Mumbai: Based on profiling, AIU officers maintained discreet surveillance on a transit passenger who had arrived from Dubai to Mumbai and was scheduled to depart for Male.

About The Operation

During this operation, officers observed the transit passenger handing over an item to a private airport staff, immediately both the staff member and the transit passenger were intercepted by the officers. A personal search of the private airport staff revealed the concealment of 24 KT gold dust in wax form (12 pieces), with a gross weight of 3.976 kg and provisional net weight of 3.800 kg, and provisionally valued at ₹2.714 Crore.

The gold dust was hidden inside transparent self-sealing pouches and placed in the pockets of the pants worn by the private airport staff. During questioning, the private airport staff admitted that the gold had been handed over by the same transit passenger who had been under AIU surveillance. Both individuals were arrested under the Customs Act of 1962.

TMC Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale on Monday attacked the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) over reports suggesting a potential “tweak” in the Ladki Bahin scheme, which had been credited with the resounding victory of the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance in the state Assembly elections.

Referring to a news report in a post on X, Gokhale remarked, “It’s not even been 2 days since the Maharashtra results, and the BJP-led alliance is already preparing to break its manifesto promise.”

TMC Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale on Monday attacked the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) over reports suggesting a potential “tweak” in the Ladki Bahin scheme, which had been credited with the resounding victory of the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance in the state Assembly elections.

Shortly after the Assembly election results were declared, the Maharashtra government is now finding it untenable to sustain the promised Rs 2,100 monthly payout under the Ladki Bahin scheme.

“This is ‘Modi ki Guarantee’ — float a ‘jumla’ during elections to deceive the people, and then plan to break the promise even before forming the government,” Gokhale alleged in his post.

However, the report does not indicate that bureaucrats are considering completely scrapping the scheme.

The scheme is projected to cost the upcoming government approximately Rs 33,000 crore between July 2024 and March 2025.

In the West Bengal Assembly bypolls, the TMC secured victory in all six seats that went to polls. The party’s national general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee, congratulated the winning candidates in a social media post and expressed gratitude to party workers for their dedication and hard work.

Pune: A viral video on the internet showed witty scenes of fun banter between Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister & NCP chief Ajit Pawar and his nephew Rohit Pawar, who was recently elected as the MLA of the Karjat-Jamkhed constituency.

During a program in Karad recently, Ajit Pawar and Rohit came face to face. The NCP chief humorously remarked to Rohit that if he had conducted a campaign rally there, the results would’ve been something else. Rohit, who touched Ajit Pawar’s feet during their meeting, was congratulated on his victory. Ajit jokingly added, “You were lucky this time.”

Rohit Clinches Karjat-Jamkhed Seat By Narrow Margin

Sharad Pawar’s grandson and Ajit Pawar’s nephew, Rohit Pawar, narrowly secured victory In the Karjat-Jamkhed constituency in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly Elections.

Rohit Pawar won the seat by a slim margin of 1,243 votes, defeating BJP’s Ram Shinde. Rohit received 1,27,676 votes, while Shinde secured 1,26,433. An independent candidate, Rohit Chandrakant, garnered 3,489 votes. The election saw a close contest, with reports during the final counting rounds initially suggesting Rohit might lose. However, a recount confirmed his win. A total of 11 candidates contested from this seat.

Power Shift In Karjat-Jamkhed After Pawar’s Entry

Historically, the Karjat-Jamkhed constituency has been a BJP stronghold. Before Rohit’s victory in 2019, the BJP dominated this seat for five consecutive terms. Sadasiv Lokhande won thrice in 1995, 2000 and 2005, while Ram Shinde triumphed in 2009 and 2014. However, Rohit Pawar’s entry in 2019 dismantled this long-standing dominance, marking a shift in political influence in the region.

Rohit, a third-generation politician, comes from a family deeply rooted in politics. He is the grandson of Dinkarrao Govindrao Pawar, elder brother of NCP Chief Sharad Pawar. His opponent, Ram Shinde, is a seasoned politician who previously served as a Member of the Legislative Council and Maharashtra’s Water Conservation Minister. Shinde represented this seat in 2009 and 2014, further cementing his political experience.