Maharashtra
In UP Shiv Sena rejig, Muslim woman named GS in 46-strong top body
Nearly seven weeks after losing power in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena President and former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has revamped the party in Uttar Pradesh — its second biggest unit outside the home state, officials said here on Friday.
A sparkling new 46-member Uttar Pradesh Shiv Sena (UPSS) team has been formed, incorporating a first — a Muslim woman Nazia Khan appointed as General Secretary (GS) — along with two other women leaders, Sonu Singh Thakur and Savita Shrivastav.
According to UPSS Chief Spokesperson and office head Vishvjeet Singh, the 46-member apex body comprises the state President Anil Singh Thakur, 10 Vice Presidents, 6 GS, 11 Secretaries, 6 State Organisers, a 3-member panel of spokespersons, and 8 state executive committee members.
“These appointments have been made with the approval of the Party President Thackeray with immediate effect, and now we shall plunge full-fledged into preparations for ensuing Uttar Pradesh civic polls, the 2024 Lok Sabha and 2027 UP Assembly elections,” said Singh.
The Sena plans to contest all the upcoming civic elections in Uttar Pradesh putting up a maximum number of candidates with possibility of local alliances, as decided by the central leadership, said a party leader in Mumbai.
The Uttar Pradesh leaders are also likely to be deployed for the ensuing Maharashtra civic elections to woo the north Indian voters, particularly in Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad and certain other regions where they are in significant numbers, he added.
Singh said the new body will launch a state-wide membership drive with a target of over 100,000 people who will be enrolled by December.
“Thereafter, in all the 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh, we shall launch an intensive membership drive with at least 100,000 enrolments per district before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections,” said the Chief Spokesperson.
Shiv Sena, which has been on the fringes in Uttar Pradesh since 30 years, almost equivalent to its rule over the country’s biggest and richest civic body, BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), now plans to spread wings in a big way in that state.
It broke the ice with the electorate when a party nominee, Pawan Pandey was elected from Akbarpur to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly in 1991, and later he was among those accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case.
“The situation today in Uttar Pradesh is very differenta People are now weary of the Ram Temple issue and are demanding the basics of life like jobs, education, health facilities, curbing inflation, end to communal and caste politics,” claimed Singh.
Referring to the collapse of the Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress’s MVA regime headed by Thackeray on June 29, he said that the Uttar Pradesh masses are “disturbed” by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) blatant misuse of central agencies to topple state governments.
The MVA experiment of November 2019 dealt a blow to the party even in Uttar Pradesh, and Singh claimed that the BJP adopted vindictive tactics against Shiv Sena candidates in the March 2022 Assembly polls in which Chief Minister Adityanath Yogi swept to power for a second consecutive term.
“In the 75th year of Independence, our strategy will be to create Hindu-Muslim amity, all-inclusive growth and development of Uttar Pradesh, with job creations at all levels, improved infrastructure, health and education for the entire population,” said Singh.
After contesting around two dozen seats in 2019 Lok Sabha elections and 100 in 2022 Assembly polls, the Sena plans to at least double its candidates for both these elections after approval from the central leadership in Mumbai.
General
Thane Tragedy: Environmentalist-Lawyer Sarita Khanchandani Dies By Suicide In Ulhasnagar, Family Alleges Harassment By Shiv Sena (UBT) Leader

Thane: In connection with the death of environmentalist-activist-lawyer Sarita Khanchandani, who allegedly died by suicide on Thursday after jumping from the seventh floor of Roma Building where she lived in Ulhasnagar, her husband Purshottam Khanchandani has leveled serious allegations against Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and his associate accusing them of harassing his wife and trying to implicate her in a fabricated case.
He claimed that the harassment drove her to suicide and demanded that the case be probed by a senior officer under judicial supervision.
Purshottam, along with other family members, addressed a press conference to present his side of the story. He said Sarita had been helping Jiya Goplani, a woman whose domestic case she was handling. After being ousted by her in-laws, Goplani had no shelter, and Sarita allowed her to live in one of her homes for six years, providing food and support.
Although the court awarded Goplani a monthly maintenance of Rs 15,000, Sarita eventually asked her to vacate the house. Goplani assured her that she was looking for a house in Badlapur and would leave within two months.
According to Purshottam, on Wednesday, Goplani called Sarita claiming she was unwell. When Sarita went to meet her around 11:45 p.m., she found nearly 20 people present. Purshottam alleged that this was a conspiracy to trap Sarita, and a video of the incident later surfaced on the social media.
Although the police were called to the spot, both Sarita and Goplani told officers they had no complaints, after which Sarita returned home.
However, Purshottam alleged that later the same night, Goplani, along with a politician and others, went to the police station and registered a case against Sarita. Shocked by the development, Sarita went to the police station on Thursday but later returned home and jumped to her death from the terrace.
He also accused the Vithalwadi police station of facilitating the conspiracy to falsely implicate her. He clarified that Goplani was not a tenant but was staying at their residence purely on humanitarian grounds.
Purshottam linked the incident to an earlier dispute, alleging that the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and his associate had encroached upon a government toilet block. Sarita had filed a petition in the High Court against the encroachment, after which the Shiv Sena Shakha on the premises was shut down and the property handed back to the municipal corporation.
In response to Purshottam’s allegations, Jiya Gopalani refused all allegations and stated that she was his wife’s tenant and that Sarita forced her to work according to her instructions; otherwise, she would not fight her domestic case in court.
“On Wednesday, Sarita came to my home because I was not picking up her call. Sarita arrived at my home and assaulted me badly, after which I visited the police station and filed a case against her.”
DCP Sachin Gore of Ulhasnagar said “Based on Jiya Goplani’s complaint, we filed a case of trespass and assault against Sarita. In Sarita’s suicide matter, no note was found. So far, we have registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) . We will record the statements of witnesses. Further investigation is underway, and if anyone’s role emerges, action will take accordingly.”
Sarita Khanchandani, a practicing lawyer, was known for her environmental activism and had played a significant role in getting DJs banned in Maharashtra.
She also ran the Heerali Foundation, an organization dedicated to cleaning up the Ulhas and Waldhuni rivers that flow through Ulhasnagar. She was a prominent figure in pollution activism in the city, petitioning police to act against violators and raising awareness of environmental issues affecting the rivers.
Crime
Maloney arrested with 7.2 million worth of ganja and pistol, five others

Mumbai Maloni Police has claimed to have arrested five accused including ganja worth Rs 72 lakhs and a country-made pistol and live cartridges. In Maloni, the police had arrested Ashiq Hussain Khan with 1 kg 60 grams of ganja. He said that he buys this drug from Nashik. After that, Santosh More of Nashik was arrested. After that, a total of four accused were arrested in this case and a case was registered against them under the NDPS Act. A car was searched in Maloni Madh in which a country-made pistol and ganja were recovered. This operation was carried out by DCP Sandeep Jadhav on the instructions of Mumbai Police Commissioner Devin Bharti. The police is investigating the matter further.
Maharashtra
The application date for Mumbai students’ education scholarship should be extended till September 1: Abu Asim Azmi

Maharashtra Samajwadi Party leader and MLA Abu Asim Azmi has written a letter to the state Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the Minister of Minority Affairs demanding extension of the application date for scholarship 2025-26 for students pursuing higher education abroad through the Minority Department and Ministry of Minority Affairs. The last date is August 28, 2025. Azmi has demanded an extension till September 1. He said that there is a three-day holiday in Maharashtra in view of Ganpati festival and other festivals, so students will have difficulty in submitting applications. Therefore, keeping in mind the convenience of the students, the date for submission of applications should be extended till September 1 and the government should take a positive decision on this.
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