. Across the world, the voting percentage is always abysmal, while in India the voting percentage is always high. We should show the world, we should vote to strengthen democracy, Modi said, claiming that in the first phase the NDA got a big chunk of votes. Modi criticised the INDIA bloc, saying they are fighting against each other in many states while putting out a united front. They are making allegations against each other. If they cannot trust each other, why should people trust them? INDI Alliance is not getting candidates and even their leaders are not going to campaign for their candidates, he said. The PM said Shehzada (Rahul Gandhi) is afraid of losing the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, and hence, after April 26, there is plan to get another safe seat for him. Earlier, he ran away from Amethi and now he will run away from Wayanad also, Modi said. Big and powerful people in India, abroad have joined hands to oust me from power, claims PM Modi

2024 polls about making India a developed nation: PM

Cong a vine which has no roots NANDED/PARBHANI, Apr 20: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday dubbed the Congress a vine which has no roots or branches and sucks dry those who support it, and asked people to be wary of the opposition alliance in realising the goals of Viksit Bharat and Viksit Maharashtra. Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsApp Modi, who addressed two election rallies in Maharashtra on Saturday first in Nanded, followed by Parbhani also [] The post 2024 polls about making India a developed nation: PM appeared first on Daily Excelsior .

This was a trailer, real work begins now: PM Modi

PM Modi woos Nanded with promises of successreminds Sikhs that the govt got copies of the Guru Granth Sahib back from Afghanistan

Will PM deliver on his promise to put Ashok Chavan in jail: Cong

NEW DELHI, April 20: The Congress on Saturday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking whether he would deliver on his promise to put the BJPs Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Chavan in jail. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posed a few questions for Prime Minister Modi ahead of his rally in Nanded and []

Modis speeches project him as PM of BJP, not country: Sharad Pawar

Modis speeches project him as PM of BJP, not country: Sharad Pawar NCP (SP) leader Sharad Pawar on Saturday said Narendra Modis speeches suggest he is BJPs PM and not India's and accused the BJP of being high on power which will bring dictatorship in the country. Modi should tell the people what he and his party will do for the country instead of attacking the opposition, he said at a campaign rally in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad LS constituency). Addressing a rally at Parbhani, Pawar attacked the BJP over agrarian distress in the country and unemployment. Notably, PM Modi on Saturday held rallies in Nanded and Parbhani constituencies in the state and attacked the opposition, particularly the Congress. I was listening to Narendra Modis speech before I came here (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar). The prime minister belongs to the entire country. If we listen to Modis speeches, it seems he is the prime minister of BJP and not the country,'' Pawar said. He canvassed for opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) candidates Chandrakant Khaire, who is contesting from the Aurangabad Lok Sabha constituency on a Sena (UBT) ticket, and Congress Kalyan Kale from Jalna. The central Maharashtra constituencies, located in the states Marathwada region, will go to polls in the fourth phase on May 13. The NCP (SP) chief said PM Modi and BJP should tell the people what they will do for the country. ''But sometimes they criticise Nehru (country's first PM Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru), sometimes Rahul Gandhi and also me at times, he said. Nehru spent over ten years of his life in jail fighting against the British. He encouraged science, said Pawar. Addressing a rally in Parbhani for Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Sanjay Jadhav, Pawar said the BJP is high on power and misusing Central agencies. He referred to the arrests of former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who runs his administration efficiently, criticised the Centre is behind bars. His ministers are in jail, Pawar said. The ones, who are serving people hold an opinion that is different from yours, have to go behind bars, then we have to deal with them because they will bring dictatorship in the country and we will not allow this, he said. Pawar also criticised the government over its handling of the protest by farmers on the outskirts of Delhi over three farm laws, which were later repealed. During his rallies, he alleged the Centre and state governments have no time to address the severe drought in Marathwada region as well as in other parts of the state. Meanwhile, speaking in Parbhani, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray alleged that the BJP wants to win 400 seats to change the Constitution. This is not a simple election. This will determine your future and the direction the country will head to, Thackeray said. He exhorted people to vote for the Shiv Sena (UBT) which he said would work in the interest of the state.

Major differences in INDIA bloc; Cong allies opposing Rahul's Wayanad nomination: Sitharaman

Major differences in INDIA bloc; Cong allies opposing Rahul's Wayanad nomination: Sitharaman Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday claimed major differences on critical issues have cropped up in the INDIA bloc which no longer stands united, and said allies of Congress are against Rahul Gandhi's candidature from Wayanad seat in Kerala. Sitharaman recalled Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's remarks on Gandhi's candidature and spoke about the nomination of CPI leader D Raja's wife in Wayanad. ''In the last 10-15 days and before the announcement of his (Gandhi's) nomination, his alliance partners have been talking against him. Communist Party of India leader D Raja's wife is contesting from Wayanad even though the party is a partner of the INDI alliance,'' the Union minister told a press conference. The Congress' alliance partners are against Rahul Gandhi's nomination from Wayanad, she said while responding to a query on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks that ''Congress' sahabzade'' will lose from Wayanad and will have to look for a safer seat after that. Addressing a campaign rally at Nanded in Maharashtra earlier in the day, PM Modi also said the Congress has accepted its defeat even before the Lok Sabha poll results are out. ''Kerala Chief Minister P Vijayan has raised questions over Gandhi's nomination from Wayanad. The chief minister has also said that Gandhi never raised the issue of Wayanad and Kerala in Parliament in the last five years,'' Sitharaman said. Targeting Gandhi, she said the Congress candidate in Wayanad is refusing to carry his party flag. ''We have to notice one thing after understanding that there are differences in the INDI alliance and Rahul Gandhi does not have much support. The Congress candidate does not want to take the party flag in his rallies because the Muslim League is opposing him, saying you may contest but the flag will be ours,'' Sitharaman added. She claimed the Congress has given up the party flag to contest elections. ''When he (Rahul) can't even save the (party) flag, can these people who swear on the Constitution be able to save the country?'' Sitharaman asked. The INDI alliance, of which Congress is a member, is not united which was seen in different states and also in the current elections, she said. ''That the Opposition is united as an INDI alliance is no longer a fact,'' Sitharaman said when asked about Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy criticising DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin on his Sanatan Dharma remark. She said major differences are cropped up in the INDI alliance, and that too on critical issues. ''Therefore, the alliance has not taken shape, they only show it. The only thing they talk about on a common platform is how to remove Modiji. They do not pay attention to how to take the country forward, what is their proposal for the country's progress, and what they plan for a developed India in 2047,'' Sitharaman said. She claimed that INDI alliance leaders in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and elsewhere have cases against them. Sitharaman also targeted All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi, saying his political statements are always indecent. On the Opposition questioning the creditability of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), Sitharaman said it is no longer a topic worthy of discussion. ''Even the Election Commission has repeatedly proved that the EVM cannot be hacked. The Chief Election Commissioner has said it is a settled case...it has been repeatedly proven,'' she said. Questioning the ''hypocrisy'' of Congress on EVMs, Sitharaman said, ''When it (the poll result) favours Congress, (they say) I will accept EVMs, but when it (the poll outcome) goes in favour of the BJP, I say it is hacked....People are not going to take them seriously when they behave like this''. The Opposition is ''mortally scared'' over the BJP coming back to power with a huge majority, she said when asked about the Opposition's claim that the saffron party will not win more than 150 seats. ''So they have already started a two-fold campaign -- creating this narrative that the BJP is not getting more than 150 seats so that people get confused, (but the fact is that) they (Opposition) will not probably cross the 100 mark. ''But look at their audacity. Anyway, people are not going to get confused because of this narrative,'' Sitharaman added.

Modi's speeches project him as PM of BJP, not country: Sharad Pawar

Sharad Pawar criticized PM Modi for focusing on BJP in speeches instead of addressing national issues. Pawar supported Maha Vikas Aghadi, Chandrakant Khaire in Aurangabad, Kalyan Kale in Jalna, and mentioned Nehru, Rahul Gandhi, Nanded, and Parbhani.

