National
CM Fadnavis and Raj Thackeray meet in Mumbai hotel amid alliance buzz with Shiv Sena(UBT)

Mumbai, June 12: Amid talks of an alliance between two estranged brothers, Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray, ahead of the upcoming elections for the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday met with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief.
The meeting lasted over 45 minutes. Sources said it was about the MNS’s entry into the MahaYuti for contesting as an alliance partner in the local and civic body elections. The meeting between the two has created a buzz in the state political circles.
Although the details of the meeting are not known yet, the state BJP sources confirmed that CM Fadnavis and Raj Thackeray met at the city’s five-star hotel, but preferred not to comment on the outcome of the meeting. However, there has been no confirmation yet from MNS.
The pro alliance advocates from both Shiv Sena(UBT) and MNS were caught unawares about CM Fadnavis’ move to hold an interaction with Raj Thackeray.
Incidentally, CM Fadnavis enjoys a good rapport with Raj Thackeray. Also, the Shiv Sena chief, Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, has good relations with the MNS chief. Both the CM and deputy CM want the latter to be part of the MahaYuti to take on Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena(UBT) and the Maha Vikas Aghadi in general in the BMC elections and also in the rest of Maharashtra.
Both Fadnavis and Shinde have favoured Raj Thackeray. The association is perceived to checkmate Uddhav Thackeray and also to impress the Marathis in general.
Raj Thackeray did not win even a single seat in the state Assembly elections, but he enjoys a large-scale support from the Marathis, which has been the key vote bank of the Shiv Sena, founded by late Balasaheb Thackeray in the 1960s.
CM Fadnavis, in particular, has been pitching for hoisting the flag atop BMC, and in MahaYuti has been attempting to capture power in India’s richest body, thereby ending the control of Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena. In addition, the MahaYuti, by bringing Raj Thackeray in its fold, wants to continue its victory march after the stellar performance in the state Assembly elections held last year.
As far as Raj Thackeray is concerned, a section of party workers believe that going with the BJP-led MahaYuti will benefit the party to spread its wings by effectively playing Hindutva and Marathi Manoos cards. They also argue that Uddhav Thackeray has compromised on Hindutva as practised by Balasaheb Thackeray by joining hands with Congress and NCP to come to power in 2109 by ditching the traditional ally BJP. Another section claimed that aligning with Uddhav Thackeray may spoil its poll prospects and erode the Hindutva and Marathi Manoos voters.
The meeting between CM Fadnavis and Raj Thackeray comes two days after the state urban development department issued a notification on initiating the drafting of ward boundaries for 29 municipal corporations, including the BMC, especially in the wake of the recent Supreme Court order directing the state government to complete the election process in four months.
The other key civic bodies include Pune, Nagpur, Thane, Nashik, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Navi Mumbai, Vasai-Virar, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and Kalyan-Dombivli.
The Urban Development department has asked the Municipal Commissioners to start preparing ward boundary drafts, which will be sent to the State Election Commission (SEC) for approval. These civic bodies will also need to invite suggestions and objections from citizens and provide hearings before finalising the boundaries. Currently, these civic bodies are under the administrator’s rule.
National
CM Nitish meets Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, discusses key issues

Patna, July 3: Ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan at Raj Bhavan on Thursday, and reportedly discussed key issues.
CM Nitish reached Raj Bhavan around 11 a.m., and the meeting lasted for about 30 minutes, during which several important administrative issues were discussed.
According to sources, the meeting primarily focused on the appointments of Vice Chancellors in universities across Bihar.
“This meeting was not political but related to higher education and the appointment of Vice Chancellors and other officials in the state’s universities,” sources said.
The Bihar government, ahead of the Assembly elections, is working to resolve issues across departments, including Higher Education, ensuring timely appointments, fund releases, and smooth educational activities.
The appointment of Vice Chancellors is considered crucial to avoid administrative bottlenecks during the election period.
Bihar Assembly elections are expected to be held in October-November this year, and the Election Commission of India may announce the schedule soon.
Before the elections, the Nitish Kumar-led government is keen to clear pending administrative issues to ensure smoother governance and to prevent disruptions in universities during the election season.
Several universities in Bihar are awaiting appointments and transfers of Vice Chancellors, registrars, examination controllers and other officials. The Governor, as Chancellor of state universities, along with the Chief Minister, play a key role in these appointments.
Arif Mohammad Khan took charge as the Governor of Bihar in 2025 after serving as the Governor of Kerala from 2022 to 2025.
A senior politician, Khan has previously held important positions in the Central government as a BJP leader.
This meeting holds significance as the state gears up for elections, with the government looking keen to complete critical institutional appointments before the Model Code of Conduct comes into effect.
National
AAP’s decision to go solo in Bihar polls draws ‘publicity stunt’ jibe from INDIA bloc ally

