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Maharashtra

CVoter IndiaTracker Poll: Majority Indians believe Thackeray supported Murmu to avoid another split

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Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has declared that the Shiv Sena led by him would support BJP-led NDA’s presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu.

The decision to back Murmu was taken a day after 16 Shiv Sena MPs conveyed to Thackeray to support her as she is a woman from tribal community.

Thackeray said that he is not under any pressure to back Murmu in the upcoming presidential elections. “Nobody pressured me in the meeting of Sena MPs,” Thackeray said, referring to the deliberation at the meeting of Sena MPs.

However, the decision is being seen as an attempt on the part of Thackeray to avoid further dissension in the party. Shiv Sena faced a major rebellion last month that resulted in the split in the party. Almost 40 of 55 party MLAs broke away under the leadership of Eknath Shinde, who replaced Thackeray as the chief minister of the state.

CVoter-IndiaTracker conducted a countrywide survey for IANS to know people’s opinion about Thackeray’s decision to back Murmu and the possible impact on the party if Shiv Sena had backed opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha.

During the survey, the majority of respondents opined that the Shiv Sena would have faced another split if the party had supported Sinha. According to the survey data, 63 per cent respondents said the Shiv Sena could have broken once again if the party had supported Sinha. However, 37 per cent of respondents disagreed with the sentiment.

The survey further revealed that while a majority of the NDA supporters — 77 per cent believe that Shiv Sena would have faced another rebellion if the party had not supported Murmu, views of opposition supporters were divided on the issue. During the survey, while 54 per cent of opposition voters said that Thackeray decided to back Murmu to avoid another revolt in the party, 46 per cent did not share the sentiment.

According to the survey data, while a majority of most of the social groups believe that Thackeray decided to back Murmu under pressure from the Shiv Sena MPs to avoid dissension in the party, a majority of Muslims did not share the sentiment.

According to the survey data, 75 per cent Upper Caste Hindus (UCH), 63 per cent Other Backward Classes (OBC), 69 per cent Scheduled Tribes and 66 per cent Scheduled Castes opined Shiv Sena would have faced another division if the party had hot declared its support for the NDA presidential candidate. At the same time, the majority of Muslims – 68 per cent did not agree with this opinion.

India will become the most populous country in the world, surpassing China in 2023, according to a United Nations report released on World Population Day on July 11.

India’s population is likely to go up from the present figure of 1.417 billion to 1.429 billion to surpass China. Population explosion in the country has been a major concern for the ruling dispensations in the country. There have been demands from different quarters for strict population control law in the country.

Union Minister Giriraj Singh demanded stringent population control law in the country after the UN released its latest report that projected India to surpass China’s population in the coming year.

CVoter-IndiaTracker conducted an opinion poll for IANS to know people’s views about the issue of increasing population in the country. During the survey, a whopping majority of respondents — 82 per cent said that the population of India is going out of control, only 19 per cent disagreed.

Problem of the ever increasing population of the country is one issue on which the majority of both NDA voters and opposition supporters expressed unanimity in their views. During the survey, 88 per cent of NDA voters and 77 per cent opposition supporters opined that the population explosion has become a perennial problem for the country.

Similarly, the majority of respondents from different social groups opined that the country’s population is becoming unmanageable.

As per the survey data, 87 per cent Upper Caste Hindus (UCH), 86 per cent Other Backward Classes (OBC), 77 per cent Scheduled Tribes (ST), 83 per cent Scheduled Castes and 65 per cent Muslims believe that India’s population is becoming uncontrollable.

Maharashtra

‘Our Dreams Are Not A Joke’: Students Flood Social Media As SSC Exam Glitches Trigger Nationwide Outrage

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A storm of protests has erupted online as thousands of SSC aspirants take to social media platforms to voice their frustration under hashtags like #SSCVendorFailure, #SSCMisManagement, and #SSCReform. The uproar follows a series of technical glitches, infrastructure issues, and exam cancellations linked to the new vendor responsible for conducting SSC recruitment exams.

