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Maharashtra

After ruling state for 52 years, Congress struggles to recapture Maharashtra

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2 years ago

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One of the few states that was once considered a Congress stronghold, Maharashtra slipped out of the Congress grip first in 1995 and then in 2014, and the party now struggles to make a comeback fighting all odds, within and outside.

The Congress has ruled the prosperous west Indian state for 52 years since it was founded on May 1, 1960 — either solo, or through alliances, or via one or the other breakaway factions.

It was in 1995 that the sun first set on the party and the first real non-Congress government of Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance came to power and governed a full term.

The Congress bounced back in the 1999 Assembly elections, with a reduced majority, formed an alliance with the breakaway Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-1999), and they ruled for 15 years.

During the BJP wave unleashed by Narendra Modi, who became the Prime Minister in 2014, the Congress-NCP government was also washed away.

After five years, in 2019, it rebounded as an ally in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government comprising Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress, which was toppled after two-and-a-half years, while the party grappled with severe ‘leakages’ at various levels.

“The problems largely started around a decade ago when the BJP took recourse to caste-communal politics, subverting institutions, false narratives, raising irrelevant matters while ignoring the real and burning problems of the economy, inflation, unemployment, farmers, women, youth, etc,” said Congress working President Naseem Khan.

He argued that now the people have realised the hollow claims of the Modi regime and are gradually veering around to clean, ethical, values and issue-based politics that Congress represents.

Khan denies that the state Congress is crumbling and pointed to its growing influence in the past few years at local, state and national levels, indicating how its mass support base remains largely intact.

A former four-time Congress MP feels that the state unit is plagued by infighting — as in other states or even at the national level — for which it had to pay dearly in 2014, and joining the MVA in 2019 was a ‘compromise’ to keep the BJP at bay.

“Many state leaders remain busy on social media, give lousy TV bytes or issue bland statements that are ignored� Instead, they must go for ‘mass-connect’, reach out to understand people’s grievances, open channels with other like-minded parties, take up public-oriented campaigns etc., since modern-day politics is very different from the pre-2000 era,” he said, requesting anonymity.

A present state office-bearer confided how the current AICC Maharashtra in-charge, S.K. Patil, is reportedly adapting “a lackadaisical approach, barely communicates in Hindi or rarely goes beyond Mumbai, cutting himself off from the ‘actual ground problems’ afflicting the party organisation”.

“Earlier, some of the AICC in-charges (like Mallikarjun Kharge) could even communicate in Marathi, would crack the whip during crises, tour different parts of the state, interact with district-level workers, and keep their fingers on the pulse of the party and the people,” he pointed out.

Mumbai Congress North Indian Cell Vice-President V.P. Singh feels many ‘inefficient or disinterested’ persons have been foisted both in the party at various levels, affecting the party workers’ morale and creating more rifts that are exploited by the opponents, citing various examples.

“What we need is to rebuild the party at the booth level with committed activists who will strengthen the district, the state and the national-level organisation. This aspect has been lost as many leaders prefer greenhorn sycophants over experienced performers with mass outreach,” rued Singh.

Khan confidently asserted that the Congress is readying for the Assembly polls, whenever they are held, and is optimistic of regaining its numero uno status soon, both in the Assembly and Parliamentary elections.

Fortunately, most leaders are buoyed by the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi and the Indian National Congress Presidential elections, with a united chorus that it would do “a sea of good and invigorate the party from bottom to the top” for future challenges.

“The response to Rahulji across the BJY route is phenomenal and has ‘electrified’ the entire party. By the time it is completed, the Congress will re-emerge as a major force to reckon with in the 2024 elections� Already certain actions of the BJP betray their deep worries,” said Khan.

Several other party leaders at different levels echo similar sentiments, and strongly express the need “to rebuild the party on a war-footing”, opening party offices at the village levels (rural) or ward levels (urban), counter or expose the government policies at all levels, aggressively woo the media, and top national leaders should tour different states regularly for feedback.

In conclusion, notwithstanding the conviction by many leaders, the Congress in the state indeed faces a tough challenge to resurrect itself to its preeminent status — before it ‘leaks’ afresh�

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Maharashtra

Gaonthan land map certificate distribution program under “Swamitva” scheme was concluded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde

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7 hours ago

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January 18, 2025

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Thane: Under the “Swamitva” scheme conceptualized by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for demarcation and ownership of properties in the Gaonthan land area, the Gaonthan Land Map Certificate Distribution Program was organized today through video conferencing by Prime Minister Modi. The certificate distribution program for Thane district was organized locally at the Niyojan Bhavan of the District Magistrate Office in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

MP Naresh Mhaske, MLA Sanjay Kelkar, MLA Niranjan Davkhare, District Magistrate Ashok Shingare, Chief Executive Officer Rohan Ghuge, and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.

Swamitva Scheme: A Movement for Rural Development

This scheme simplifies the process of demarcation and ownership of properties in rural areas. Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said, “Even today, many citizens in villages do not have concrete proof of their properties, which leads to land disputes, court cases and other problems. The ownership scheme launched by the Modi government is an important revolution in the development of rural India.”

He further said, “This scheme is not just a certificate of property, but a ‘self-respect card’ for the poor. Through this scheme, the lives of many families have changed and the doors of banks have opened for them for property loans.”