Modi aims to transform India into a developed nation by 2024, but critics say it comes at a cost of drying out those who support him

Modi aims to transform India into a developed nation by 2024, but critics say it comes at a cost of drying out those who support him Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday dubbed the Congress a vine which has no roots or branches and sucks dry those who support it, and asked people to be wary of the opposition alliance in realising the goals of 'Viksit Bharat' and 'Viksit Maharashtra'. Modi, who addressed two election rallies in Maharashtra on Saturday - first in Nanded, followed by Parbhani - also said the Congress has accepted its defeat even before the Lok Sabha poll results are out, and took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi, saying that just as he lost from Amethi in 2019, the ''Congress' sahabzade'' will lose the Wayanad parliamentary seat this time. Both Nanded and Parbhani are located in Marathwada region of the state. At the Parbhani rally, the PM said the 2024 polls were not just to form the government, but to make India developed and self-reliant. ''Congress is a vine which doesn't have roots or branches. It sucks dry those who lend support to it,'' Modi said, hitting out at the opposition. He accused the Congress of partitioning the country and claimed it did not allow the Constitution to be implemented in Kashmir under the pretext of Article 370. Hitting out at the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance in Maharashtra, he said the Congress and the ''fake Shiv Sena'', a reference to Shiv Sena (UBT), were busy decorating Yakub Memon's grave. Memon, a convict in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, was hanged in 2015 ''When the INDI alliance (opposition grouping) was in power, they did not make (people) feel that the Nizam rule had ended, the Razakar mentality was overwhelming here. Their priority was (to decorate) Yakub Memon's grave,'' he said. Modi urged people to be wary of the INDI alliance in realising the goal of 'Viksit Bharat' and 'Viksit Maharashtra'. He said the 2024 Lok Sabha polls were all about making India the third-largest economy in the world. In the last term of his government, Modi said, people saw the success of Chandrayaan mission and in the next term, 140 crore Indians will witness Gaganyaan's success. This is the first election where people are talking about the success of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat', from anti-coronavirus vaccine to weapons for the armed forces, he said. ''In only 10 years, the country has traversed a long journey of development,'' Modi said. The PM said when he first contested the Lok Sabha polls in 2014, the talk in the country was about the fear of terror attacks and blasts and the pain of the death of soldiers. ''However, the talk was about surgical strikes in the next five years in 2019,'' he said. Modi said he had lived a life of poverty, understood the pains of the poor and stressed that no poor should go through what he had experienced. At the Nanded rally, he accused the Congress of being a barrier in the path of development and said it it cannot be trusted to work for the country's progress. Apparently targeting former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Modi said some INDIA bloc leaders who have been members of the Lok Sabha for several years, have left the Lower House of Parliament and found a seat in the Rajya Sabha as they lack confidence to fight elections. Referring to Rahul Gandhi, he said, ''The Congress' sahabzade sees a problem in Wayanad. He is waiting for the voting on April 26, after which he and his gang will look for a safe seat because after Amethi, he will have to leave Wayanad as well.'' ''Will any voters waste their vote for such people? They will instead vote for 'Viksit Bharat'. Congress has been a barrier in the development of farmers, poor and women...Can't trust that the party will work for the country's progress,'' he said. Modi referred to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's recent remarks against Rahul Gandhi, and said, ''Even I can't make such comments.'' Holding Congress-led governments' flawed policies for the agriculture crisis and farmers' problems, he said the NDA government was committed to work for their welfare. The PM said he has been fixing the problems created by the erstwhile Congress governments in the last 10 years. ''Now, we have to work even harder,'' he said. ''Congress survives on one family. But now that family can't vote for the party candidate. For the first time, the family will have to vote for a non-Congress candidate in the constituency where they live because they don't have a candidate,'' Modi added. Describing the INDIA bloc as a grouping of selfish parties that have come together to protect their corrupt practices, he said the alliance has been rejected by voters in the first phase. The INDI alliance does not have a face to project whom the people see to entrust the country's future to, he said. They may claim anything, but the reality is that Congress leaders have accepted defeat even before announcement of poll results, he added. The INDIA bloc parties are contesting the Lok Sabha polls against each other in 25 per cent seats. ''Can you trust such people?'' he asked people at the rally. ''After June 4, an all-out fight will break out among the INDIA bloc members. You need to teach them a lesson in elections,'' Modi said.

This kind of language does not suit Prime Minister, says MP Congress chief Jitu Patwari over Modi's remark on Rahul Gandhi

This kind of language does not suit Prime Minister, says MP Congress chief Jitu Patwari over Modi's remark on Rahul Gandhi Madhya Pradesh Congress Chief Jitu Patwari on Saturday took a potshot at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his remark on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, saying this kind of language does not suit the PM. Addressing a public gathering in Maharashtra's Nanded, PM Modi on Saturday took a jibe at Rahul Gandhi saying that the way Congress' Shehzada ran away from Amethi after 2019 in a similar manner he would have to run away from Wayanad after the Lok Sabha polls this year. In a democratic system, this kind of language does not suit the Prime Minister. What have you (PM Modi) done in the last 10 years? Why is there the highest level of poverty in the country? Why is there the highest level of unemployment in the country? What is the reason that the LPG cylinder reached Rs 1200. What do you want to give to the country? He didn't talk about it and he spoke whatever comes in his mouth, small and pitiful things, Patwari told ANI in Madhya Pradesh's Rewa. Patwari further said that Rahul Gandhi's win from Wayanad was a 100 percent assured when the polls are held in the second phase on April 26. Earlier in the day, PM Modi said, The crisis is visible for Congress' Shehzada in Wayanad. Shehzada and his gang are waiting for April 26 when voting in Wayanad will be concluded. After the voting concludes in Wayanad, they will again announce a safe seat for him as their alliance partners are hurling abuse at each other. The way he ran away from Amethi, he will again run away from Wayanad. Polling for the Lok Sabha in Madhya Pradesh will be conducted in four phases, with the next three phases of voting scheduled for April 26, May 7 and May 13. The counting of votes has been scheduled for June 4. Madhya Pradesh has a total of 29 Lok Sabha constituencies, making it the sixth-largest state in terms of members it sends to the Lower House. Of these, 10 seats are reserved for SC and ST candidates, while the remaining 19 are unreserved. (ANI)

PM Modi takes a dig at Rahul Gandhi, predicts loss for Congress in Wayanad LS seat

PM Modi takes a dig at Rahul Gandhi, predicts loss for Congress in Wayanad LS seat Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the Congress has accepted its defeat even before the Lok Sabha poll results are out, and took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi, saying that just as he lost from Amethi in 2019, the ''Congress' sahabzade'' will lose the Wayanad parliamentary seat this time. Addressing an election rally at Nanded in Maharashtra for the candidates of Nanded and Hingoli Lok Sabha seats, Modi accused the Congress of being a barrier in the path of development and that it cannot be trusted to work for the country's progress. Apparently targeting former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Modi said some INDIA bloc leaders who have been members of the Lok Sabha for several years, have left the Lower House of Parliament and found a seat in the Rajya Sabha as they have no confidence to contest elections. Referring to Rahul Gandhi, he said, ''The Congress' sahabzade sees a problem in Wayanad. He is waiting for the voting on April 26, after which he and his gang will look for a safe seat because after Amethi, he will have to leave Wayanad as well.'' ''Will any voter waste their vote for such people? They will instead vote for 'Viksit Bharat' (developed India). Congress has been a barrier in development of farmers, poor and women...Can't trust the party will work for the country's progress,'' he said. Modi referred to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's recent remarks against Rahul Gandhi, saying, ''Even I can't make such comments.'' The agriculture crisis and farmers' problems did not arise in one day. They happened because of the Congress' flawed policies. But the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government is committed to work for their welfare, he said, adding that he has been fixing the problems created under the Congress regimes earlier in the last 10 years. ''Now, we have to work even harder,'' he said. ''Congress survives on one family. But now the family can't vote for the party candidate. For the first time, the family will have to vote for a non-Congress candidate in the constituency where they live because they don't have a candidate,'' Modi added. Describing the INDIA bloc a grouping of selfish parties that have come together to protect their corrupt practices, he said the alliance has been rejected by voters in the first phase. The INDI alliance does not have a face to project whom the people see to entrust the country's future to, he said. They may claim anything, but the reality is that Congress leaders have accepted defeat even before announcement of polls, he added. Without naming Sonia Gandhi, Modi said, ''Some INDI alliance leaders have left the Lok Sabha and entered the Rajya Sabha as they don't have the courage and confidence to contest elections. They are not even campaigning. Congress cant find candidates as well.'' The INDIA bloc parties are contesting the Lok Sabha polls against each other in 25 per cent seats. ''Can you trust such people?'' he asked people at the rally. ''After June 4, an all-out fight will break out among the INDIA bloc members. You need to teach them a lesson in elections,'' Modi said. The prime minister thanked voters for coming out in large numbers to exercise their voting right in the first phase of elections. Next 25 years will be years of Indias greatness in the world, he said. ''I want to congratulate and thank people, especially the first-time voters. As per the information I have received, voting has been one-sided in favour of the NDA. I thank you with a bowed head,'' he said. Modi urged people to step out to vote in large numbers although there is heat, farmers are busy and the wedding season is on. ''Soldiers always do their duty of protecting the country's borders irrespective of any season. By voting, you are not doing anybody a favour but securing the country's future,'' he said. In a sarcastic comment, Modi said he wanted to boost the morale of the opposition party workers as 0they should also encourage voters to come out to vote. ''You (opposition leaders) are sure to lose the elections. But, some day you will get a chance. Despite the imminent loss you must encourage voters to vote in large numbers,'' he said. On the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, he asked that without the CAA what fate would have befallen Sikhs who came to India from Afghanistan.

