Connect with us
Tuesday,25-August-2026
Breaking News

Maharashtra

Congress to begin probe into MLAs’ cross-voting in Maharashtra MLC polls

Published

on

Senior Congress leader Mohan Prakash will reach Mumbai on Saturday for a two-day probe into the alleged cross-voting by party legislators during the Maharashtra Legislative Council biennial elections held on June 20, officials said here on Friday.

He will also examine the chain of events concerning the vote of confidence by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in which 11 Congress MLAs were absent in the special cession of the Maharashtra Legislature held on July 3-4.

A former AICC General Secretary In-Charge of Maharashtra, Prakash is well-versed with the state Congress’s faction-ridden politics and is expected to submit his report to the party high command for necessary action and remedial measures next week.

For the 10 MLC seats, the Congress had fielded two candidates – Chandrakant Handore and Bhai Jagtap – with calculations in their favour given the erstwhile Maha Vikas Aghadi strength then.

In the hotly-contested polls, the first candidate Handore was trounced while Jagtap emerged the surprise winner, proving to be a huge loss of face for the party.

A prominent Dalit leader and ex-minister, Handore is the Working President of state Congress, while Jagtap is the Mumbai Congress President.

The party has taken the embarrassing debacle of its first-choice candidate (Handore) – who secured less than the allotted votes – very seriously in the MLC polls, said party officials.

Prakash is slated to meet top leaders including state Congress President Nana Patole, Handore and Jagtap, other senior leaders and legislators, jointly or individually to get to the bottom of the cross-voting mystery.

An office-bearer said the party will find out who was responsible for Handore’s defeat considering the MVA’s numerical strength which could have ensured victory for both Handore and Jagtap easily.

Soon after the elections, ex-CM Prithviraj Chavan and ex-Minister Naseem Khan besides Handore had demanded a probe into the cross-voting fracas, while Patole met Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and General Secretary, Organisation, K.C. Venugopal in Delhi.

Prakash will also discuss the chain of events leading to the collapse of the MVA, the “absenteeism” of the 11 Congress MLAs during CM Shinde’s vote of confidence on July 4, and whether they comprised the 7 suspected of cross-voting in the MLC polls.

The absentees included MLAs Jitesh Antapurkar who was busy with his (own) wedding and Praniti Sushilkumar Shinde was abroad, besides Ashok Chavan, Vijay Wadettiwar, Dheeraj Vilasrao Deshmukh, Zeeshan Siddiqui, Shirish Chaudhary, Madhavrao Javalgaonkar, Kunal Patil, Raju Awale, and Mohan Hambarde.

Maharashtra

Clash at Bhiwandi Dindigad Hill Leaves Six Injured; Tension Reportedly Erupts Again at Hospital

Published

on

Bhiwandi, Maharashtra: A dispute between two groups of youths at Dindigad Hill near Bhiwandi escalated into a physical confrontation on Sunday afternoon, leaving six people injured, according to preliminary information.

The incident reportedly began after a disagreement at the hill area. The dispute is understood to have been linked to objections over non-vegetarian food being brought to the location. What started as a verbal argument soon turned violent, with members of the two groups allegedly assaulting each other.

The injured were taken to Bhiwandi Sub-District Hospital for medical treatment. However, tension reportedly flared again when members of the two groups came face-to-face at the hospital. Police personnel were deployed at the hospital to prevent the situation from escalating further.

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the confrontation and are examining the claims made by those involved. Further legal action is expected after statements are recorded and the facts of the incident are established.

The incident has raised concerns over the need for restraint and peaceful resolution of disputes, particularly in public places where clashes can quickly create tension in the surrounding area.

Continue Reading

Maharashtra

MIDC Police Station operation: Heroin worth Rs 35 million seized, suspect arrested

Published

on

MIDC Police Station Anti-Narcotics Squad PI Kholam and his team were patrolling the night of August 22 to take action against people using, buying and selling drugs within their limits.