What began as scattered complaints has snowballed into a coordinated digital movement, with aspirants flooding X (formerly Twitter) with testimonies of botched exam experiences, inaccessible centers, and last-minute cancellations. Several students are demanding accountability from the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) and the removal of the current vendor.

Students are alleging that the system crashes during exams, experiences technical glitches, centres 500-1000 km away and has last-minute cancellations. Students are now demanding a thorough investigation, transparent communication, and urgent reforms to restore faith in the SSC recruitment system. The controversy follows widespread technical issues during the SSC Selection Post Phase 13 exams, leaving thousands in distress.

SSC Selection Post Phase 13 Exams Cancelled at Select Centres Due to Technical Issues

The SSC has cancelled the Selection Post Phase 13 exams at specific centres due to technical and administrative problems. The exams, which began on July 24 and are scheduled to continue until August 1, faced disruptions on the first day.

As per the official notice, exams held at Pawan Ganga Educational Centre 2 between July 24 and July 26 have been cancelled for administrative reasons. Affected candidates will now appear for the rescheduled exams starting July 28, with revised details to be shared shortly. Additionally, the first shift at Educasa International, Hubbali, scheduled on July 24 (9:30 AM to 10:30 AM), was cancelled due to a technical glitch.

Netizens’ Reactions

Amid widespread disruptions in the SSC Selection Post Phase 13 exams, students across India have taken to social media to express their frustration, calling out technical failures, poor management, and lack of transparency.

“Dear SSC, our dreams are not a joke!” wrote one aspirant. “Technical failures, paper leaks, and vendor mismanagement are destroying years of our hard work. We deserve justice and transparency.”

Another user questioned the outsourcing of such a critical process to private firms: “We’ve repeatedly said that instead of outsourcing the exams to private vendors, SSC should develop its own software and take full responsibility. The future of millions of youth should not be handed over to profit-driven companies.”

Many candidates shared emotional accounts of traveling long distances, only to face last-minute cancellations: “Is there no value for students’ efforts in this country? First, they gave us centers 500 km away, and then cancelled the exam. Is this some kind of joke?”

Another user said, “An exam isn’t just for one day — it’s years of preparation. Students traveled 500 km, and then were told the exam was cancelled. Why? Does anyone have an answer?”

Poor exam centre conditions were another major concern raised by aspirants: “We faced extreme discomfort — no fans, broken chairs, suffocating rooms, and image-based questions not loading. Is this what India’s competitive exams have come to? We demand accountability.”

A comprehensive list of recurring issues was also highlighted by students:

“SSC cannot ignore these issues any longer:

– Mouse not working

– Invigilators chatting

– Server crash & last-minute cancellations

– Centres 500-1000 km away

– No security checks

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Entertainment

Actress Ruchi Gujjar Hits Actor-Director With Chappal, Protests Against Him At Mumbai Theatre After Filing FIR Over ₹25 Lakh Fraud

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A dramatic scene unfolded at a Mumbai theatre during the screening of So Long Valley when actress Ruchi Gujjar hit the film’s producer and actor Man Singh with a chappal, leading to chaos at Cinepolis. The incident, captured in a now-viral video, came amid an ongoing financial dispute between Ruchi and another producer, Karan Singh Chauhan.

In the video, she is heard screaming while arguing with the producers. She then lost her cool and hit one of the producers with her chappal.

It appears that she arrived at the theatre with the intention of staging a protest. During the special screening, where the producers were present, Ruchi showed up along with a group of protestors. People around her were seen raising slogans against the producers.

They held placards with the producers’ photos, marked with red cross signs across their faces. In some of the posters, which can be seen in the video, the producers were depicted sitting on donkeys.

What is the case?

According to Ruchi, Chauhan had approached her last year claiming he was producing a Hindi television serial that would soon air on Sony TV. “He offered to add me as a co-producer and also sent documents related to the project,” she said, according to media reports.