Lok Sabha Election: Nanded PM Modi Rahul Gandhi

Lok Sabha Election: . (PM Modi in Nanded) . (Rahul Gandhi) . (Congress) (Amethi) (Wayanad) .

Will PM Modi deliver on his `promise` to put Ashok Chavan in jail, says Congress

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posed a few questions for Prime Minister Modi ahead of his rally in Nanded and Parbhani

Congress' 'sahabzade' will lose Wayanad seat also: Modi targets Rahul

Nanded: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi, saying that in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, Congress' sahabzade will lose from Wayanad constituency in Kerala and he will have to look for a safer seat after that. Addressing a rally at Nanded in Maharashtra to campaign for BJP candidates from Nanded and Hingoli seats, Modi said the information available for the first phase of Lok Sabha polls indicates that there has been a one-sided voting in favour of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Referring to Rahul Gandhi, Modi said, After losing Amethi, the Congress' sahabzade will lose Wayanad as well. So he will have to look for a safe seat after April 26. In an apparent reference to Sonia Gandhi, he said some INDIA bloc leaders left the Lok Sabha and moved to the Rajya Sabha as they have no courage to contest elections. For the first time, the family will not vote for a Congress candidate in the constituency where they live as there is no party candidate there, he said. Modi said he has spent 10 years fixing the bad governance of the Congress regimes. A lot of work needs to be done, he added. The Congress has been a barrier in the development of farmers and poor people, he alleged. The agriculture crisis did not happen now. It happened because of the flawed policies of Congress, Modi said. Targeting the INDIA bloc, he said it has no face to project and people do not know whom to entrust the country's future. They may claim anything, but the reality is that Congress leaders have accepted defeat even before the announcement of polls, he said. He termed the opposition alliance a grouping of selfish people who have come together to protect their corrupt practices. He appealed to voters to come out in large numbers to exercise their voting right in the Lok Sabha elections. You are not doing any favour by voting. you are securing the country's future. I want to boost the morale of the party workers from the opposition. You (opposition leaders) are sure to lose the polls, but you will get a chance some day. But you must appeal to voters to vote, he said. Modi said the INDIA bloc constituents were contesting the elections against each other in 25 per cent seats. After (the election results on) June 4, they will be fighting more with each other, he said. He said that without the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, what fate would have befallen Sikhs who came from Afghanistan. The NDA under PM Modi is seeking a stronger majority for a third consecutive term, while the constituents of the opposition INDIA bloc are hoping for a rebound after facing reverses in the 2014 and 2019 elections.

After Amethi, Congresss Sahabzade Will Lose Wayanad Seat Too: PM Modi

Nanded, Maharashtra: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi, saying that in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, Congresss sahabzade will also lose from Wayanad constituency in Kerala and he will have to look for a safer seat after that. Addressing a rally at Nanded in Maharashtra to campaign for BJP candidates from Nanded and Hingoli seats, PM Modi said the information available for the first phase of Lok Sabha polls indicates that there has been [] The post After Amethi, Congresss Sahabzade Will Lose Wayanad Seat Too: PM Modi appeared first on Daily Excelsior .

After Amethi, Congress' 'sahabzade' will lose Wayanad seat also: PM Modi targets Rahul Gandhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticized Rahul Gandhi during a rally in Nanded, Maharashtra, suggesting that the Congress sahabzade will lose in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections from the Wayanad constituency in Kerala. Modi predicted Gandhi would need to find a safer seat after April 26. He claimed there was one-sided voting in favor of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the first phase of polls.

After Amethi, Congresssahabzade will lose Wayanad seat also: PM Modi targets Rahul Gandhi

Nanded: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi, saying that in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, Congress sahabzade will lose from Wayanad constituency in Kerala and he will have to look for a safer seat after that. Addressing a rally at Nanded in Maharashtra to campaign for BJP candidates from Nanded []

PM Modi In Nanded Maharashtra | PM Modi News | PM Modi Speech | Lok Sabha Elections | News18

PM Modi In Nanded Maharashtra | PM Modi News | PM Modi Speech | Lok Sabha Elections | News18Rahul Gandhi will lose from Wayanad, PM Modi attacks Opposition as he addresses a rally in

After Amethi, Congress will lose Wayanad seat also: PM Modi targets Rahul Gandhi

NANDED: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi, saying that in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, Congress sahabzade will lose from Wayanad constituency in Kerala and he will have to look for a safer seat after that. Addressing a rally at Nanded in Maharashtra to campaign for BJP candidates from Nanded and Hingoli seats, Modi said the information available for the first phase of Lok Sabha polls indicates that there has been a one-sided voting in favour of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Referring to Rahul Gandhi, Modi said, After losing Amethi, the Congress' sahabzade will lose Wayanad as well. So he will have to look for a safe seat after April 26. In an apparent reference to Sonia Gandhi, he said some INDIA bloc leaders left the Lok Sabha and moved to the Rajya Sabha as they have no courage to contest elections. For the first time, the family will not vote for a Congress candidate in the constituency where they live as there is no party candidate there, he said. Modi said he has spent 10 years fixing the bad governance of the Congress regimes. A lot of work needs to be done, he added. PM Modi targets 'two princes' Rahul and Akhilesh, accuses them of attacking 'faith' The Congress has been a barrier in the development of farmers and poor people, he alleged. The agriculture crisis did not happen now. It happened because of the flawed policies of Congress, Modi said. Targeting the INDIA bloc, he said it has no face to project and people do not know whom to entrust the country's future. They may claim anything, but the reality is that Congress leaders have accepted defeat even before the announcement of polls, he said. He termed the opposition alliance a grouping of selfish people who have come together to protect their corrupt practices. He appealed to voters to come out in large numbers to exercise their voting right in the Lok Sabha elections. Amid war-like situation, only BJP government with majority can keep India safe: PM Modi You are not doing any favour by voting. you are securing the country's future. I want to boost the morale of the party workers from the opposition. You (opposition leaders) are sure to lose the polls, but you will get a chance some day. But you must appeal to voters to vote, he said. Modi said the INDIA bloc constituents were contesting the elections against each other in 25 per cent seats. After (the election results on) June 4, they will be fighting more with each other, he said. He said that without the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, what fate would have befallen Sikhs who came from Afghanistan. The NDA under PM Modi is seeking a stronger majority for a third consecutive term, while the constituents of the opposition INDIA bloc are hoping for a rebound after facing reverses in the 2014 and 2019 elections. BJP, Congress on edge as Maharashtra records low voter turnout in five seats in phase one LS polls

Heatwave warning issued for 8 Maharashtra districts

Mumbai: Severe heat conditions continued to affect Maharashtra as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a heatwave warning for eight districts of the state including Mumbai, Thane and Nashik. Despite rains in some parts of the state, the temperatures have remained high with Malegaon registering the highest temperature at 43 celcius. According to the IMD, the heat wave will prevail in districts like Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Palghar as well as North Maharashtra districts of Nashik, Jalgaon, Dhule and Nandurbar on Saturday. In addition to this, it has also predicted rains in districts like Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, Satara, Kolhapur, Sangli, Solapur, Nagar, Dharashiv, Latur, Beed, Parbhani, Nanded and Hingoli with lightening and thunderstorms. Despite intermittent rainfall, temperatures remained unyieldingly high across the state. Malegaon seized the title for the hottest location in the state, marking 43C on the mercury. On Sunday, the IMD has predicted light rains in Marathwada, Vidarbha, Khandesh and central Maharashtra, whereas some parts of Konkan, Central Maharashtra, Marathwada and Vidarbha will receive light to medium range on Monday, the officials said. In the Marathwada region, all four stations reported temperatures surpassing 40C, exceeding normal ranges by 0.4 to 3.7C. Similarly, except for Gondia at 39.8C, all nine stations in Vidarbha recorded temperatures exceeding 40C. In light of the looming heatwave, the IMD officials have advised people to take precautions to avoid heat exposure, including wearing loose and cotton clothes, covering their heads with a cloth, hat, or umbrella, staying hydrated and avoiding outdoor activities during peak heat hours.

