Mumbai: As the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Election 2024 approaches, all eyes are on key constituencies like Byculla, a key seat in Mumbai. The constituency is part of the Mumbai South Lok Sabha constituency and has been a focal point of intense political competition.

Byculla is one of the 288 seats in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and is designated as constituency number 184. The seat falls under the general category and is located in Mumbai City District. Currently, Byculla is represented by Yamini Jadhav of Shiv Sena (Shinde faction).

In the 2024 elections, Yamini Jadhav will face a tough fight from the Shiv Sena UBT candidate Manoj Jamsutkar, making it a key battle to watch. Jadhav secured her victory in 2019 by defeating AIMIM’s Waris Pathan with a sizeable margin of over 20,023 votes, but this time, the political dynamics have shifted.

Byculla has a total of 2,58,856 registered voters, as per the Election Commission’s latest figures. With a diverse demographic composition, the seat often witnesses polarized voting patterns.

Current Political Scenario in Maharashtra

The ruling coalition, Mahayuti, led by Eknath Shinde (Shiv Sena-Shinde), Devendra Fadnavis (BJP), and Ajit Pawar (NCP-Ajit Pawar), currently holds 202 seats in the assembly. Of these, BJP accounts for 102 seats, NCP (Ajit) has 40, Shiv Sena (Shinde) has 38, and smaller parties hold the remaining 22 seats.

On the other hand, the opposition alliance, Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), led by Sharad Pawar (NCP-Sharad Pawar), Uddhav Thackeray (Shiv Sena-UBT) and Nana Patole (Congress) holds 69 seats. Congress leads the MVA with 37 seats, followed by Shiv Sena (UBT) with 16 and NCP (Sharad Pawar) with 12.

Byculla is considered crucial for both alliances. For the ruling Mahayuti, retaining the seat will showcase its strength in Mumbai, while a win for MVA could indicate a shift in urban voting preferences.

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday criticised Maharashtra’s Home Minister, Devendra Fadnavis, for the worsening law and order situation in the state following the recent attack on former minister Anil Deshmukh.

Speaking to reporters, Raut said, “The law & order in Maharashtra has completely collapsed. Never before did such violence take place in this state during elections. Devendra Fadnavis is the current Home Minister. A conspiracy to murder the former Home Minister of the state occurred in his city… Who is responsible (for this)? First of all, the Election Commission is responsible for this.”

Raut further continued to blame Fadnavis for worsening the state’s condition. “The condition in Maharashtra has turned bad. I believe that Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis has ruined Maharashtra’s law and order in 2 years. A former minister like Baba Siddiqui was murdered on the streets in Mumbai. The way former Home Minister Anil Deshmukh was attacked and a murder attempt was made – Devendra Fadnavis himself should take accountability for that,” Raut added.

Sanjay Raut Dismisses BJP’s Defense Of The Situation

Sanjay Raut also dismissed the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) defense of the situation as a “stunt,” stating, “The BJP claims that this is a stunt, but Maharashtra doesn’t need to learn stunts from Narendra Modi. Stunt politics is what the BJP does, and the biggest ‘Rajinikanth’ in this is Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Just like Rajinikanth does stunts in films, Modi does them in politics.”

Nagpur Rural Police Registers Case

Meanwhile, the Nagpur Rural Police have registered an attempt to murder case against four unidentified individuals in connection with the attack on former Maharashtra Minister Anil Deshmukh. Harsh Poddar, Superintendent of Police, Nagpur Rural, confirmed, “Nagpur Rural Police has registered a case of attempt to murder against four unknown persons in the attack on Anil Deshmukh. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DYSP) Katol is investigating the incident. The Regional Forensic Team has gone to the spot to collect technical evidence. No one should spread rumours. If anyone tries to disrupt law and order, strict action will be taken against them.”

Poddar also added, “DYSP Katol is investigating the case. The Honourable Special Police Inspector General, Nagpur Circle, and Nagpur Collector have also visited the spot. The Regional Forensic Team from Nagpur has come to the scene to collect technical evidence.”

Harsh Poddar further emphasised that 2,000 police personnel and officers, along with 300 CAPFs, have been deployed to ensure law and order in the district. “My request to the people is not to believe in any kind of challenge. If anyone tries to break the law and order, strict legal action will be taken against them. Jai Hind, Jai Maharashtra.”

In the early hours of the day, former Maharashtra minister and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) leader Anil Deshmukh was hospitalised at Alexis (Max) Hospital after an alleged attack on his convoy on the Katol-Jalalkheda Road. Senior police officials confirmed that he is undergoing treatment.

Mumbai: Akashdeep Gill, the 24th accused in the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique, who was arrested from Fazilka, Punjab, has said that he was directly in contact with gangster Anmol Bishnoi regarding the murder plot.

Details Revealed

According to the police, Gill disclosed to the Mumbai Crime Branch during interrogation that he acted as a conduit for Anmol’s instructions, passing them on to arrested accused Sujeet Singh alias Babbu and the three shooters, Shiv Kumar Gautam, Dharmraj Kashyap, and Gurmail Singh. Gill is also stated to have revealed that Bishnoi had been in constant communication with him, orchestrating the murder plan and giving orders that he conveyed to Sujeet Singh and Shiv Kumar.

Gill stated that after the shooters arrived in Mumbai, he established contact with Shubham Lonkar and Zeeshan Akhtar at Anmol’s behest, relaying their instructions to the shooters, and admitted to being involved in the conspiracy and providing critical logistical support for the murder, the police said.

Things Revealed By Primary Shooter Shiv Kumar Gautam

Primary shooter Shiv Kumar Gautam revealed during interrogation that he was told the target’s name after arriving in Mumbai, by Shubham Lonkar whom he knew for three years. Lonkar had approached Gautam in Pune with a proposal to kill a person linked to Dawood Ibrahim. Gautam had agreed after two days and involved Dharmraj Kashyap in the plan. However, he later accused Shubham Lonkar of setting him up.

The Crime Branch discovered that 36 lakh was deposited into the account of Salmanbhai Vohra, an accused arrested from Akola, via deposit machines within India. Vohra transferred approximately 5 lakh to the accounts of Gurmail Singh’s brother Naresh Singh, and coaccused Rupesh Mohol and Harish ~ Kumar Nishad. According to the Crime Branch, Vohra was involved in hawala activities, but it is not yet known who deposited the 6 lakh.

The Crime Branch investigation revealed that the last known location of key conspirators and absconders Shubham Lonkar and Zeeshan Akhtar was near Jama Masjid in Delhi. Both were in Delhi in July 2024. Shubham had fled Pune to meet Zeeshan in Delhi, and after plotting the murder, the two disappeared from there. Their current location remains untraced.

The investigation also revealed that initially, accused Nitin Sapre was included as the third shooter in the Bishnoi gang’s plan. However, due to his drug addiction and the potential risk of the plan failing, he was replaced by Gurmail Singh. The police said that the accused were in contact with each other through the Zangi and Signal apps.