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Congress to take a call on Presidental poll after Udaipur ‘Chintan Shivir’

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The Congress will take a call on the Presidential polls after the Chintan Shivir scheduled in Udaipur next week.

While the grand old party has no strength of its own to defeat the yet to be named NDA nominee, all eyes are on the joint opposition candidate, as and when it is announced. However, the ruling coalition is short of votes to get simple majority and the 1,17,000 approx. votes of non-NDA and non-UPA parties can play the game in the elections.

A Congress leader said on condition of anonymity, “We are more focused on the Chintan Shivir now, and there is no serious discussion on Presidential elections yet, though it may come up.”

Congress sources said that the party may go for a joint opposition candidate, which can test the opposition unity ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

However, a Congress leader said that “the issue may come up in early June and Sonia Gandhi may call all the UPA partners to take a collective decision, but UPA will field a candidate for sure.”

Another Congress source said that the party can support a joint opposition candidate, but not a BJP nominee though it had supported A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in 2002 despite the fact that he was a BJP contender. But that was the era of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was best at reaching out to the opposition.

Kalam won the 2002 Presidential polls, defeating Left party candidate Lakshmi Sahgal. He was backed by the Congress, the Samajwadi Party and the Nationalist Congress Party.

Many feel that it’s not possible to come up with a joint opposition candidate given that many regional parties are likely to go with the BJP, including the BJD and YSRCP, which have good number of MPs in the Parliament.

The BJD has 12 Lok Sabha and nine Rajya Sabha members, which have 8,496 and 6,372 vote strength, respectively, while the YSRCP has 22 MPs with a vote strength of 15,576 in the Lok Sabha and 4,248 votes in the Rajya Sabha, which is enough to bail out the ruling party.

The biggest vote share among the regional parties is with the DMK, Trinamool Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP). And the SP had supported Kalam in 2002, who was an NDA candidate.

The electoral college, comprising 776 MPs from both the Houses and 4,120 MLAs of all the states and Union Territories, has 1,098,903 votes, and a majority is 549,452 votes. As far as the value of votes is concerned, Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of votes, approximately 83,824, followed by Maharashtra and West Bengal.

The BJP has a majority in the Parliament, but in terms of big states, which are key to the Presidential elections, its strength has reduced in Uttar Pradesh, while some other crucial states are ruled by the opposition parties, whose unity can pose a challenge for the saffron camp.

In fact, Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee has warned the BJP that the Presidential elections will not be a cake walk for the BJP, as it doesn’t have even half of the legislators of the country.

Maharashtra

‘Gujarat Portion Of Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project To Be Completed By December 2027’: Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

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New Delhi: The Gujarat portion of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) Project between Vapi and Sabarmati is planned to be completed by December 2027, while the entire 508 km project is expected to be completed by December 2029, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed Parliament on Wednesday.

However, the bullet train project is a very complex and technology-intensive and the exact timelines for its completion can only be reasonably ascertained after the completion of all associated works of civil structures, track, electrical, signalling & telecommunication and supply of trainsets, the minister added.

MAHSR is under execution with technical and financial assistance from the Japanese government. The project is passing through Gujarat, Maharashtra, and the Union Territory of Dadra & Nagar Haveli with 12 stations planned at Mumbai, Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Billimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad, and Sabarmati, the minister said.

A cumulative financial expenditure of Rs 78,839 crore has been incurred on the project till June 30, 2025, he said.

The total estimated cost of the MAHSR project is approximately Rs 1,08,000 crore, out of which Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is funding 81 per cent of the project cost which works out to Rs 88,000 crore while the balance 19 per cent cost amounting to Rs 20,000 crore will be funded through equity contribution from Ministry of Railways (50 per cent) and Maharashtra and Gujarat state governments (25 per cent each).

The delay in land acquisition in Maharashtra impacted the project till 2021. However, currently, the entire land (1389.5 hectares) for the MAHSR project has been acquired. The Final Location Survey and Geotechnical investigation has also been completed, and alignment finalised. All Statutory Clearances relating to wildlife, Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) and Forest clearance have been obtained, and all the civil contracts of the project have been awarded, Vaishnaw said.

