Mumbai : After handing over the responsibility of state president to former Odisha minister Bhakt Charan Das, the Congress has decided the new chief of Maharashtra. The party has accepted the resignation given by Nana Patole after the disappointing performance in the assembly elections. If sources are to be believed, the party can announce the name of the new president in the next few days. Harshvardhan Sapkal, who comes from Buldhana, is considered to be the successor of Nana Patole. If Harshvardhan becomes the new state president of the party, then this post will remain with the leader of Vidarbha. Harshvardhan comes from the western Vidarbha region. He is considered close to Rahul Gandhi.

Harshvardhan Sapkal’s political career has started from the grassroots level, from Zila Parishad member to MLA. He was the Zila Parishad President from 1999 to 2002. At that time he was known as the youngest president of Maharashtra. He was also a Congress MLA between 2014 and 2019. Since the state presidents are being appointed in the backdrop of the upcoming local body elections, the new president will have a big challenge to win these elections. Harshvardhan Sapkal is currently the National President of the Rajiv Gandhi Panchayati Raj Organization of the Congress. He played an important role in the creation of Gram Swarajya based on the ideologies of Mahatma Gandhi and Vinoba Bhave. Sapkal has experience in organizing nation building youth camps based on Sarvodaya ideas, active participation in village cleanliness campaigns and Adarsh ​​Gram Movement.

He was an MLA from Buldhana between 2014 and 2019. During this period, he implemented a water conservation management project in the constituency. Vijay Wadettiwar’s name was also included in the race for the state president, but it is believed that the party high command has approved the name of Harshvardhan Sapkal, who is close to Rahul Gandhi. Sapkal’s name may be announced soon. Harsh- vardhan Sapkal is currently 57 years old. He has studied till graduation. After the state president of Maharashtra, Mumbai can also get a new president. Currently, Varsha Gaikwad is in charge there. She has become an MP from an MLA. On the other hand, his sister Jyoti Gaikwad has won from his MLA seat.

Mumbai: Following the BMC’s announcement of levying property tax on commercial units in slums, Samajwadi Party (SP) legislator Rais Shaikh has written to the BMC demanding that the civic body conduct the socio-economic impact assessment study by renowned institutions such as Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) to understand the far-reaching ramifications on the poorest of the poor in the city. The move will have a catastrophic impact on the informal sector, with over 3 lakh people losing their livelihoods and becoming unemployed, said Shaikh.

In his letter to BMC chief Bhushan Gagrani, Shaikh stated that the BMC Budget for 2025-26 proposes to levy property tax on commercial units in slums. “This move indicates the BMC’s impending financial crisis due to the mismanagement of its finances. It will have the potential significant impact of rendering over 3 lakh people unemployed, losing their livelihoods, with the poorest of the poor being hit hardest by this decision,” said Rais Shaikh, MLA.

Shaikh has demanded that the move will have an adverse impact on the sustainability of the MSMEs which provide employment to lakhs of people. “Levying property tax on commercial units in slums will render MSMEs unsustainable, as it imposes an additional financial burden. This move will have a significant impact on the informal sector, and lakhs of people will lose their livelihoods, leading to unemployment. It is completely unjustifiable to consider commercial units in slums on par with those in malls and commercial complexes for the purpose of levying property tax,” said Shaikh.

Shaikh further stated that the rise in unemployment may lead to social disharmony and a potential increase in crime in the city. “Therefore, I demand that an socio-economic impact assessment study of the BMC’s decision to levy property tax on commercial units in slums be conducted by renowned institutions such as TISS,” Shaikh demanded.

According to the BMC, there are around 2.5 lakh slums in Mumbai. A significant number of these slum areas (at least 20%, i.e., 50,000 slums) are being used for commercial purposes such as small and large industries, shops, godowns, hotels, etc. The BMC expects to generate revenue of Rs 350 crore by levying property tax on the commercial units in slums.

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has reserved its order on a plea filed by Rita Devi, mother of Anuj Thapan—the accused in the firing outside actor Salman Khan’s residence who died by suicide in custody—seeking a CBI probe into his death, alleging foul play.

A bench of Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Neela Gokhale also directed the State to show the relevant portion of the CCTV footage to Devi’s advocate after he raised doubts over the magisterial inquiry report, which ruled Thapan’s death a suicide.

In December last year, the HC had observed that the 18-year-old’s demise did not appear to be a custodial death. It also noted that the police had no apparent reason to harm him, as he could have been helpful in their investigation.

Thapan was found hanging in the toilet of the crime branch lock-up at Crawford Market on May 1, 2024. Police claimed he used a bedsheet to take the extreme step. A mandatory magisterial inquiry was conducted, and a report was submitted to the HC. The CID, which also investigated the case, submitted a separate report.

During the hearing on Wednesday, advocate Nishant Rana pointed out discrepancies between the magistrate’s and the CID’s reports. “Some facts are totally opposite in the reports,” he said.

However, State advocate Prajakta Shinde clarified that the CID report submitted on May 15, 2024, was only an interim report based on an Accidental Death Report and that the probe has since been concluded.

Rana, however, insisted there was a conspiracy to kill Thapan. He claimed Thapan had told his mother that police beat him with a belt and that he was seen with a knife borrowed from an inmate. However, the magisterial report stated he was seen entering the washroom with a rope.

“As per the magistrate’s report, he (Thapan) was seen carrying a rope when he went to the washroom. It is also said that he borrowed a knife from an inmate. Why would he go through the trouble of hanging himself? He could have simply cut his veins,” Rana argued.

The judges, however, reiterated that they had reviewed the CCTV footage and “found nothing.”

When Rana pointed out that the magistrate’s report did not mention Call Data Records (CDR), the bench questioned, “He died in custody. Where is the question of CDR?”

The court then closed the plea for orders.

On April 14, 2024, two motorcycle-borne men opened fire outside Galaxy Apartments in Bandra, where Khan resides with his family. The alleged shooters, Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal, were later arrested in Gujarat. Thapan and an associate were apprehended in Punjab on April 26 for allegedly supplying firearms and ammunition for the shooting. Police claimed he had links to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.

So far, six people have been arrested in connection with the case under the stringent MCOCA.