Rahul Gandhi had to run away from Amethi, now assume that he will run away from Wayanad too: PM Modi at rally in Nanded.

Rahul Gandhi had to run away from Amethi, now assume that he will run away from Wayanad too: PM Modi at rally in Nanded. Rahul Gandhi had to run away from Amethi, now assume that he will run away from Wayanad too: PM Modi at rally in Nanded.

INDI alliance unable to tell people of India who will be the combine's leader: PM Modi at rally in Nanded, Maharashtra.

INDI alliance unable to tell people of India who will be the combine's leader: PM Modi at rally in Nanded, Maharashtra. INDI alliance unable to tell people of India who will be the combine's leader: PM Modi at rally in Nanded, Maharashtra.

Next 25 years will be years of Indias greatness in the world: PM Modi at rally in Nanded, Maharashtra.

Next 25 years will be years of Indias greatness in the world: PM Modi at rally in Nanded, Maharashtra. Next 25 years will be years of Indias greatness in the world: PM Modi at rally in Nanded, Maharashtra.

Will Modi deliver on his 'promise' to put Ashok Chavan in jail: Jairam Ramesh

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Saturday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking whether he would deliver on his promise to put the BJP's Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Chavan in jail. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posed a few questions for Prime Minister Modi ahead of his rally in Nanded and Parbhani. Today's questions for PM Modi as he heads to Nanded and Parbhani: Will the PM deliver on his promise to put BJP's Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Chavan in jail? What is the BJP's plan to deal with Marathwada's worsening drought and water scarcity? Why has the Indian Railways performed so poorly in Nanded division, Ramesh said in a post on 'X'. : 1. ? 2. ? Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) April 20, 2024 Elaborating on what he dubbed as jumla details, the Congress leader said the prime minister should revisit his words from his campaign in Nanded on March 30, 2014, when he launched a ferocious attack on Chavan -- ow the latest labaarthi of the 'BJP Washing Machine Yojana'. The PM declared Chavan an 'Adarsh candidate', and said that 'the Congress is shameless' for having given him a ticket while he was under investigation, Ramesh said. He said that Modi had announced that he would send Chavan to jail within six months if he became the prime minister. A decade later, Chavan is not in jail, continues to be under investigation, and is a Rajya Sabha MP from the BJP. Does PM Modi hold the BJP to be 'shameless' as well? Will he conspire to get Mr Chavan a clean chit soon? Will he deliver on his promise to put the BJP's Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Chavan in jail, Ramesh asked. Jairam Ramesh also said that after suffering from drought conditions over the last four months, the Marathwada region has now been hit by unseasonal rains and hailstorms, which have caused severe crop losses. The ruling BJP government has not declared this event a national disaster or announced any relief measures. This is no surprise from a government that has also failed to care for the lifeline of Marathwada, the Godavari river. Although Rs 88 crore were allocated for the cleaning of the river in 2022, there has been no tangible improvement, Ramesh added. Why has PM Modi ignored the plight of Marathwada's farmers? Does his government have any plans to protect the river that is so crucial to the environmental and economic health of this drought prone area, Ramesh further asked. He also claimed that the railway infrastructure in the Nanded division, which serves many areas in Marathwada, has collapsed under the Modi government's supervision. According to data furnished by the South Central Railway (SCR) in 2021, Nanded has only 35 kilometres of route electrification and 83 kilometres of track-doubling.This puts it at the bottom in terms of electrification and only marginally ahead of the bottom in track doubling compared to other SCR divisions. Additionally, it is the only division in its zone that still has 130km of colonial-era meter-gauge tracks, Ramesh said. Why has crucial railway infrastructure been neglected in Nanded, he asked. Does the PM have any real vision for bringing development to the Marathwada region, Ramesh said and asked the prime minister to break his silence on these issues.

LS polls: PM Modi to campaign in Maharashtra, Karnataka on Apr 20

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address two public meetings each in Maharashtra and Karnataka respectively on Saturday. Prime Minister Modi will address public meetings in Maharashtra's Nanded Lok ...

Maharashtra Poll Diary: BJP's Nanded fears and an MLA ally's jolt for Eknath Shinde

Nanded jitters for BJP despite Ashok Chavan crossing over Nanded Lok Sabha constituency in Maharashtra is where BJP's Prataprao Govindrao Chikhalikar, the sitting MP, is taking on Congress party's Vasant Balvantrao Chavan Patil. Avinash Bosikar of the Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi (VBA) is also in the race. In 2019, Prataprao Govindrao Chikhalikar secured 4,86,806 (43.10 %) votes to defeat Ashok Chavan of the Congress. Chavan had then secured 4,46,658 votes (39.55%). Interestingly, this time around, Chavan, a former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, has been campaigning for the victory of Prataprao Govindrao Chikhalikar. Chavan crossed over from Congress to the BJP in February this year. The Congress has claimed that Chavan joined the BJP fearing Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids. He has rubbished the allegation. In an interview to an English-language daily, Chavan was asked whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah are campaigning in the constituency because the party is doubtful of winning Nanded. He swatted the suggestion aside, stressing that it is a winning seat and that every PM has visited the constituency from the time of Indira Gandhi. Of the six assembly segments in Nanded, Bhokar is vacant. Nanded North is with the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde. Nanded South and Delgur (SC) constituencies are with the Congress while Naigaon and Mukhed are with the BJP. Congress wants Sangali, in turn offers Mumbai North to Sena (UBT) It can be said that after Ashok Chavan joined BJP, Nanded has been perceived as a safe seat for the BJP. But the story from the ground is different. This is the reason perhaps why Nanded is one of the constituencies that could witness PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah campaigning together. Seeing is believing! Another seat and a more real jolt to the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi. BJP MLA Ganpat Gaikwad's spouse Sulabha Gaikwad (in the green sari) was seen actively campaigning for Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Vaishali Darekar (Left) in Kalyan against Maharashtra CM Eknath Shindes son and sitting Sena Lok Sabha MP Dr Shrikant Shinde. A home run-in for the CM you could term it. Talk about a picture worth a thousand words! First phase of LS polls in Maharashtra: It's Congress party's 'caste calculations' vs BJP's 'Modi charisma'

Maharashtra: Unseasonal rains claim 10 lives, 150 animals in Marathwada region

The eight impacted districts are Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Beed, Parbhani, Latur, Nanded, Dharashiv, and Hingoli.

Unseasonal rains claim 10 lives in Marathwada in a week

Unseasonal rains claim 10 lives in Marathwada in a week Unseasonal rains have claimed the lives of 10 persons and 150 animals in Marathwada region of Maharashtra in a week's time since April 9, a primary survey report prepared by the state revenue department said. The Marathwada region comprises eight districts - Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Beed, Parbhani, Latur, Nanded, Dharashiv and Hingoli. The report said that spells of unseasonal rains lashed parts of Marathwada since April 9, causing loss of human and animal lives. The rainfall and hailstorms also damaged over 450 houses in 481 villages across the region. Crops standing on over 5,256.86 hectares of land belonging to 9,127 farmers were affected by unseasonal rains and hailstorms, it said. ''Since April 9, unseasonal rains and hailstorms claimed the lives of 10 people, while as many others were injured. The highest number of three deaths occurred in Beed, followed by two each in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Parbhani and Latur districts, while one death was reported in Hingoli,'' the report added. As many as 152 animals, including 117 milch animals, lost their lives in the unseasonal rains, it said. These showers also caused large-scale damage to irrigated land, 700.60 hectares of non-irrigated land, 3,231.20 hectares of orchards, and fruit crops spread over 1,325.06 hectares. Beed district witnessed the maximum loss with 1,693.80 hectares of land, the report said.

