Zeenat Shabrin has made history by becoming the first woman elected as president of the Mumbai Youth Congress. She secured the highest number of votes—10,076 in a fiercely contested election.

Following the directive of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Youth Congress office-bearers are now elected rather than nominated. Nine candidates contested the Mumbai Youth Congress presidential election, with voting held between May 16 and June 17. Zeenat’s victory marks a significant milestone for women’s representation in the organization.

A highly educated and socially active leader, Zeenat has been involved in social movements since her school days, campaigning for human rights and animal welfare. After joining the Youth Congress, she consistently raised her voice on youth-related issues and organized agitations for their welfare.

After her win, Zeenat said, “The Indian Youth Congress has given me, a person from a non-political background, a platform. I wholeheartedly thank the Indian National Congress, Mumbai Congress, Maharashtra Congress, and the Mumbai Youth Congress family for their guidance and trust. I eagerly look forward to working with the new committee. We will strive to become the voice of the youth of Mumbai.”

She further added that under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi and Indian Youth Congress National President Uday Bhan Chimb, the Youth Congress will continue to strengthen the organisation while safeguarding democracy and the Constitution.

Mumbai: A social media post featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a red saree triggered political drama in Dombivali, where BJP workers retaliated by making a Congress leader wear a saree in public. The incident followed a viral morphed video of the Prime Minister, shared on Facebook by senior Congress leader Prakash alias ‘Mama’ Pagare.

Pagare, a veteran Congress functionary from Dombivali, had posted the edited video on Monday with the caption, “Sorry girls, I too want to stay in trend.” The clip was set to a popular Marathi song “Mi Kashala Arshaat Pahu Ga,” showing a morphed image of Modi draped in a saree. The post quickly drew sharp reactions from the BJP’s Kalyan district unit, which accused Pagare of insulting the Prime Minister.

Determined to give a ‘fitting reply,’ local BJP leaders devised their own symbolic protest. Acting on a tip-off that Pagare usually spends mornings near Manpada Road in Dombivali (East), district BJP chief Nandu Parab, mandal president Karan Jadhav, and party functionaries, including Sandeep Mali and Datta Malekar, confronted him on Tuesday morning.

Pagare, dressed in a white kurta, pyjamas and polished black shoes, was caught off guard when BJP workers surrounded him. They forcibly draped him with a brand-new ornate saree (shaloo), worth Rs 5,000, purchased earlier that day from a local cloth shop.

“What are you doing?” Pagare reportedly shouted, but BJP workers completed the act, warning him against repeating such actions. One party member even patted him on the cheek in a sarcastic gesture before the group dispersed.

Speaking to the press later, BJP’s Kalyan district president Nandu Parab justified the act, saying, “If anyone attempts to malign our senior leaders on social media, we will respond in kind. Today, Pagare had to face this in public because he disrespected the Prime Minister. Let this be a warning.

Mumbai: Abu Asim Azmi, a leader and MLA from the Samajwadi Party in Mumbai, stated that just as loudspeakers are permitted during other festivals and Navratri, they should also be permitted for the Azaan (call for prayers). Commenting on the relaxation of loudspeaker use during Navratri in Uttar Pradesh, Azmi stated that relaxations should be granted for all festivals in the country, as people celebrate late into the night, and loudspeakers are only permitted until 10 p.m. Furthermore, the proposal to allow loudspeakers in mosques should also be approved, as the decibel limit is too low, making the use of loudspeakers impossible. Therefore, the government is urged to formulate a policy regarding loudspeakers. He said that Muslims have no objection to the permission and concessions for the use of loudspeakers during Navratri or other festivals. The Azaan should be two or five minutes long, but loudspeakers have been removed from mosques because the decibel limit is too low. Therefore, the government should allow loudspeakers in mosques.