Till now, 392 km of pier construction, 329 km of girder casting and 308 km of girder launching have been completed. The work on the undersea tunnel (21 km approx.) has also started. In order to expand the high-speed rail (HSR) network in India beyond the MAHSR corridor and to meet the growing passenger demand between major cities of commercial and tourist importance, Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) are being prepared by the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), he added.

HSR projects are highly capital-intensive, and any decision to take up a new project is based on many factors such as technical feasibility, financial & economic viability, traffic demand and availability of funds & financing options. The commercial operation of the MAHSR project involves an affordable fare structure for the services, taking into account the socio-economic conditions of the clientele for optimum patronage of the HSR sectors, the minister added.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai Airport Makes It To The Top 10 Airports In The World: Report

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Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) has once again made India proud by securing a spot among the world’s top 10 international airports, as ranked by New York-based Travel + Leisure magazine in its World’s Best Awards 2025.

Recognised under the category of Readers’ 10 Favourite International Airports of 2025, CSMIA is the only Indian airport to feature on this prestigious list for the third consecutive year, earning an impressive reader score of 84.23.

The recognition highlights CSMIA’s dedication to creating a tech-enabled, future-ready and passenger-first airport ecosystem. Passengers lauded the airport for its world-class hospitality, efficient services, vibrant retail and F&B offerings, and overall seamless travel experience.

Spread across 1,900 acres, CSMIA is currently the world’s busiest single-runway airport and India’s second busiest by passenger traffic. The airport handles nearly 1,000 flights daily, offering connectivity to 54 international and 67 domestic destinations, operated by over 50 international and 7 domestic airlines. In FY 2024-25, the airport saw a footfall of over 55 million travellers.

Over the past year, CSMIA has introduced several passenger-focused innovations, such as:

DigiYatra and FTI-TTP integration for paperless, biometric-based boarding

A new Airport Operations Control Centre (AOCC) for real-time operational efficiency

68 e-gates, self-check-in kiosks, and a digital parking payment system

In line with its Digital First vision, these upgrades aim to reduce wait times, enhance security checks, and simplify overall passenger movement. Meanwhile, the airport has also expanded its culinary and shopping offerings, blending local and global flavours to cater to diverse traveller preferences.

Notably, CSMIA is the first airport in India and the third globally to receive Level 5 ACI Accreditation – the highest global standard for airport service quality and customer experience.

With a sharp focus on sustainability, digitisation, and customer satisfaction, CSMIA continues to set benchmarks for airport excellence, solidifying Mumbai’s place on the global aviation map.

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Crime

Maharashtra: 31-Year-Old Govt Officer Accuses Husband Of Installing Spy Cameras In Bedroom, Dowry Harassment; Case Filed

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Pune: A Maharashtra government officer has alleged her husband secretly installed spy cameras in their bedroom to record her private moments, and subjected her to mental and physical harassment by demanding Rs 1.5 lakh dowry, police said.

About The Case

The 31-year-old woman alleged her husband, also a government employee, had installed cameras in the bathroom, too, the police said on Tuesday.

Based on the woman’s complaint, the police have registered a case against her husband, mother-in-law, three sisters-in-law and husbands of two sisters-in-law under sections 85 (cruelty by a husband or his relatives towards a woman), 115 (2) (voluntarily causing hurt) and other relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, they said.

The woman, a Class-2 officer in a state government department, was harassed physically and mentally by her husband and his family members, the police said, citing the complaint.

“The woman has alleged she was subjected to mental and physical harassment by her husband and his relatives, who pressured her to get Rs 1.5 lakh from her parental home to pay installments of car. When she refused to bring the money, she was beaten up,” an official from Ambegaon police station said.

The woman also alleged her husband installed spy cameras in their bedroom to record her private moments and threatened to make them viral if she did not fulfil his demand, the official said.

A probe was on into the complaint, the police added.

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