Mumbai: The Gawli family returned to Mumbai’s civic political arena on Friday as sisters Geeta Gawli and Yogita Gawli-Waghmare, daughters of gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli, filed their nomination papers for the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections from the Byculla constituency.

Geeta Gawli, a former corporator, submitted her nomination from Ward No. 212 on the ticket of the Akhil Bharatiya Sena, while her younger sister Yogita Gawli-Waghmare filed her papers from Ward No. 207. With their entry, the total number of candidates who have filed nominations in the first three days of the process has risen to nine.

Geeta Gawli is a familiar face in civic politics, having won the 2017 BMC elections from Ward No. 212. Her return to the fray signals an attempt by the Gawli family to reclaim its influence in Byculla, an area where Arun Gawli once commanded significant political clout. Yogita Gawli-Waghmare, on the other hand, is contesting an election for the first time, marking the next generation’s formal entry into electoral politics.

The Gawli family has a long and complex political history in central Mumbai. Their aunt, Vandana Gawli, had won from Ward No. 207 in the 2012 civic polls but lost the seat in 2017. Vandana later joined the Shiv Sena’s Shinde faction earlier this year, adding a new political dimension to the family’s electoral legacy.

The nomination process for the BMC elections began on December 23. While a large number of nomination papers have been distributed across the city, the filing of nominations has been relatively slow so far. On Friday alone, 2,040 nomination papers were issued across 23 Returning Officer offices, with seven candidates submitting their applications, including the two Gawli sisters.

According to the State Election Commission, the last date for filing nominations is December 30, 2025. With several major parties yet to officially announce their candidates, political observers expect a surge in nominations in the final days.

The entry of the Gawli sisters has added a major political edge to the Byculla contest, which is expected to witness a keenly fought battle in the upcoming BMC elections. The polling for the BMC elections is scheduled to take place on January 15, 2026. The counting of votes will take place on January 16, 2026.

Mumbai: daily commuters bore the brunt of major disruptions on the Western Railway on Saturday morning, December 27, as local train services were hit due to ongoing rail infrastructure work between Kandivali and Borivali. Peak-hour travel turned chaotic, with overcrowded platforms, long waiting times and mounting frustration among office-goers and daily wage earners.

From the early morning hours, a heavy rush was witnessed at several stations along the Western Line. Passengers were seen anxiously waiting on platforms as delayed and cancelled trains threw normal schedules out of gear. Many commuters complained that they were running late for work, examinations and other important commitments.

“We are facing huge problems due to train delays during office hours. It has become very difficult to reach the office on time, Several others echoed similar concerns, saying that irregular train timings and sudden cancellations had left them confused and stranded.

Western Railway has announced the cancellation of 629 suburban services between December 27 and December 29, severely affecting thousands who depend on local trains as their primary mode of transport. On Saturday alone, 296 services were cancelled, forcing passengers to pack into the limited trains that were operational. The situation is expected to remain challenging through the weekend.

Adding to commuters’ woes, some local trains originating from Borivali and Andheri are operating only up to Goregaon, leading to forced transfers and further crowding on connecting routes. With platforms 8 and 9 at Borivali station closed until December 29, passengers have also had to deal with congestion at other platforms.

The disruption is due to the final phase of work on the sixth railway line between Bandra Terminus and Borivali. A 30-day traffic block has been imposed from December 20 to January 18, 2026, with intensive work underway on the Kandivali–Borivali stretch.

On Saturday, a major block between 1 am and 7 am was taken to commission an electronic interlocking panel, affecting both fast and slow services. Long-distance passengers were not spared either, as the schedules of several mail and express trains were revised, and some trains skipped halts at Borivali.

Mumbai, Dec 27: Indian equity markets ended the week in a positive terrain, buoyed by expectations of stronger domestic demand, a favourable liquidity outlook and optimism over potential Fed policy easing in 2026, analysts said on Saturday.

The holiday-shortened week opened with a bullish undertone; however, momentum tapered off as the days progressed.

On Friday, Sensex closed at 85,041.45, slipping 367.25 points or 0.43 per cent. Nifty also ended in the red, falling 99.80 points or 0.38 per cent to settle at 26,042.30.

According to market watchers, the year-end lull kept trading largely range-bound, with hopes for a Santa Claus rally diminishing amid the absence of fresh catalysts, limited progress in US–India trade talks, and caution ahead of the upcoming earnings season.

“Sectoral trends were mixed, marked by selective profit booking across most segments, while metals, FMCG, and media stocks offered notable resilience,” said Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Ltd.

Nifty 50 ended the week at 26,042, continuing to respect its long-term rising channel on the daily chart. The index remains comfortably above the 20-day EMA cluster, preserving the medium-term bullish structure, said analysts, adding that as long as Nifty sustains above the 26,000–25,900 support zone, the overall bias remains positive.

On the domestic front, RBI’s liquidity interventions, such as open market operations and a USD/INR buy–sell swap, helped stabilise the rupee, though persistent FII outflows continued to weigh on sentiment.

Meanwhile, gold advanced on safe-haven demand, while crude prices hovered near multi-year lows, though U.S. steps to tighten pressure on Venezuelan oil shipments could exert upward pressure in the near term

Looking ahead, market sentiment is likely to stay cautious as investors brace for the upcoming earnings season while remaining attuned to global developments and currency movements, said analysts.

Attention will also turn to next week’s data releases, including India’s industrial and manufacturing output figures, manufacturing PMI, and the US FOMC minutes, said Nair.