Bombay High Court rejects claims of widow asking for COVID-19 compensation

The petition was filed by a woman from Nanded who claimed that her husband was a government employee and had passed away during the COVID-19 pandemic while performing a task

Friends are foes and foes have turned friends in Maharashtra`s electoral battle

An illustration of this was on display at Union minister Amit Shah`s rally in Nanded on Thursday where former chief minister Ashok Chavan and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Pratap Patil Chikhalikar shared the stage

Friends are foes and foes have turned friends in Maharashtra's electoral battle

Friends are foes and foes have turned friends in Maharashtra's electoral battle With parties breaking up and new alliances forming, Maharashtra is seeing head-spinning political realignments in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections where one-time colleagues have become rivals, and enemies have become allies. An illustration of this was on display at Union minister Amit Shah's rally in Nanded on Thursday where former chief minister Ashok Chavan and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Pratap Patil Chikhalikar shared the stage. Chikhalikar, then the MLA of undivided Shiv Sena from Loha in Latur district, joined the BJP in 2019 and went on to defeat sitting Congress MP Ashok Chavan from Nanded, a Congress bastion, in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections. Modi, at a campaign rally then, had targeted Chavan over the Adarsh society scam, while then chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had said Chavan was a ''dealer and not a leader.'' Chavan joined the BJP in February this year, and became its Rajya Sabha member. He is now campaigning for Chikhalikar and other BJP candidates in the Marathwada region. Shrirang Barne of the Shiv Sena defeated Parth Pawar, NCP leader Ajit Pawar's son, in the Maval Lok Sabha constituency in 2019. It was the first time a member of Sharad Pawar's extended family tasted electoral defeat. Come 2024, and Ajit Pawar -- who parted ways with his uncle to join hands with the BJP last year -- and his Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) are campaigning for Barne. On his part, Barne no longer owes allegiance to Uddhav Thackeray; he is now with the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Ajit Pawar is now Shinde's deputy in the state government. Ajit Pawar is said to have persuaded Amol Kolhe, a popular television and film actor who was then with the undivided Shiv Sena, to cross over to the NCP and contest against sitting Shiv Sena MP Shivajirao Adhalrao-Patil in Shirur Lok Sabha constituency in 2019. Kolhe defeated Adhalrao-Patil. Kolhe is now with the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP). In the seat-sharing arrangement of the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP 'Mahayuti' alliance, Shirur seat went to Ajit Pawar, and with the intention of defeating Kolhe, he inducted Adhalrao Patil into the NCP. Now Ajit Pawar would be campaigning against Kolhe, his former protege. In Mumbai South-Central constituency, Rahul Shewale, two-time MP of the undivided Shiv Sena, is pitted against Anil Desai of the Shiv Sena (UBT). Shewale joined the Shinde-led Shiv Sena when the party split in 2022. Desai, a close aide of Uddhav Thackeray, is largely known as a backroom warrior. After his Rajya Sabha term ended, Desai is making his debut in electoral contest against his former colleague. In a further twist, Desai will be banking on the support of Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad whose father, late Eknath Gaikwad had been defeated by Shewale in the 2014 Lok Sabha contest. In Baramati, two members of the Pawar family are facing off. Ajit Pawar used to manage his cousin Supriya Sule's election campaigns in the past. Now the NCP led by him has fielded his wife Sunetra Pawar against Supriya Sule, the three-time MP. The battle has caused fissures in Ajit's immediate family too as his younger brother Shrinivas and his family have come out in Sule's support. In Beed, the BJP replaced sitting MP Pritam Munde with her elder sister and former state minister Pankaja Munde as candidate. Pankaja was defeated by her estranged cousin and NCP leader Dhananjay Munde in the 2019 assembly polls. Dhananjay Munde is now in the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, and he would be campaigning for Pankaja, candidate of the ruling alliance. In coastal Raigad, Sunil Tatkare of the NCP defeated long-time Shiv Sena MP Anant Geete by a narrow margin in 2019. Congress had then backed Tatkare as it was in alliance with Sharad Pawar's party. Now, Tatkare is with Ajit Pawar's NCP, while Geete has stayed with Uddhav Thackeray's faction after the Shiv Sena split, and he has Congress and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) by his side. ''Before Devendra Fadnavis engineered splits in the Shiv Sena and NCP, both were family parties. Now the election has turned into a Mahabharat battle,'' senior journalist and political commentator Prakash Akolkar told PTI. ''While family members are fighting each other, they are also helping erstwhile enemies,'' he said.

Setback for BJP in Madha as Dhairyasheel Mohite Patil quits party ahead of LS polls

Setback for BJP in Madha as Dhairyasheel Mohite Patil quits party ahead of LS polls In a big blow to Maharashtra's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unit, Dhairyasheel Mohite Patil resigned from the party. He represented the Madha Lok Sabha constituency. According to reports, upset over not getting the ticket in the upcoming elections, he sent his resignation to BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule. The BJP chose sitting MP Ranjit Singh Naik Nimbalkar over him for the Madha seat. On Thursday, Patil met Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) party chief Sharad Pawar in Pune. The Madha constituency was formed in 2009 after delimitation and Sharad Pawar was the first Lok Sabha member elected from Madha in 2009. Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second-largest after Uttar Pradesh. The Lok Sabha polls will be held in the state in five phases from April 19 to May 20. In the first phase on April 19, Ramtek, Nagpur, Bhandara-Gondiya, Gadchiroli-Chimur, and Chandrapur will go to polls. Buldhana, Akola, Amravati, Wardha, Yavatmal-Washim, Hingoli, Nanded, and Parbhani will vote in the second phase on April 26. Raigad, Baramati, Osmanabad, Latur, Solapur, Madha, Sangli, Satara, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, and Kolhapur will vote in the third phase on May 7. Polling will be held across Nandurbhar, Jalgaon, Raver, Jalna, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maval, Pune, Shirur, Ahmednagar, Beed, and Shirdi in the fourth phase on May 13. Dhule, Dindori, Nashik, Palghar, Kalyan, Thane, Mumbai North, Mumbai North-West, Mumbai North-East, Mumbai North-Central, Mumbai South and Mumbai South-Central will vote in the final phase on May 20. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 23 out of 25 seats it contested in alliance with the undivided Shiv Sena. Votes will be counted on June 4. (ANI)

Lok Sabha polls | MVA a directionless autorickshaw, says Amit Shah at Nanded rally

Home Minister Amit Shah criticised the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, claiming it would break apart owing to internal contradictions after the Lok Sabha election

Amit Shah: MVA Government resembles an auto-rickshaw with mismatching spare parts, set to fail

Amit Shah: MVA Government resembles an auto-rickshaw with mismatching spare parts, set to fail Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition of the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) and Congress in Maharashtra was like an ''auto-rickshaw with mismatching spare parts'', and it will fail to perform. Speaking at a campaign rally for BJP candidate and sitting local MP Pratap Patil Chikhalikar at Naigaon in Nanded district of central Maharashtra, he also said that in the BJP-led NDA, voters have a strong nationalist option available. Former Congress leader Ashok Chavan who was Nanded MP from 2014 to 2019 (before being defeated by Chikhalikar in 2019), and who joined the BJP earlier this year, was also present on stage. ''There is a pseudo-Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray, pseudo-NCP of Sharad Pawar and a leftover Congress in Maharashtra. These three parties are like an autorickshaw with mismatching spare parts. How will it ever perform and do anything good for Maharashtra?'' the BJP leader asked. ''Such autorickshaws do not even have any direction, and no future. This (alliance) is going to sink for sure after the elections,'' he added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the Indian economy from the 11th position in the world in 2014 to the fifth position, he said, adding that if Modi gets another term, he will make India the third largest economy. ''Every vote given to Chikhalikar will also strengthen Modi's chances of becoming prime minister for the third time,'' Shah said. The Union home minister also claimed that it was thanks to the BJP that Aurangabad in central Maharashtra was renamed as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and Osmanabad as Dharashiv. ''Late (Shiv Sena founder) Balasaheb Thackeray used to demand renaming of Aurangabad district as Sambhajinagar, and Sharad Pawar always opposed it. Now, the Shiv Sena-BJP government changed the name, but there is no smile on Uddhav Thackeray's face,'' he quipped. As prime minister, Manmohan Singh remained silent when terrorists from Pakistan attacked the country, while Modi conducted surgical strikes in response to such attacks, Shah said. ''Anyone from Pakistan used to come to our country, carry out a terror attack, and return. Manmohan Singh would never utter a single word against it. After Modi became prime minister, he saw the Kashmir issue from a different perspective. The (terror) attacks of Uri and Pulwama did happen, but within ten days of each attack, a surgical strike and air strike were carried out by entering Pakistan and killing hundreds of terrorists,'' the Union minister said. Modi gave a message to the world that no one can mess with India's soldiers and its borders, he added. Congress ''nurtured Article 370 (which gave a special status to Jammu & Kashmir) as an illegitimate child for 70 years,'' the minister said, adding that PM Modi, on August 5, 2019, abrogated it and ''made Jammu & Kashmir an integral part of the country.'' Naxalism was a major problem in Maharashtra, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, Shah said, claiming that prime minister Modi ''uprooted'' it from these states. Accusing the Congress of stalling the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, he said in the last five years, the (Supreme Court) judgement on the issue came, groundbreaking ceremony for the temple took place, and Ram Lalla's consecration was also completed. ''After 500 years of waiting, Ram Lalla will celebrate his birthday on April 17 (on Ram Navami) in the huge temple, not in a tent,'' the Union minister said. Shah also targeted Congress party for `not respecting' the invitation to attend the consecration ceremony held in January. ''I can understand Congress' stand on not solving the Ram temple issue, as it would have feared losing its vote bank. But when Congress leaders were invited to attend the consecration ceremony, nobody attended it. They even ousted their leaders who wished to attend the ceremony,'' he claimed. Seeking votes for the BJP candidate, Shah said Maharashtra can progress only at the hands of PM Modi, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis. Notably, Shah did not mention NDA ally and another deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar. Both Ajit Pawar and Shinde were not present at the rally. Chikhalikar is facing Congress' Vasant Chavan in Nanded constituency.

