Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar-headed Election Commission of India (ECI) team will hold two-day discussions with various stakeholders and review the preparations for the upcoming Maharashtra Legislative Assembly election starting from Friday.

The team, which was welcomed by the state chief electoral officer S. Chockalingam on Thursday night, will hold discussions with the political parties, state government officers, enforcement agencies, district collectors and Superintendents of Police from 10 a.m. onwards on Friday and Saturday. The CEC along with two Election Commissioners, Ganesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, will address the media on Saturday.

The ECI team on Friday will meet political parties to seek their views. During the day, it will have discussions with the state Chief Electoral Officer, enforcement agencies, the state chief secretary, the director general of police and other administrative secretaries and senior police officers with regard to the deployment of the necessary manpower and law and order situation.

On September 28, the ECI team will hold an interactive meeting with the district collectors and superintendents of police to take stock of the ground-level preparations. Thereafter, CEC will address the press conference. The ECI team’s visit is important as Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had recently said that the Assembly election may take place in the second week of November. The term of the present Assembly ends on November 26.

The ECI’s visit comes after the state CEO on September 12 and 13 met the deputy district election officers, district collectors and chief district election officers and reviewed the preparations for the elections in 288 Assembly constituencies. The CEO reviewed the status of electronic voting machines, the updated voters’ list, the status of polling material and district-level poll management, especially, the availability of the required number of staff and security arrangements for free and fair elections.

Further, the CEO also took stock of the situation of the district-level preparedness for conducting counting smoothly. He also reviewed the plan to start polling stations in high-rise buildings and cooperative societies with over 200 families. Maharashtra has added 2.4 million new voters during the special drive conducted between August 6 and 20.

In view of this, the number of total voters in the state rose to 95.4 million, up from 92.94 million at the end of the Lok Sabha election. Over 2.08 million applications for voter addition and 370,000 applications for name deletion due to death or duplication were received by the Election Commission of India during the special drive. 

Mumbai: Father of accused in the Badlapur sexual assault case, who was killed in a police encounter, has once again approached the Bombay High Court on Friday. The grieving father has reached the court against the Chief Officer of Ambernath Municipal Council seeking land for his son’s burial.

Akshay Shinde’s Body At Kalwa Hospital Morgue

Akshay Shinde’s body is among 35 bodies overcrowding the morgue at Kalwa government hospital. Shinde was shot at point-blank range by Inspector Sanjay Shinde in what the police claim was ‘self-defence’ inside a police van. However, the Bombay High Court have raised questions about the authenticity of the encounter, challenging the Thane police’s narrative.

Shinde’s Family Approaches Bombay HC

Shinde’s family has approached the High Court, demanding an impartial investigation into the alleged encounter. They have requested that the body be buried with the option of exhumation at a later date for further forensic examination.

MNS Opposing Burial Of Accused

However, the family has faced obstacles in finding a burial site due to strong opposition from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), led by Raj Thackeray. The Kalwa unit of MNS has refused to allow the burial, arguing that it would defile the local burial ground.

The family is now searching for a location where they can carry out the burial in secret under police protection. Meanwhile, local activists have voiced concerns over the accumulation of bodies in the morgue, highlighting the pressing need to address the situation.

India’s financial capital has been experiencing extreme weather for the last forty-eight hours, with intense rainfall hitting the urban area on Wednesday and persisting until early yesterday, eventually ceasing after a brief period. Nevertheless, Mumbai was greeted by overcast skies following rain showers overnight. The orange alert for heavy rainfall in Mumbai has been extended by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for today. Residents should prepare for a day that will be characterised by heavy rainfall.

Mumbai Weather Today

Mumbai will see more rainy days ahead. Mumbai, on September 27 to experience a misty atmosphere with a temperature ranging at 25.99 degree Celsius, humidity shall stay at 94. The wind is to flow from South West at 2.57 Km/h speed.

Very intense rainfall is expected to hit South and Central Mumbai in the coming hours, with many suburbs also experiencing heavy rains starting at 10am. It is anticipated that Mumbai will experience heavy rainfall until afternoon.

The city can expect temperatures ranging from 23°C to 31°C, accompanied by continuous rainfall and mostly cloudy conditions. This trend will continue until September 29, with temperatures increasing slightly to 24°C–25°C, keeping the city wet through the weekend.

Red Alert Warning In Maharashtra

The IMD has issued a red alert for Nashik and an orange alert for Palghar, Pune, Nandurbar, and Dhule. Almost every other city in Maharashtra has been placed under a yellow alert for today, September 27.

Mumbai’s Weather Forecast Till October 2nd

The weather outlook for the upcoming days in Mumbai suggests that the city will persist in encountering rainy weather. From September 27th onwards, we can anticipate temperatures fluctuating between 23 and 31 degrees Celsius, along with overcast skies and moderate rainfall. This trend will continue on 28th and 29th September, with the temperatures increasing slightly to 24 degrees Celsius and 25 degrees Celsius respectively. The rain, even though not heavy, is forecasted to persist, resulting in a damp conclusion to the month.

As September comes to a close and October begins, there is a forecast of lighter rain on 30th September, with heavier showers expected on 1st and 2nd October. As temperatures range from 26 degrees Celsius to 32 degrees Celsius, residents should expect increased rain in the early days of October as the city experiences the change in weather.

The city continued to experience disruptions on Thursday due to heavy rainfall, resulting in flooded streets and traffic congestion. The Mumbai local train network, commonly known as the city’s lifeline, experienced a temporary slowdown but resumed regular operations.

Massive traffic jams were observed on Wednesday on the Western Express Highway and other main routes due to water accumulation on the roads, causing travel to become challenging. The ongoing heavy rain, which started in the morning, prompted the city’s weather officials to issue a ‘Red Alert’ for Mumbai, cautioning about stronger rainfall in the upcoming hours.