Use of drone and GIS technology

Modern technology is being widely used in the Swamitva scheme. Village land is surveyed through drones and maps are prepared with GIS technology. 2.19 crore property cards have been prepared in the country and maps of 15,327 villages have been finalized in Maharashtra.

Beneficiaries got relief

Referring to Baliram Manekar of Bhiwandi, who was present at the program, Shinde said, “Under the Swamitva scheme, he got the ownership of his land, after which he got a loan of 60 lakhs from the bank and he became self-reliant.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address

Addressing the program through video conferencing, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “The Swamitva scheme is proving to be effective in making people economically capable in rural areas. This scheme is achieving the goal of making the rural community self-reliant.”

Instructions of the Deputy Chief Minister

At the end of the program, Deputy Chief Minister Shinde instructed the officials that “Proper planning should be done to complete the scheme within the time limit and in the right manner. This scheme should not be just on paper, but should become a strong step towards the development of rural areas.”

Giving momentum to rural development

This scheme is helping in resolving village disputes by preparing property cards in rural areas. It is also providing guidance to the village panchayats for development plans.

The program concluded under the guidance of Deputy Chief Minister Shinde. Officials of the District Officer Office, Land Records Department and District Council made tireless efforts for this successful event.

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Maharashtra

Integrated ticket system for urban traffic – Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis

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7 hours ago

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January 18, 2025

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a dream of bringing the public transport system on a single mobility platform and efforts are underway to develop infrastructure in Mumbai in this direction. Through this, passengers will get the benefit of public transport facilities by walking only 300 to 500 meters. This is an ambitious project to provide fast and smooth transport service from one end to the other, said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

The integrated ticket service system in Mumbai was discussed in the presence of Chief Minister Fadnavis and Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav. Mitrache Chief Executive Officer Pravin Singh Pardeshi, Secretary of Chief Minister’s Office Dr. Shrikar Pardeshi, officials of Central, Western Railway and Mumbai Metro were present in this meeting.

Chief Minister Fadnavis said, “Local rail is the lifeline for Mumbai. The integrated service system will make connectivity fast and smooth for passengers and at the same time will lead to maximum use of public services and increase revenue. Efforts are being made to integrate this system with taxi and other services using technology.” Through this, passengers will easily get all the transport facilities on a single platform. It will be possible to simplify the traffic and save time of the passengers, as well as remove the obstacles in the traffic system.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said, “Currently 3,500 local services are operational in Mumbai. Railways will invest Rs 17,107 crore to start 300 more local services in the coming time. Rs 1.70 lakh crore has been invested in railway projects in Maharashtra. The central and state governments are committed to the overall development of Mumbai.”

The Maharashtra government is taking important steps towards implementing a unified ticketing system for urban traffic. This venture will be led by the Maharashtra Institution for Transformation (MITRA). Its objective is to integrate and streamline the ticketing process for various public transport services. For this, technical assistance of the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) platform will be taken.

Mumbai’s public transport service will be more smooth and efficient through the new integrated ticketing system.

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Maharashtra

If celebrities in Mumbai and sarpanches in villages are not safe, then what will happen to the common people?: Nana Patole

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7 hours ago

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January 18, 2025

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Mumbai: The law and order situation in Maharashtra has deteriorated at this time. While celebrities are not safe in Mumbai, sarpanches are unsafe in villages. In such a situation, what will be the condition of common citizens, this question has been raised by Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee President Nana Patole. While talking to the media in Nagpur, Patole fiercely targeted the state government.

Jungle Raj and attack on BJP government

Nana Patole said that a situation of jungle raj has arisen in Maharashtra. Today in Delhi, Maharashtra is being discussed in the name of jungle raj, which is very unfortunate. The BJP government has created an atmosphere of fear and terror in the state to remain in power. Law and order has completely collapsed. Criminals have no fear of the police. He alleged that 65% of the ministers in the cabinet have criminal background, due to which the situation has gone out of control.

Do not link the attack on Saif Ali Khan to caste issue

Referring to the attack on actor Saif Ali Khan, Patole said that it is wrong to see this incident from a caste perspective. There is no place for caste and religion discrimination in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s Maharashtra. People of all castes and religions should get a safe environment here.

Murder of Sarpanch and issue of casteism

Referring to the murder of Massajog village sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh and the death of Somnath Suryavanshi in Parbhani due to police beating, Patole said that it is not right to link these incidents with casteism. The BJP government has promoted the Maratha-OBC dispute, leaving behind the basic issues of the state.

Question on ‘Ladki Bahin’ scheme

Commenting on the ‘Ladki Behan’ scheme, Patole said that this scheme was started to get the support of sisters during the assembly elections. But now questions are being raised on the transparency of this scheme. He asked why did the BJP not investigate its flaws before the elections? Talking about taking back money from bogus beneficiaries shows the real face of the BJP government.

Question on Davos visit

Regarding the Davos visit of the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, Patole said that instead of taking industrialists to Davos, the state should improve the situation in Maharashtra. The BJP government claims that Maharashtra ranks first in the field of industry, but the truth is that the state has lagged behind economically. The wastage of public money in the name of investment should be stopped.

Concern over the safety of common citizens

Expressing concern over the law and order of the state, Patole said that if celebrities and sarpanches are not safe, then what will happen to the safety of common citizens? The poor law and order situation and increasing crime raise questions on the functioning of the government.

Appeal to raise voice against the government

Instead of getting embroiled in caste disputes, the public should raise voice against the government. Patole called upon the people of the state to unite and oppose the BJP government.

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