Good atmosphere in country, we are going to cross 400 seats in Lok Sabha polls: Amit Shah at Nanded rally in Maharashtra.

Good atmosphere in country, we are going to cross 400 seats in Lok Sabha polls: Amit Shah at Nanded rally in Maharashtra. Good atmosphere in country, we are going to cross 400 seats in Lok Sabha polls: Amit Shah at Nanded rally in Maharashtra.

Over 1.50 lakh new voters added in eight LS seats of Maharashtra

Over 1.50 lakh new voters added in eight LS seats of Maharashtra More than 1.52 lakh new voters have been registered in eight out of total 48 Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra in the latest round of electoral roll revision, in which the number of new women voters was more than their male counterparts, officials said. In this special drive conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI), as many as 82,658 new female voters were registered as against the 69,652 new male voters in these eight constituencies - Buldhana, Akola, Amravati, Wardha, Yavatmal-Washim, Hingoli, Nanded, and Parbhani. However, the total number of female voters across these eight segments is way below the count of male voters. There are 53,99,057 female voters as against the 77,21,374 male voters. There are 432 voters registered as transgenders, an official statement issued by the chief electoral office of Maharashtra. These eight constituencies will go to polls in the second phase on May 7. With the addition of voters during the special drive of the ECI conducted between January 23 and April 4, the number of electorates rose by 1,52,330. This took the number of voters in these eight seats to 1,49,25,912. ''Earlier, the ECI used to close its voter registration in January, while the actual campaign commences once the candidates are finalized. The candidates and their teams make efforts like de-cluttering the voters' list, contacting potential voters, among others,'' an official from the chief electoral office said. A political party functionary working for a Lok Sabha poll candidate said, ''With the new provision of the ECI to allow registration of voters beyond January 25, the potential candidates and their teams took extra efforts to complete the registration process of the potential voters, who are otherwise averse to visit the government office and get their names registered.'' The official further said, this permission (for voter registration) turned out to be a win-win situation for voters as well as for candidates. ''The candidates can take credit for helping potential voters in getting their names enrolled in the voters' list and also expect his or her vote for themselves. So in addition to the ECI's routine exercise, such a move also increases the enrolment of voters,'' the official added.

Weather update: IMD issues rainfall, thunderstorm, heatwaves alert in these states, check state-wise forecast

IMD predicts rainfall in parts of Maharashtra like Akola, Amravati, Wardha, Yavatmal, Nanded, and Hingoli on Wednesday.

MVA seals poll pact in Maharashtra; Sena (UBT) gets 21 seats

Mumbai: The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi on Tuesday announced its seat-sharing formula for the Lok Sabha polls with the Shiv Sena (UBT) getting the major chunk of 21 seats, while the Congress will contest 17 seats and the NCP (SP) 10. The Congress gave up its claim on the contentious Sangli and Bhiwandi seats, which will now be contested by the Sena (UBT) and the NCP (SP), respectively. While the Sena (UBT) said the goal of the alliance was to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress said it has decided to be large-hearted to achieve this objective. NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray and state Congress president Nana Patole announced the poll pact for the 48 parliamentary seats in the state after weeks of hectic negotiations. Addressing a press conference at 'Shivalaya', the Shiv Sena (UBT) office in south Mumbai, party head and former state chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said the seat-sharing deal has been reached and in an alliance, winning is important and defeating the BJP is the goal. When victory against the BJP is the larger goal, we have to set aside certain differences, he said when asked about the Shiv Sena (UBT) refusing to give Sangli seat to the Congress. Thackeray said there was a strange coincidence of surya grahan (solar eclipse), amavasya (new moon) and the BJP rally on the same day (Monday). Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech yesterday was not that of a prime minister. When we respond, please don't take it as an insult of the prime minister. Our criticism will be about a leader of a corrupt party, Thackeray said to a query on Modi referring to his party as fake Shiv Sena. It is not right for a leader of the party of extortionists to call us fake, he said. The BJP is a party of extortionists and this was seen after the electoral bonds scam was exposed, Thackeray claimed. Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole said his party has decided to be large-hearted to achieve the final goal of defeating PM Modi and the BJP. The Congress workers will fight the BJP and ensure victory of the MVA candidates in Sangli and Bhiwandi, he said. Our workers will never forget how the BJP ill-treated our leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, he said. Patole said the parties of Thackeray and Sharad Pawar were hijacked by rebels. Leaders of both the original parties are with us and Modi calls the Uddhav Thackeray-led party as fake Shiv Sena, he said. As part of the deal, the Shiv Sena (UBT) has got Jalgaon, Parbhani, Nashik, Palghar, Kalyan, Thane, Raigad, Maval, Osmanabad, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, Buldhana, Hathkanangkale, Aurangabad, Shirdi, Sangli, Hingoli, Yavatmal-Washim, Mumbai South, Mumbai South Central, Mumbai North West and Mumbai North East seats. The Congress has got Nandurbar, Dhule, Akola, Amravati, Nagpur, Bhandara-Gondia, Gadchiroli-Chimur, Chandrapur, Nanded, Jalna, Mumbai North Central, Mumbai North, Pune, Latur, Solapur, Kolhapur and Ramtek seats. The NCP(SP) will contest Baramati, Shirur, Satara, Bhiwandi, Dindori, Madha, Raver, Wardhan, Ahmednagar South and Beed seats. The Lok Sabha polls will be held in the state in five phases from April 19 to May 20.

MVA Seat Sharing: Sena to get 21 seats, Congress 17 and NCP 10, say reports

Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena is set to fight on 21 out of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in upcoming elections, with Congress fighting on 17 and Nationalist Congress Party getting the remaining 10. Of the four contentious seats, Shiv Sena will retain Sangli, while Congress will get Mumbai North. Besides Mumbai North, some of the main seats fought by Congress Party are Nandurbar, Dhule, Akola, Amaravati, Nagpur, Chandrapur, Nanded, Jalna, Mumbai North Central, Pune, Latur, Solapur and Kolhapur. Seat sharing talks among the three allies were thrown into disarray when Shiv Sena announced candidates to 21 out of the 48 seats, including seats such as Sangli, Mumbai South Central and Mumbai North West, which were also eyed by the Congress. The front was formed in Maharashtra, India after Shiv Sena and its ally Bharatiya Janata Party could not come to an understanding on sharing power, particularly with regard to the issue of rotating the post of chief minister. As a result, Shiv Sena -- led by Uddhav Thackeray, walked away from the decades-old alliance and tied up with its long-time rivals Indian National Congress and Nationalist Congress Party or NCP. While the government so formed was not expected to last very long, it surprisingly survived for three years, and was brought down by a rebellion led by Shiv Sena leader from Thane, Eknath Shinde. Another split, this time in NCP, further enriched the new, BJP-led alliance later that year. This was led by Ajit Pawar, the nephew of party president Sharad Pawar. Eventually, the speaker of the Maharashtra assembly recognized the breakaway group of Shiv Sena as the real Shiv Sena.

LS elections: 1,210 candidates to contest across 13 states going for polls in phase two

The least number of 14 nominations were received from one constituency in Tripura, while Nanded seat in Maharashtra received a maximum of 92 nominations, the poll authority said. A total of 2,633 nominations were filed for 88 constituencies across 12 states and UTs going for polls in phase two.

Lok Sabha: 204 candidates in the fray for 8 Maharashtra seats that will go to polls on Apr 26

Lok Sabha: 204 candidates in the fray for 8 Maharashtra seats that will go to polls on Apr 26 A total of 204 candidates are in the fray for eight Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra that will go to polls in the second phase on April 26, an official said on Monday. Monday was the last date for withdrawal of nominations, he added. ''There were 299 valid nominations. Of these 204 remain in the fray in Buldhana, Akola, Amravati, Wardha, Yavatmal-Washim, Hingoli, Nanded and Parbhani,'' he said. In Parbhani, seven candidates withdrew their nomination forms, leaving 34 contestants in the fray, an official said. Ruling alliance candidate Mahadev Jankar, who is also president of Rashtriya Samaj Paksha, has been allotted the symbol 'whistle', he added. Jankar will take on MP Sanjay Jadhav of the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Panjabrao Dakh (Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi).

