Maharashtra
7 in fray for 6 Rajya Sabha seats amid ‘horse-trading’ fears in Maharashtra
With 7 candidates in the fray for 6 seats, the stage is set for elections to the Rajya Sabha from the state amid apprehensions of ‘horse-trading’ being voiced in different quarters, here on Friday.
The ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) failed to agree on withdrawing the so-called ‘extra’ candidate for the 6th seat, paving the way for the polls, scheduled on June 10.
A delegation of MVA comprising Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, Sunil Kedar and Anil Desai met Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis to explore and ensure unopposed election for the 6 candidates as has been the tradition for over two decades.
However, after the deadline for withdrawal of nominations ended this afternoon, 7 candidates are left in the race who will compete for the 6 seats in the polls.
The main contest will be between Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Pawar and BJP’s Dhananjay Mahadik — both from Kolhapur — and would be a test of credibility and strength for both sides to get their respective nominee elected.
Given the current arithmetic of the state legislative assembly, the Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party and Congress can easily get one elected and the BJP — which had three earlier, can get 2 elected.
With the help of Independents, smaller parties and the excess votes of their allies, both Sena and BJP are hoping to get their candidate elected for the 6th seat which is now being contested.
Sena’s Chief Spokesperson Sanjay Raut expressed regrets that the BJP did not honour the proposal to drop its nominee Mahadik to ensure unopposed elections, declared that the MVA will ensure all its four nominees are elected without any hassles.
BJP state president Chandrakant Patil also was confident of getting their third nominee (Mahadik) contending that the seat ‘belongs to the BJP’ and asked the Sena should withdraw its candidate.
NCP’s Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Sena and Congress leaders slammed the BJP for ‘forcing’ an election for the 6 Rajya Sabha seats rather than honouring the old norms of unopposed elections to the Upper House of Parliament.
“We are hearing that the BJP is preparing to throw money and threaten legislators with Central agencies to ensure their supporta That’s their style of politics, but we are fully confident of getting all our 4 candidates elected,” Raut said.
Patil denied the charges and said that they are not contacting any legislators from the ruling side, and claimed the BJP would overcome the requirements of around 10 votes needed to ensure Mahadik’s victory.
At one point, Patil urged the Sena to give up the RS seat since BJP is a national party and needed it more than a state party (Sena) which should focus on the upcoming Maharashtra Legislative Council elections where the BJP could give one seat in return.
It may be recalled that a royal scion from the Kolhapur throne, Yuvraj Chhatrapati Sambhajiraje had announced plans to contest the 6th Rajya Sabha seat as an independent, but after failing to get any commitments from either side, withdrew from the race last week.
Maharashtra
Kasturba Marg Police recover 100 stolen mobile phones, return them to their original owners

Acting on complaints regarding stolen and lost mobile phones within the jurisdiction of the Kasturba Marg Police Station in Mumbai, police analyzed data from the CEIR portal and conducted technical investigations. By verifying device details, IMEI numbers, and user information, officers from the Kasturba Marg Police Station tracked down and recovered a total of 100 mobile phones from locations across Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra.
The total estimated value of the 100 recovered mobile phones is ₹2,270,658. Of these, 18 phones have already been returned to their respective owners/complainants, including: 1) Rajendra Puri, 2) Khush Saw, 3) Kripa Lodhiya, 4) Shreya Satam, 5) Atul Sathe, 6) Priyanka Mistri, 7) Banu Tarang, 8) Prem Gupta, 9) Adya Shaikh, 10) Shweta Shah, 11) Sandhya Pandit, 12) Deepak Sawdekar, 13) Saurabh Jhangar, 14) Ketan Shete, 15) Onkar Raut, 16) Jayalal Yadav, 17) Lakshmi Appa Kripagiri, and 18) Praveen Dubey. The process of returning the remaining phones to their owners is currently underway.
This operation was carried out under the supervision of the DCP (North, Zone 3), Mumbai, by the team at Kasturba Marg Police Station, led by Balasaheb Bunkar.
Crime
CBI books Mumbai firm, officials in Rs 93.44 crore loan fraud case

Mumbai, Oct 3: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted searches at multiple premises in Mumbai and registered a Rs 93.44 crore bank fraud case against officials of Hanjer Biotech Energies on the complaint of Punjab National Bank, an official said on Saturday.
The CBI conducted searches on Friday at multiple premises linked to the directors of Hanjer Biotech Energies in Mumbai, the CBI said in a statement.
The CBI registered the instant case on September 30, 2026, on the complaint of Punjab National Bank, SAM Branch, Mumbai, against Hanjer Biotech Energies, its directors and guarantors, unknown public servants and unknown private persons.
The accused were booked for offences of criminal conspiracy for cheating and offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, resulting in alleged wrongful loss of approximately Rs 93.44 Crore to the bank.
It was alleged that the accused entered into a criminal conspiracy, obtained term loan of Rs 135 crore on the invoices of its related party and diverted/siphoned off the funds for other purposes for which it was not sanctioned, causing loss to the bank, the CBI said.
During the searches on Friday, incriminating bank documents and property documents relevant to the investigation were recovered and seized.
Investigation is continuing to ascertain the full extent of the conspiracy, identify the role of all involved persons, including public servants and private individuals, and trace the end-use of the loan funds, the CBI said.
In a separate case on Friday, the CBI arrested an Executive Engineer of the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), Mumbai, his relative and three officials of a Mumbai-based real estate group, in a Rs 50 lakh bribery case related to the issuance of a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) for a land parcel.
Vikrant Verma, Executive Engineer, CPWD Mumbai; Saurav Gupta, Verma’s relative based in Pune; and Arvind Semwal, Vice President, Baya Company, were among those named in the FIR by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday, an official said.
The arrested accused were produced before the Special CBI Judge in Mumbai on Friday, the official said in a statement.
Maharashtra
Monsoon Withdraws Further from Maharashtra; Hot and Humid Weather Alert Issued for Konkan Region

MUMBAI PRESS — The India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced on Saturday, October 3, 2026, that the Southwest Monsoon has withdrawn from parts of Maharashtra, as well as the remaining regions of North India, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh.
The current withdrawal line of the Southwest Monsoon passes through Harnai, Baramati, Parbhani, and Brahmapuri in Maharashtra, extending northeastward through Raipur, Ranchi, and Supaul. Weather officials stated that conditions are favorable for further retreat from most parts of Marathwada, Vidarbha, and additional areas of Madhya Maharashtra over the next 2 to 3 days.
Hot and Humid Stretch for Coastal Maharashtra
Residents in the coastal belt should prepare for elevated discomfort over the weekend. The IMD has issued a hot and humid weather warning for Konkan & Goa prevailing from October 3 through October 5.
Following this dry and muggy stretch, mild weather activity is expected to return to the region. Isolated to scattered rainfall is forecast across Konkan & Goa and Madhya Maharashtra between October 6 and October 9.
Southern and Northeastern Forecast
While monsoon forces retreat from central and northern parts of India, southern states are bracing for heavy downpours. Isolated heavy rainfall is predicted over Kerala, Mahe, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal from October 4 to October 6, with South Interior Karnataka expected to receive heavy spells on October 5 and 6.
In the northeast, isolated heavy rainfall is expected to continue over Assam, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh through October 3.
Advisory for Fishermen
Due to lower-tropospheric cyclonic circulations over the Arabian Sea, the IMD has urged fishermen not to venture into the sea along and off the Kerala coast, Lakshadweep, Maldives, and the Comorin area on October 3. Farmers in heavy rainfall zones have also been advised to ensure proper field drainage and move harvested crops to covered storage to prevent crop damage.
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