New Delhi, July 3: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal’s announcement of contesting the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections alone has invited a slew of reactions from political parties. Various parties, its ally or adversary, reacted on expected lines; however, the harshest one came from the Congress party, its erstwhile alliance partner in the INDIA bloc.
From JD(U) to Congress and others, all elicited a common view that AAP remains a non-player in the Bihar electoral landscape and its political plunge will have no impact on the power equations there.
JD(U) leader Rajiv Ranjan said that AAP’s decision to contest all 243 seats in Bihar shows clear and deep cracks in the INDIA bloc.
“This alliance is already in ruins and is now headed for further decline, as Kejriwal has himself said that the INDIA bloc was formed for the 2024 elections,” he said.
He added that AAP’s foray into the Bihar arena will have a bearing on the INDIA bloc partners, including RJD, as Tejashwi Yadav and his party will find it difficult to rally support.
Congress leader Akhilesh Prasad Singh said this looks nothing more than a ‘publicity stunt’.
“AAP has no presence in Bihar, people don’t even know Kejriwal’s party name. By such announcements, he is trying to stay in the news. Kejriwal may be known to people here, but his party is non-existent in Bihar, he said.
Another Congress leader, Tariq Anwar, said AAP was welcome to contest elections in Bihar but warned of more backlash than support.
“Every party is independent to contest elections as per its own choice. AAP can also decide its fortunes in upcoming elections, but it is a fact that AAP has no base in Bihar, it has no elected representative in Bihar, even at the panchayat level,” he said.
“Deciding to take a political plunge in such a situation could incur more losses than benefits,” he added.
Notably, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, addressing a press conference in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar on Thursday, said, “AAP will contest Bihar polls alone. The INDIA bloc was only for the Lok Sabha polls; there is no alliance with Congress now.”
When probed further, he said, “If there was any alliance, then why did Congress contest in Visavadar bypolls. They came to defeat us. BJP sent Congress to defeat us and cut the votes.”
National
Rahul Gandhi questions Maha govt over farmer suicides, BJP counters with facts during Cong-NCP rule

New Delhi, July 3: Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday criticised the BJP-led Maharashtra government over farmer suicides and accused the Centre of ignoring their plight. This prompted a swift response from the BJP, which cited findings and facts about farmer deaths in the state during the Congress-NCP rule to set the record straight.
The political blame game on farmer suicides began over the Fadnavis government’s admission that 767 farmers committed suicide in the state in the past three months. The state government told the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday that 767 farmer suicides were reported in the state, primarily in the Vidarbha region.
The Congress MP used the farmers’ deaths to mount an attack on the Centre, accusing it of callousness and gross indifference to their plight. He said that 767 families have been devastated and shattered, but the government remains unmoved.
“Is this just a statistic? No. These are 767 shattered homes. 767 families that will never recover. And the government? Silent. Watching with indifference,” he asked on X.
Rahul further said the farmers are sinking deeper into debt every day, but the government continues to look away. Their plight remains ignored while there is no government assurance or promise on the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for agricultural products.
BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya was quick to counter Rahul’s charge with facts and figures of farmers’ suicides, when the state was ruled by Congress-led governments in the past.
Amit Malviya said the Congress leader must think before blurting out baseless charges. He said that Rahul must look at the utter failures and misgovernance of the Congress-NCP governments, which saw a spate of farmer deaths during their reign.
Sharing details of farmers’ deaths, Amit Malviya stated that more than 55,000 deaths took place in the 15-year rule of the Congress-NCP government and asked, ‘Who was accountable for this?’
The graph shared by him, compiled with data gathered from NCRB and P. Sainath, shared details of ‘mass suicides’ in different government tenures, starting from 1999 to 2014.
“From 1999-2004, about 16,512 farmers committed suicide while from 2004-2009, about 20,566 farmers committed suicide while from 2009 to 2014, 18,850 farmers killed themselves,” it pointed out.
Notably, the Vidarbha region in Maharashtra has gained infamy over the years because of an abnormally high number of suicides by farmers. For decades now, the region has been hogging headlines over sorry state of affairs for the farming community.
Rahul Gandhi, further escalating his attack on the Centre, said that farmers’ demand for loan waivers remains ignored, but the Modi government continues to give big loans to corporates and billionaires.
“Modi ji promised to double farmers’ income – today, the reality is that the lives of those who feed the nation are being cut in half. This system is killing the farmers,” Congress MP claimed.
Giving a firm retort, Amit Malviya said that the politics of counting the dead looks repulsive, but it’s important to show Rahul Gandhi and Congress the mirror.
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