During their second meeting with the State Election Commission (SEC), the Opposition raised concerns over alleged discrepancies in the voters’ list and demanded that it not be used for the upcoming local body and civic elections.

A Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) delegation, comprising Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, NCP (SP) state chief Jayant Patil, Congress’s Balasaheb Thorat, MNS chief Raj Thackeray, Congress group leader in the State Assembly Vijay Wadettiwar, and others, met State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare and Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) S. Chockalingam.

Speaking with the media, Uddhav Thackeray said that they have demanded rectification in the voters’ list and that elections should be held only thereafter.
“The cutoff of July 31 for the voters’ list was unacceptable. Our first focus is to rectify the voter list and then prevent vote theft,” he said.

Jayant Patil claimed that the voters’ lists were highly compromised and faulty and should not be used in the upcoming polls. He said that in many cases, the given addresses were either wrong or the voters no longer lived there.
“We showed specific examples to the CEO and the SEC,” said Patil.

Raj Thackeray said elections can be postponed by six months to allow rectifications in the voters’ list.

Balasaheb Thorat added, “The SEC told us that removing objectionable names is not their responsibility. If that is the stance, then how can the upcoming local body polls be expected to be transparent and honest?”

During the meeting, the leaders also sought to know why the special intensive revision (SIR) was not being carried out in Maharashtra, as it was in Bihar. They also demanded voting on ballot papers for the BMC elections if VVPATs were not permitted.

Meanwhile, reacting to the meeting between Opposition party leaders, the State Election Commissioner, and the CEO, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the interactions were an attempt to create a false narrative ahead of the local body polls, and termed the exercise a fiasco.

Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is likely to appeal against Wednesday’s order of Bombay High Court which declared the arrest of former Vasai-Virar Municipal Commissioner Anilkumar Pawar as “illegal.” Sources in ED told FPJ that they will take a final decision regarding the appeal after studying the certified copy of the HC order. These sources said even though the arrest has been declared invalid, the charges against Pawar remain valid and the prosecution complaint continues to stand. The ED has already filed a detailed chargesheet against Pawar and other accused.

Pawar, in his statement recorded by the ED, denied allegations of accepting bribes to overlook unauthorised constructions and encroachments. He maintained that the municipal administration followed a structured enforcement framework. Spot inspections were conducted by Junior Engineers and Assistant Municipal Commissioners (AMCs), and demolition orders were executed wherever buildings lacked proper permissions. For large-scale or sensitive demolitions, Deputy Municipal Commissioners (DMCs) and Additional Deputy Municipal Commissioners (ADMCs) supervised operations.

“As Commissioner, I oversaw the entire demolition and enforcement framework,” Pawar told the ED. He added that complaints regarding illegal constructions were first forwarded to the concerned AMCs for preliminary verification, followed by inspections, issuance of legal notices, and demolition action wherever necessary, ensuring that all actions were carried out within the legal procedure framework.

The ED’s prosecution complaint, however, presents a contrasting account, citing statements of whistleblower Y.S. Reddy. According to Reddy, Assistant Municipal Commissioners were appointed by the Municipal Commissioner, and clerical staff were often given charge of AMCs, working directly under the Commissioner’s directions. Reddy stated that ward committees oversaw areas where large-scale unauthorised construction frequently occurred, yet AMCs were expected to only monitor and report to higher authorities without taking enforcement action.

Reddy further alleged that Pawar, who holds exclusive powers under Section 152 of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act to deal with unauthorised constructions, did not exercise these powers. Instead, Pawar allegedly directed AMCs not to act against builders from whom he received illegal gratification, collecting bribes through AMCs and other staff. According to the prosecution complaint, the alleged bribe rates per square foot were:

. Municipal Commissioner’: Rs 50 per sq.ft

. Additional Municipal Commissioners: Rs 30 per sq.ft

. Deputy Municipal Commissioners : Rs 20 per sq.ft

. Assistant Municipal Commissioners and other staff: Rs 50 per sq.ft

ED officials also recorded statements from AMC-rank officers, who said their powers to act against illegal constructions were heavily restricted by Pawar and senior officers. Approval from the Commissioner was required for demolition, and notices under the MRTP Act were often issued without stringent enforcement. Pawar reportedly issued an internal order mandating that his approval be obtained before any action to demolish unauthorised constructions.

AMCs said that between January 2022 and July 2025, whenever they attempted action against unauthorised construction in their wards, builders claimed protection from Pawar. Officers were then instructed by DMCs to withdraw, following Pawar’s directions. Bribes were reportedly routed through liaisons, benefiting Pawar and other senior officials.

Regarding bribe distribution, AMC officers stated that builders occasionally handed sums through liaisons as part of the ward’s share, with the majority reaching Pawar and senior officials. Payments to ward committees were reportedly Rs 10–15 per sq fta fraction of the amounts collected by higher-ranking officers.

Mumbai, Oct 16: After months of selling, foreign investors seem to be regaining confidence in Indian stock markets as the data from NSDL shows that between October 7 and October 14, Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) were net buyers in five of the last seven trading sessions, purchasing shares worth over Rs 3,000 crore in the secondary market.

Their buying in the primary market was even stronger, crossing Rs 7,600 crore, as per the data.

Provisional data from the NSE also indicates that FIIs continued their buying streak on October 15, adding another Rs 162 crore.

This renewed buying interest has come alongside a steady rise in key market indices.

Since the beginning of October, both the Sensex and Nifty have gained around 3 per cent, while the BSE MidCap index has climbed 3.4 per cent and the SmallCap index has advanced 1.7 per cent.

The sudden shift in foreign fund flows has surprised many market watchers. Some analysts see this as a short-term rebound, while others believe it reflects improving corporate earnings prospects and stabilising economic conditions in India.

This turnaround is a sharp contrast to the heavy outflows seen earlier this year. From January to September 2025, FIIs sold more than Rs 2 lakh crore worth of shares in the secondary market.

This happened even as the Reserve Bank of India and the government took several steps to support growth, including GST rate cuts, a steep repo rate reduction in June, and an upgrade in India’s sovereign credit rating by S&P.

During that time, Indian markets lagged behind global peers. The Sensex and Nifty rose only about 3 per cent, while the MidCap and SmallCap indices fell 3 per cent and 4 per cent, respectively.

Now, sentiment is improving on hopes of a possible India–US trade deal amid growing US–China tensions.

Expectations of a US Federal Reserve rate cut later this month are also fueling optimism, as it could bring more liquidity into emerging markets and commodities.

Experts believe India remains an attractive investment destination for global investors, supported by a weaker rupee, relatively modest valuations, and expectations of double-digit earnings growth for Nifty companies in the second half of FY26.