Believing the offer, Ruchi stated that between July 2023 and January 2024, she transferred several payments from her company, SR Event and Entertainment, into accounts linked to Chauhan’s K Studios. However, the promised project never took off.

“Despite repeated contacts, he kept postponing them and lied,” she added in her complaint.

She claims to have discovered that the funds were allegedly used not for the serial, but for the production of So Long Valley. “When I got the information that the film is releasing on July 27, I told him to return my money now, on which he started threatening me,” she alleged.

Mumbai Police has registered an FIR under sections 318(4), 352, and 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against Chauhan, 36, for allegedly cheating actress Ruchiof Rs 25 lakh.

Ruchi has submitted banking records and documents to support her claims. An investigation into the financial transactions and communications is currently underway.

Notably, Ruchi had earlier drawn attention for her Cannes appearance, where she wore a necklace featuring an image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai 26 July 2005 Floods: When City Was Submerged With 944 mm Of Rain In 24 Hours Leaving 914 Dead, Thousands Displaced

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Every year, the monsoon season disrupts life across Indian cities with heavy rainfall, waterlogging and traffic chaos. But July 26, 2005, stands out as a day that etched itself into Mumbai’s history as one of its darkest and most devastating.

On that day, Mumbai received an unprecedented 944 mm of rain in just 24 hours, nearly half of its annual average. Between 8 am and 8 pm alone, 644 mm poured down. It remains the eighth-highest 24-hour rainfall ever recorded anywhere in the world. The city, unprepared for such intensity, was brought to a grinding halt.

Internet Flooded With Old Visuals, Still Haunting Mumbaikars

Several netizens took to social media to share haunting visuals from the 2005 Mumbai floods, recalling the day when the city came to a complete standstill. Many described it as an unforgettable chapter in Mumbai’s history, marked by chaos, resilience and unity.

While some reflected on the overwhelming scale of the disaster, others remembered how the crisis revealed the undying spirit of Mumbai, with strangers helping each other and communities coming together in the face of adversity.

Mumbai’s Lifeline Took Serious Hit, 52 Local Trains Damaged

As floodwaters rose, roads vanished beneath torrents of water. Local trains, the city’s lifeline, stopped completely, with tracks submerged and 52 trains damaged. Thousands were stranded in stations, schools and offices overnight. Low-lying areas like Dharavi and the Bandra-Kurla Complex were heavily inundated, while vehicles were swept away or immobilised.

The scale of disruption was staggering. Over 37,000 auto-rickshaws, 4,000 taxis, 900 BEST buses and 10,000 trucks and tempos were either damaged or rendered unusable. Even the skies were no refuge. For the first time ever, Mumbai’s airports shut down, with Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport and the Juhu airstrip closed for more than 30 hours. More than 700 flights were cancelled or delayed, creating nationwide ripples in air traffic.

Over 900 Killed, Property Worth ₹5.5 Billion Destroyed

The economic loss was estimated at Rs 5.5 billion (around 100 million USD). But the cost in human lives and suffering was far greater. According to official reports, 914 people lost their lives, many due to drowning, electrocution and landslides. More than 14,000 homes were destroyed, leaving thousands without shelter, food or drinking water.

Communication networks also failed. Around 5 million mobile users and 2.3 million landline connections went dead for several hours, hampering emergency rescue operations. Emergency services were overwhelmed, as the city grappled with a disaster it had never imagined.

The 2005 floods served as a harsh wake-up call, exposing Mumbai’s vulnerability to extreme weather. In the years since, the government has worked on improving disaster preparedness, such as creating specialised disaster management units, upgrading early warning systems and installing floodgates and dewatering pumps at critical points.

Yet, even two decades later, as visuals from 2005 resurface each year, a haunting question persists: Is Mumbai truly prepared to face another flood of that magnitude?

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