Maharashtra LS polls: 299 candidates for eight seats that will vote on Apr 26

The nomination forms of 299 candidates for eight Maharashtra Lok Sabha seats are valid, with 352 candidates submitting their forms. The eight seats are in Buldhana, Akola, Amravati, Wardha, Yavatmal-Washim, Hingoli, Nanded, and Parbhani. The last date for withdrawal of nominations is April 8.

Service extended for Erode-Nanded special trains

More than 600 villages depend on tankers amid water shortage in Marathwada

More than 600 villages depend on tankers amid water shortage in Marathwada More than 600 villages and 178 hamlets are dependent on tankers amid water shortage in the Marathwada region, an official said on Friday. According to a report from the revenue department, the number of villages dependent on water tankers has increased by 168 in the last 10 days. The region now has 979 tankers catering to the water needs of 637 villages and 178 hamlets, it stated. There is acute water scarcity in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, where 269 villages and 48 hamlets are dependent on tankers, followed by 201 villages and 55 hamlets in Jalna, and 122 villages and 75 hamlets in Beed, it said. Tankers are also ferrying water to 37 villages in Dharashiv and eight villages in Latur, the report said. As per the report, there were no tanker-dependent villages in Nanded, Parbhani and Hingoli districts.

352 candidates file nominations for eight LS seats in Maharashtra going to polls on April 26

352 candidates file nominations for eight LS seats in Maharashtra going to polls on April 26 As many as 352 candidates, including those from major parties like the BJP and the Congress, have filed their nominations for the eight Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra that will vote in the second phase on April 26, said an official in the state electoral office on Thursday. These contestants have submitted a total of 477 nominations (meaning some of them have filed more than one set of papers), he said. Thursday (April 4) was the last day of filing nominations for the seats in the state covered in the second round of polling. These nominations will now be scrutinised and the last date of withdrawal of candidature is April 8. The Lok Sabha constituencies that will go to polls in the second phase are Buldhana, Akola, Wardha, Amravati, Yavatmal-Washim, Hingoli, Nanded and Parbhani -- spread across Vidarbha and Marathwada regions of the state. The Nanded Lok Sabha constituency has received 92 nominations from 74 candidates, the highest among the eight seats, while Wardha has got 38 nominations from 27 contestants, the lowest, said the official. Maharashtra, which has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second highest after Uttar Pradesh (80), will vote in five phases starting from April 19.

Ambedkar-led VBA fields Vasant More in Pune, supports Sule in Baramati

Ambedkar-led VBA fields Vasant More in Pune, supports Sule in Baramati The Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) led by Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar on Tuesday announced former MNS leader Vasant More as its candidate for the Pune Lok Sabha constituency. The VBA, whose talks for seat-sharing with the opposition's Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra fell through last month, also declared candidates for Nanded (Avinash Bosikar), Parbhani (Babasaheb Ugle), Aurangabad (Afsar Khan) and Shirur (Mangaldas Bagul). In Baramati, it will support the candidate of NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar), the VBA said. NCP (SP) has fielded sitting MP and Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule from Baramati. Vasant More, who recently quit the Raj Thackeray-led MNS, had met Ambedkar and expressed the wish to contest from Pune where the BJP's Murlidhar Mohol would be taking on the Congress's Ravindra Dhangekar.

United Spirits gets tax demand for Rs 5.51 crore

United Spirits Ltd confronts a Rs 5.51 crore tax demand for failure to submit forms and proofs. Deputy Commissioner of State Tax, Nanded, imposed the demand post-merger. The company plans rectification or appeal, foreseeing no financial impact.

Ambedkar targets Patole: 'Some leaders of Cong have secret links with BJP?

Ambedkar targets Patole: 'Some leaders of Cong have secret links with BJP? Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) leader Prakash Ambedkar on Sunday claimed Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole refused to contest Lok Sabha election from Bhandara-Gondiya seat as he was not keen to fight against the BJP. Addressing a press conference, Ambedkar asked if some leaders and workers in Congress have a ''secret relationship'' with the saffron party in Nagpur and other seats. He also wondered if there is ''match-fixing'' for Nanded constituency between Patole and BJP leader Ashok Chavan, a former Congressman. ''Nana Patole withdrew himself from the Bhandara-Gondiya contest even after Congress asked him to fight elections. It seems Patole doesn't want to fight against the BJP. Does it mean that some leaders of Congress have a secret relationship with BJP leaders?'' he asked. Ambedkar-led VBA recently decided against aligning with Maha Vikas Aghadi for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections following a disagreement over the sharing of seats. The Congress has fielded Prashant Padole against sitting Bhandara-Gondiya MP Sunil Mendhe of BJP. Ambedkar further claimed Patole was saddened due to the support extended by VBA to Congress in the Nagpur constituency, where Union minister and BJP MP Nitin Gadkari is in the fray. ''Nana Patole is feeling sad as he thinks Gadkari will lose. He is not feeling happy that the Congress candidate will win in Nagpur because of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi's support. I wonder whether Patole is with Congress or with Gadkari,'' Ambedkar claimed. He also hinted at ''match-fixing'' in Nanded constituency between Ashok Chavan and Patole. ''The Congress candidate for Nanded is on dialysis and cannot work around the constituency,'' he added.

Ex-Union home minister and Cong veteran Shivraj Patil's daughter-in-law Archana joins BJP

MUMBAI: Archana Patil, the daughter-in-law of senior Congress leader and former Union home minister Shivraj Patil joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. She joined the BJP in the presence of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the BJP's state unit president Chandrashekhar Bawankule in Mumbai. Shivraj Patil, who hails from Latur in Marathwada region of Maharashtra, was Union home minister during the UPA-I government, but stepped down in the wake of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. Prior to that, he had also served as the Lok Sabha Speaker. Karnataka BJP leader Tejaswini Gowda joins Congress ahead of LS polls Speaking on the occasion, Fadnavis said Archana Patil has been associated with social work and her joining the BJP will help the party in Latur and the Marathwada region. The move is also being viewed as the BJP's efforts to bolster its prospects in the Marathwada region. Last month, former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan, a heavyweight hailing from Nanded region of Marathwada, also joined the BJP. Archana Patil said she has been associated with social work for the last two decades and decided to choose the BJP for politics.

Ex-Union home minister and Cong veteran Shivraj Patil's daughter-in-law joins BJP

Ex-Union home minister and Cong veteran Shivraj Patil's daughter-in-law joins BJP Archana Patil, the daughter-in-law of senior Congress leader and former Union home minister Shivraj Patil joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. She joined the BJP in the presence of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the BJP's state unit president Chandrashekhar Bawankule in Mumbai. Shivraj Patil, who hails from Latur in Marathwada region of Maharashtra, was Union home minister during the UPA-I government, but stepped down in the wake of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. Prior to that, he had also served as the Lok Sabha Speaker. Speaking on the occasion, Fadnavis said Archana Patil has been associated with social work and her joining the BJP will help the party in Latur and the Marathwada region. The move is also being viewed as the BJP's efforts to bolster its prospects in the Marathwada region. Last month, former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan, a heavyweight hailing from Nanded region of Marathwada, also joined the BJP. Archana Patil said she has been associated with social work for the last two decades and decided to choose the BJP for politics.

Erstwhile broad-gauge rail network of SCRs Nanded Division fully electrified

Nearly 500 villages, 150 hamlets in Marathwada tanker dependent: Report

Nearly 500 villages, 150 hamlets in Marathwada tanker dependent: Report Nearly 250 villages in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in Maharashtra's Marathwada region are tanker dependent due to lack of water following poor monsoon, an official said. Quoting a report of the divisional commissioner, he said, as on March 26, the number of tanker dependent villages in the region was 497, while the figure for hamlets was 150. ''The number of villages dependent on tankers in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar is 245 and the hamlets stand at 45. Of the 763 tankers plying in Marathwada's eight districts, a total of 385 are in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar,'' he said. ''In Jalna, there are 148 tanker dependent villages and 55 hamlets. A total of 235 tankers are being used to supply water. The figure is 80 villages and 50 hamlets in Beed, while the number of tankers is 93,'' he added quoting the report. In Dharashiv, 42 tankers are supplying water to 22 villages, while eight tankers are plying in seven villages in Latur, he added. As per the report from the divisional commissioner, there are no tanker dependent villages in Nanded, Parbhani and Hingoli districts.

