Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Monday alleged that Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has promised Rs 50 crore to each MLA to secure election victories.

Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Raut said “Yesterday, there were 2 vehicles which had almost Rs 15 crores in them. As I had said earlier, Eknath Shinde has promised his people to give them Rs 50 crore each to win elections, it was the first instalment of Rs 15 crore.”

“There were two vehicles, they let go of one after receiving a call as the inspector that was on duty there was in service of the MLA earlier. Almost 150 MLAs of the state have received Rs 15 crore each by now,” Raut alleged.

Pune Rural Police Seizes Cash Worth ₹5 Crore From Khed Shivapur Toll Booth

His statement comes after Pune Rural Police seized cash worth Rs 5 crore at Khed Shivapur toll booth during a Nakabandi late evening on October 21.

“A total of Rs 5 crore cash was found in the car during Nakabandi by Pune Rural Police at Khed Shivapur toll Naka… Four people who were travelling in the car including the driver were questioned,” Pune Rural SP, Pankaj Deshmukh said.

“Cash has been handed over to officials of the Income Tax Department for further probe,” Pune Rural SP, Pankaj Deshmukh said.

This comes as Maharashtra prepares for a single-phase election on November 20, with counting set for November 23.

Parties Intensify Preparations For Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024

Both the ruling Mahayuti alliance and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) — comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), and Congress — have intensified their preparations for the upcoming elections to 288 Assembly seats in the State. The BJP is part of the ruling Mahayuti alliance alongside the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) and Ajit Pawar-led NCP.

In the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections, the BJP won 105 seats, Shiv Sena secured 56, and Congress won 44 seats. In 2014, the BJP won 122 seats, Shiv Sena secured 63, and Congress won 42 seats.

Mumbai: The current temperature is 29°C. The forecast predicts a low of 23.5°C and a high of 34.4°C for the day. The humidity stands at 79% while the wind is blowing at a speed of 7.9 km/h. The sun will rise in the morning at 06:34 AM and is expected to set in the evening at 06:10 PM.

The weather forecast for today predicts rain in the skies. Please organise your schedule based on the temperature and anticipated weather conditions. Have fun in the sun and remember to wear sunscreen and sunglasses while you bask in the warm weather.

Today, the Air Quality Index in Mumbai is at 294.0, classified as ‘Moderate’.

There is a forecast for a decrease in rainfall and its end by Wednesday, resulting in an increase in temperatures. Nevertheless, IMD experts have suggested that light rain and thunderstorms could persist in certain areas of the district for the next 2-3 days, with no yellow alerts in place from Tuesday onwards.

Mumbai Experiences Post-Monsoon

As the monsoon winds withdraw from Maharashtra, the state is witnessing an increase in both maximum and minimum temperatures. Despite occasional showers, meteorologists believe the rainfall is caused by cyclonic circulation from low-pressure systems in the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal, and not by the monsoon.

Cyclone Dana

IMD has predicted that a cyclone named ‘Dana’ will develop over the Bay of Bengal by October 23, with its strength growing by Wednesday. Weather experts have confirmed that the cyclonic system will move towards Odisha and West Bengal, avoiding direct impact on Maharashtra.

Within the next day, it is expected that the cyclone will intensify in the east-central area of the Bay of Bengal, moving in a northwest direction and potentially affecting the coastal region of Odisha by October 24th.

Although the cyclone isn’t expected to directly impact Maharashtra, the IMD has predicted intermittent rainfall in Mumbai for the next 48 hours. Furthermore, there is a possibility of rainfall in regions like Satara, Sangli, and Pune from October 26 to 29, while Beed, Latur, and Nagpur are forecasted to have overcast skies.

Mumbai: All talk of the camaraderie between the Congress and the Shiv Sena – partners in the Maha Vikas Aghadi — has proved hollow, with both sides refusing to mend their respective ways, thereby delaying the announcement of the division of seats among the three partners. Finally, with the two allies having denied any major conflict over seat-sharing, an announcement is now likely to be made on Tuesday.

About The Ongoing Squabble

The ongoing squabble has revealed the cracks within, as it was being said that the MVA had reached consensus on 260 seats. But this figure came down to 210 on Monday. The Congress announced it had finalised its plan for 96 seats by Monday evening, and that the dispute with the Sena was over four or five seats. But Sena leaders say there were 12 seats in dispute.

Meanwhile, Congress leaders are reportedly trying to resolve the seat distribution dispute through discussions with NCP (SCP) chief Sharad Pawar and Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray. On Monday, news about the Sena planning to contest all the 288 seats on its own created a flutter in political circles but it was short-lived, as the party quickly denied any such move. The Congress high command is believed to have asked its leader Vijay Wadettiwar to make the party stand clear. Rejecting any Plan B, he said the MVA was going to finalise the deal by Tuesday in Mumbai. Wadettiwar told mediapersons in Delhi, “By tomorrow evening, we will finalise 17 seats. There are issues on six or seven seats in Vidarbha, and that too will be resolved. We are going to contest as Aghadi…Since there are three parties sharing 288 seats, it took a little time.”

The Congress election incharge for the assembly elections, Ramesh Chennithala, denied reports of differences among the INDIA bloc partners in Maharashtra in the MVA, claiming that they were united.

The Congress had two crucial meetings in Delhi – that of the screening committee and the central election committee, to finalise the list of the candidates. Speaking after the meetings, MPCC chief Nana Patole stated that discussions regarding 96 seats had been completed, and further talks will take place on Tuesday with Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray.

Addressing rumours of the Shiv Sena leaving the alliance, he said, “There is no truth to that; the BJP is deliberately trying to spread misunderstanding about the opposition parties. Out of fear of defeat, the BJP is playing such games. The Congress has made no such statements. All our efforts are focused on bringing the Maha Vikas Aghadi to power in Maharashtra.”

About The Dispute

The dispute with Shiv Sena pertains to seat allocation in Vidarbha, where the Congress has an edge compared to its two allies. The party doesnʼt want to accommodate the Shiv Sena in the east Vidarbha region it is said. Incidentally, Patole belongs to Bhandara, from the same region. There are reports of disputes over nearly 12 seats in Vidarbha. Additionally, sources indicate that Congress is aggressively seeking certain seats in Mumbai.

On Monday afternoon, there was tension when electronic media channels ran reports of Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis having a meeting with Uddhav Thackeray and MP Sanjay Raut reportedly having met Home Minister Amit Shah. Both the Congress and Shiv Sena termed the reports as baseless, with some choice words from Raut. Both the parties blamed the BJP for spreading such ‘newsʼ.

Raut said these news items were just rumours being spread by the ruling sideʼs media machinery. “We know who is doing it and why. We too have our own small ‘Pegasus’ set-up which keeps us informed,’’ said the MP, referring to the Israeli spyware controversy