On the 23rd, at around 12:10 am, the police saw a person moving around suspiciously in front of the gate of Hemant Karkare Garden, near Sahakari Bhandar, Poonam Nagar, Jogeshwari (East), Mumbai. PI Kholam found the person’s movements suspicious and the police team tried to stop him. On seeing the police, the said person tried to run away from there, however, with the help of the police team, he was arrested on the spot. During interrogation, the person initially gave evasive answers. Later, after taking him into confidence and conducting further detailed interrogation, a dark colored powder, which was said to be Heroin, was recovered from his possession.

The police searched the said person in compliance with all the legal requirements of the NDPS Act, 1985. Heroin weighing 302 grams, worth approximately ₹3,50,00,000 (Rupees 3 crore 50 lakhs), was recovered from his possession.

In this case, a case has been registered under Section 8(c) read with Section 21(c) of the NDPS Act under Case No. 943/2026 on the basis of a complaint received at MIDC Police Station, Mumbai. During the investigation, it was also revealed that the said drugs were being supplied in the area of ​​MIDC Police Station. Further investigation of the case is underway.

Thus, PI Kholam, Officer of the Anti-Narcotics Team of MIDC Police Station and his team carried out a remarkable operation of timely arresting the accused drug dealer Tauseef Liaquat Qazi (29) and seizing 302 grams of heroin, worth ₹3.50 crores, from his possession. The successful operation was carried out under the guidance of senior police officers, including Mumbai Police Commissioner Devin Bharti, Joint Police Commissioner Dr. Manoj Kumar Sharma, Additional Police Commissioner Dr. Abhinav Deshmukh, Deputy Police Commissioner Datta Nalawade and Assistant Police Commissioner Yogesh Shinde. The operation was directly supervised by Senior Police Inspector Ghanshyam Nair and Police Inspector (Crime) Sunil Karande.

Continue Reading

Maharashtra

FIR registered in Ganpati idol desecration case, situation under control in Mazgaon; DCP Jayant Meena targeted by Hindu organizations

Published

on

Tension prevailed in the Mazgaon area of ​​Mumbai when an incident of eggs being thrown at the Ganpati procession from a high-rise tower took place, after which the situation became tense and the police brought the situation under control and restarted the Ganpati procession. According to the details, the Ganpati procession was passing through the Mazgaon area when some unknown mischievous anti-social elements tried to desecrate the Ganpati idol by throwing eggs, after which Hindu organizations blocked the road and started a full-scale protest. DCP Jayant Meena reached the spot and tried to control the situation, but at the same time he was also surrounded by the crowd, but despite this, the DCP acted courageously and controlled the situation and established peace. But now the same DCP Jayant Meena has come on the hit list of Hindu organizations. He is being targeted on the social media accounts of Hindu organizations. This makes it clear that this raises the question that Hindu organizations do not have faith in the administration and the police. In the case of desecration of the idol of Ganpati, the police have registered a case under sections 299, 196 of the Bharatiya Naya Sanhita BNS. The accused has been identified. The police have identified him from the CCTV footage. At present, tension persists but peace is prevailing. The police have made strict security arrangements at the places. After this incident, a conspiracy to incite communal violence has also started in Mumbai city by the sectarians and after throwing eggs at the procession, Hindu extremist organizations are also criticizing the role of the DCP. DCP Jayant Meena has come under the target of Hindu extremist organizations, right wing. At present, the DCP said that the situation is peaceful and the police is taking necessary action in this matter. The police are also investigating whether more people are involved in this matter and what is the conspiracy behind it. This is the second incident of throwing eggs at Ganpati. Earlier, an egg was thrown at the idol of Ganpati in Kamatipura. Such an incident The police are also investigating why this is happening, but after this incident, it has become clear once again that Hindu extremist organizations do not trust the police action, which is why they are confronting the DCP. The police have not made any arrests in this matter so far, while the search for the accused is ongoing.

Continue Reading

Trending