VBA to announce decision regarding Maha Vikas Aghadi on Mar 27

Mumbai, Mar 26 (PTI) Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) will clear its stand on whether to join the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi or not on Wednesday. The working committee of VBA will hold a meeting on Tuesday night, and our chief Prakash Ambedkar will announce a decision on Wednesday at his home district Akola regarding whether to join hands with the MVA or not, Siddharth Mokle, chief spokesperson and state vice president of VBA, told reporters. The Maha Vikas Aghadi comprises the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar). Notably, the VBA has been trying hard to forge an alliance with the MVA to challenge the BJP-led NDA. Mokle claimed a false picture is being portrayed to show that VBA was responsible for the delay by MVA in finalising a seat-sharing formula for Lok Sabha elections. The VBA was constantly making statements and informing its supporters about the progress in the seat-sharing formula. The MVA constituents have a dispute over 15 parliamentary constituencies. While Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) are at loggerheads in 10 seats, all three parties have staked claims on the remaining five seats, he added. The VBA had damaged the prospects of UPA candidates in Nanded, Solapur, Hatkanangale, Beed, Parbhani and Sangli seats, to name a few, in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, which ultimately helped NDA. PTI ND NSK Disclaimer: This article is published from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Deccan Chronicle team

Water level in 750 minor irrigation projects in Marathwada at 12.92 pc, down from 34.28 pc last year

CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJINAGAR: The water level in 750 minor irrigation projects in Maharashtra's Marathwada region stood at 12.92 per cent, down from 34.28 per cent at this time last year, an official said on Monday. The irrigation department released a report on water levels in 750 projects in eight Marathwada districts of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Beed, Hingoli, Dharashiv, Latur, Beed and Parbhani as on March 22. Water storage stands at 210.91 million cubic metres (MCM), which is 12.92 per cent of capacity, in Marathwada. On March 22 last year, the water storage was 578.06 MCM, or 34.28 per cent of total capacity. The water level has come down from 34.28 per cent to 12.92 per cent, a drop of 21.36 per cent, the report stated. The lowest is in Jalna, with just 2,40 MCM water in 57 projects, which is 1.42 per cent of storage capacity. The highest storage, at 36.09 per cent, is in 80 irrigation projects in Nanded district, the report added. District-wise minor irrigation projects and their storage: Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar- 13.37 pc Jalna- 1.42 pc Beed- 10:49 pc Latur- 11.83 pc Dharashiv- 9.34 pc Nanded- 36.09 pc Parbhani- 9.62 pc Hingoli- 21.14 pc.

SAD's core committee spells out key issues for LS polls

SAD's core committee spells out key issues for LS polls Shiromani Akali Dal's core committee on Friday spelt out the issues, policies, and principles on which it will go to the people of Punjab to seek a mandate in the Lok Sabha polls, said a statement. ''The party will continue to put principles above politics and it will never deviate from its historic role as a champion of the interests of 'Khalsa Panth', all minorities as well as all Punjabis,'' the party statement said, quoting a resolution at the meeting here this evening. ''At the same time, we will continue to devote all our energies towards preserving the atmosphere of peace and communal harmony on the basis of the vision of 'Sarbat da Bhala' (blessings for all),'' it said. ''As the sole representatives of Sikhs and of all Punjabis, the party will continue its fight for more powers and genuine autonomy to the states. We have never compromised on these interests nor will let its vigil down on these in future,'' said a resolution passed at a special meeting of the core committee which was presided by party president Sukhbir Singh Badal. Polling for 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab will be held on June 1. SAD, which snapped ties with the BJP over the now repealed farm laws. There has been speculation that the two parties might revive their old alliance ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The resolution further urged the Union government to honour its ''categorical written commitment'' for the release of 'Bandi Singhs' who had completed their terms, said the statement. ''These commitments were made in the august presence of Sri Guru Granth Sahib on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev ji over five years ago,'' said the resolution. The SAD and the SGPC have been demanding the release of 'Bandi Singhs' (Sikh prisoners), which they claim are lodged in different prisons despite having completed their jail sentences. The resolution further said the SAD would continue to champion the cause of the farmers and farm labourers and said that all promises made to them must be fulfilled. ''SAD is the largest representative democratic organisation of the farmers and has always been in the forefront of fighting for their interests,'' it said. ''The resolution condemned the conspiracies to break the SGPC by setting up a separate gurdwara committee for Haryana. We also condemn attempts to usurp control of the DSGMC, Takhat Sri Huzoor Sahib, Nanded and Takhat Sri Patna Sahib,'' it said. The SAD core committee also called for the opening of the Attari and Ferozepur borders to facilitate trade through the land route with other countries, as Punjab is a landlocked State and faces massive handicaps in this regard. The committee said it stands for human rights and is against the misuse of draconian black laws like the National Security Act. ''These measures were opposed by us even during the Emergency. Most patriotic leaders like (late) Sardar Parkash Singh Badal were also subjected to laws like the NSA by successive Congress regimes,'' it said. It also strongly opposed ''any attempts to dilute, in letter or in spirit, the constitution of India as framed by Babasaheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar''.

Cong's 3rd list of LS poll candidates: Adhir from Berhampore, Kharge's son-in-law from Gulbarga

Cong's 3rd list of LS poll candidates: Adhir from Berhampore, Kharge's son-in-law from Gulbarga The Congress on Thursday released its third list of 56 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, fielding Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury from Berhampore, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge's son-in-law Radhakrishna from Gulbarga and former Union minister Sushilkumar Shinde's daughter Praniti Shinde from Solapur. The Congress has left the Sikar constituency in Rajasthan for the Communist Party of India (Marxist). With this, the party has declared a total of 138 candidates for the Lok Sabha polls. In its third list, the Congress has declared candidates for two seats in Arunachal Pradesh, 11 in Gujarat, 17 in Karnataka, seven in Maharashtra, five in Rajasthan, five in Telangana, eight in West Bengal and one in Puducherry. Former Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Nabam Tuki has been fielded from Arunachal West. In Gujarat, the party has named Sonal Patel from Gandhinagar, Prabhaben Taviyad from Dahod (ST) and Nilesh Kumbani from Surat, among others. Kharge's son-in-law and the children of five ministers figure in the second list of 17 candidates for Karnataka announced by the Congress. It has fielded Priyanka Jarkiholi from Chikkodi, Radhakrishna from Gulbarga (SC), Vinod Asooti from Dharwad, M Rajeev Gowda from Bangalore North, Sowmya Reddy from Bangalore South, Mansoor Ali Khan from Bangalore Central and state minister Lakshmi Ravindra Hebbalkar's son Mrunal Ravindra Hebbalkar from Belguam, among others. The Congress has fielded Shahu Shahaji Chhatrapati, a descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji, from Kolhapur in Maharashtra. It has also fielded Vasantrao Chavan from Nanded and Ravindra Hemraj Dhangekar from Pune. In Telangana, the party has fielded Sunitha Mahender Reddy from Malkajgiri, Danam Nagender from Secunderabad, Gaddam Vamsi Krishna from Peddapalle (SC), Gaddam Rajith Reddy from Chevella and Mallu Ravi from Nagarkurnool (SC). In Rajasthan, the Congress has fielded Sunil Sharma from Jaipur, Sangeeta Beniwal from Pali, Urmila Jain Bhaya from Jhalawar-Baran. The party has again fielded Chowdhury from Berhampore, setting up the much-anticipated clash between the veteran Congress leader and cricketer-turned-politician Yusuf Pathan, who has been fielded by the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal. In West Bengal, the Congress has also fielded Pradip Bhattacharya from Kolkata North, Mostaque Alam from Maldaha North, Ali Imran Ramz (Victor) from Raiganj, Mohammed Murtoja Hossain (Bokul) from Jangipur, Nepal Mahato from Purulia and Milton Rashid from Birbhum. The party has renominated its incumbent MP from Puducherry, Ve Vaithilingam. Also, the Congress has fielded Isha Khan Choudhury, son of Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury, from Maldaha South. Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury is the incumbent MP from the seat. Earlier, the Congress had announced 82 candidates in two lists for the seven-phase Lok Sabha polls beginning April 19.

Maha: Chhatrapati Shrimant Shahu Maharaj in Congress list of 7 nominees for LS polls

Mumbai, March 21 (IANS) The Congress has fielded Chhatrapati Shrimant Shahu Maharaj from Kolhapur and Praniti Sushilkumar Shinde from Solapur (SC) Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra of the 7 candidates announced on Thursday. The other Parliamentary candidates are Nandurbar (ST) Gowaal K. Padavi; Amravati (SC) Balwant B. Wankhede; Nanded Vasantrao B. []