Lucknow : Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief, Om Prakash Rajbhar, on Saturday took a swipe at Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav over his claim that his party would return to power in Uttar Pradesh and he would become the Chief Minister again. Reacting to Akhilesh Yadav’s assertion, Rajbhar said that the Samajwadi Party chief should prepare for his next life if he wished to become Chief Minister, as he would not get the opportunity in his present life. “Prepare for your next life. You will not become the Chief Minister in this life,” Rajbhar told Media, taking a dig at the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister. The remarks came after Akhilesh Yadav expressed confidence that the Samajwadi Party would return to power in the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections and that he would once again become the Chief Minister.

Earlier, addressing a gathering in Varanasi, Akhilesh Yadav had indicated that he would not contest the 2027 Assembly elections himself. Instead, he said that he would take the oath as Chief Minister directly from his position as a Lok Sabha member if the Samajwadi Party formed the government. The SP chief also made several promises for Varanasi, including bringing a Metro rail project to the holy city if his party returned to power. He further assured that the Varuna river would be cleaned and that farmers would receive adequate compensation under his government. Rajbhar also commented on the growing scale of the Deepotsav celebrations in Ayodhya, saying that the festival was attracting increasing public participation and gaining popularity with every passing year.

“The Deepotsav programme is gaining popularity day by day, and people’s attraction towards it is increasing. This is why it is being celebrated on a much larger scale than last year,” he said. The minister also reacted to the Election Commission’s decision to provide another opportunity to people whose names have been left out of the voter lists during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in seven states, including Delhi. Defending the Election Commission’s repeated efforts to ensure that eligible voters are included in the electoral rolls, Rajbhar said the poll body did not want anyone’s name to be excluded from the voter list. “The Election Commission does not want anyone’s name to be left out of the voter list. That is why it is repeatedly publishing the lists and asking people to fill in the required forms or approach the authorities for assistance. If people are not taking the process seriously, what can the Election Commission do?” he said.

Following the eradication of Maoism in Gadchiroli, Maoists have begun appearing in urban areas. Acting on this, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) received information that a Naxalite—wanted by the Jharkhand State Police and carrying a bounty of ₹1 million (10 lakh rupees) on his head—was hiding in the Thakurli area of ​​Thane. Upon receiving this tip, the ATS unit was directed to verify the information and take appropriate action. The Maharashtra ATS arrested a 45-year-old man named Sanjay Sarju Yadav (alias Godaram Yadav)—a native of Devgan village (Palamu district, Jharkhand; under the jurisdiction of the Chhatarpur Police Station)—from Thakurli in the Thane district. The individual is a member of the ‘Zonal Committee’ of a Naxalite organization. During interrogation, he revealed that he had been in hiding at that location for the past ten days. The accused has been handed over to the Jharkhand Police, who have formally placed him under arrest. Following this ATS operation, an investigation has been initiated regarding other Maoists who may be hiding in the city. The ATS initially took Sanjay into custody and questioned him to determine whether any other Maoists are currently in hiding in Thane, Mumbai, or the surrounding urban areas. The ATS has subsequently handed over the wanted suspect to the Jharkhand Police, who will conduct further investigation. Following this arrest, an operation against Naxalites has been launched, and the police remain on high alert; this information was provided by reliable police sources.

Mumbai : The Shiv Sena (UBT) on Saturday accused the Mahayuti government of undermining cooperative democracy by approving a proposal to appoint non-official “expert” directors to the Gokul Milk Union (Kolhapur Zilla Sahakari Dudh Utpadak Sangh), alleging that the move is aimed at overturning the verdict delivered by voters in the recently concluded elections. The Thackeray camp in the party mouthpiece Samaana editorial said the core controversy centers on the outcome of the recent Gokul Milk Union elections, which serve as the economic and political lifeline for nearly 5.5 lakh dairy farmers in Kolhapur. The like-minded alliance spearheaded by Satej Patil secured 13 seats, while the ruling Mahayuti-backed faction led by Hasan Mushrif managed 12 seats. Facing a narrow defeat, the state government amended cooperative regulations to introduce provisions for appointing additional directors—effectively turning a minority of 12 into a governing bloc of 16, while bypassing the 13-seat majority won at the ballot box.

The editorial noted that while rules were hastily restructured to capture power in the Gokul Union, prominent district cooperative banks and cooperative sugar factories were conveniently exempted from similar interventions. “Lord Krishna was famous in Gokul as Makhan-Chor. “Makhan-Chor” is the sweetest name from Krishna’s childhood. While growing up in Gokul-Vrindavan with Nanda and mother Yashoda, Kanhaiya—Lord Krishna—would steal makhan (butter). Even if the gopis hung the pots of butter high up, he would climb onto his friends’ shoulders, break the pots, and eat the curd, milk, and butter. Krishna only stole butter, but today’s BJP tricksters have looted the entire ‘Gokul’. This loot has caused a stir not just in Maharashtra, but across the country. To snatch away the power from Gokul Milk Union (Kolhapur Zilla Sahakari Dudh Utpadak Sangh), a hooliganism of appointing expert directors to the union has been unleashed,” alleged the editorial.

The editorial pointed out that the restructuring appears custom-designed to bring back high-profile figures—including Shoumika Mahadik and Naved Mushrif—who faced decisive electoral rejections from Kolhapur’s milk producers. Opposition leaders have slammed the cabinet’s decision, characterising it as a sign of panic within ruling circles. “A government that denies the right of a democratically elected majority to appoint its own leadership is a traitor to the core tenets of democracy,” the opposition said, drawing parallels between state-level manouvers and broader national political tensions,” said the Thackeray camp. According to the editorial, the Gokul takeover has ignited a fiery debate across Maharashtra over the sanctity of cooperative institutions, which have historically operated independently of direct state-level micromanagement. As legal challenges loom on the horizon, dairy farmers and cooperative members in Kolhapur watch closely. The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena argued that what was once a routine election for a regional milk union has now escalated into a high-stakes battleground over institutional autonomy, majority rule, and the future of grassroots democracy in Maharashtra.