Mumbai, Sep 22: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday announced the election dates for five key Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) seats.

The election covers three Graduate constituencies (Aurangabad, Pune, and Nagpur) and two Teachers’ constituencies (Amravati and Pune), where the terms of the sitting members are set to expire on December 6, 2026.

According to official schedule released by the ECI, the notification will be issued on September 29, 2026, last date for nominations is October 6, 2026 while scrutiny of nominations will end by October 7, 2026. Polling will be held on October 23, 2026 from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM and the counting of votes will t take place on October 27.

Incumbent Representatives from Graduate Constituencies are Aurangabad Division – Bhanudasrao Satish Chavan (NCP), Pune Division – Arun Ganpati Lad( NCP SP) and Nagpur Division – Abhijit Govindrao Wanjari (Congress). The legislative members from the Teachers’ Constituencies include Amravati Division – Kiran Ramrao Sarnaik (Independent but officially joined Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena as an associate member) and Pune Division – Jayant Dinkar Asgaonkar (Congress).

The election declaration has set off discussion within the Mahayuti alliance—comprising Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena, and NCP, with all of the constituents eager to assert their presence across educated and influential voting bases.

The BJP views the Graduate constituencies as its traditional vote bank, having historically represented seats like Pune and Nagpur through senior leaders. Party strategists are keen to reclaim these seats after losing them in previous cycles. Ajit Pawar’s NCP holds strong grassroots claims, particularly in Pune Division while Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena has been actively consolidating outreach among educators, professors, and youth networks across Western Maharashtra and Amravati.

Key organisational leaders from Shinde’s party have conducted regional tours and secured endorsements from various teachers’ associations, making a compelling case for Shiv Sena candidates in the Teachers’ constituencies.

Mahayuti leadership emphasised that a unified seat-sharing formula will be finalised smoothly, with alliance leaders asserting that the coalition’s primary goal is to avoid vote fragmentation and leverage combined cadre strength to deliver a strong victory.

“Our focus remains on presenting a united front. Each constituent party brings a distinct organisational advantage among teachers, professionals, and graduates. A joint strategy will ensure a decisive victory across all five seats,” said a Mahayuti alliance source.

With polling scheduled for October 23, seat-allocation talks among top coalition leaders are set to accelerate before nominations open on September 29.

On the other hand, Opposition comprising Shiv Sena UBT, NCP SP and Congress will soon meet to decide their poll strategy. Sources indicated that three parties are expected to jointly contest the polls as Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance.

Mumbai, Sep 22: IIT-Bombay is set to replace ceiling fans in parts of its Powai campus with wall-mounted fans, according to sources, following the death of a 22-year-old student and amid demands for stronger institutional reforms and accountability.

The move comes days after Sahil Wakode, a second-year student of the Department of Energy Science and Engineering from Maharashtra’s Yavatmal district, was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his hostel room on Friday evening.

According to reports, the incident occurred hours after Wakode was allegedly caught using a mobile phone to access ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination.

Sources said the first consignment of wall-mounted fans has already reached the campus and installation work is expected to begin shortly. Although the replacement is being described as part of an ongoing renovation exercise, the development has attracted attention in the wake of the student’s death.

According to sources cited by media, discussions over replacing ceiling fans had been underway for around two months and the proposal was recently approved.

Students have also confirmed that the fans have arrived on campus. However, the institute administration has so far not issued an official statement on the reported replacement plan or commented on the matter.

The development has drawn criticism from NCP(SP) spokesperson Anish Gavande, who questioned whether changing the type of fans could address the broader issue of student suicides at educational institutions.

Gavande called for greater emphasis on suicide prevention measures and mental health support for students.

“Does IIT-Bombay really think that replacing ceiling fans with wall fans will solve the suicide problem affecting IITs across the country?” he said.

Wakode’s death subsequently led to protests on the IIT-Bombay campus, with students and political activists raising questions about institutional accountability and student welfare.

On Monday, IIT-Bombay removed Professor Suryanarayana Doolla from his position as Dean of Administrative Affairs following the protests. However, Doolla continues to remain a member of the institute’s faculty.

Wakode’s father, Ravindra Wakode, has alleged that his son was subjected to mocking, harassment and caste-based discrimination. He has sought an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his son’s death and the alleged role of the institute administration.

Following a complaint filed by Wakode’s family, the Mumbai Police have booked Professor Suryanarayana Doolla under provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, relating to abetment of suicide.

The investigation into the student’s death and the allegations raised by his family is underway.

Mumbai, Sep 21: The CBI arrested a CGST official from Uttarakhand’s Rishikesh in connection with a Rs 40 lakh bribe case that involved proceedings against a company based in Maharashtra’s Raigad, an official said on Monday.

Additional Commissioner, CGST, Vinay Kumar Kantheti, IRS 2009 batch, has been absconding since September 16, when the Bombay High Court cancelled his bail, along with that of two co-accused, and directed him to surrender before the CBI, the official said.

Instead of complying with the High Court’s order, Kantheti absconded and has now been traced in Rishikesh and taken into custody by the CBI, said the statement.

His colleague and Superintendent, CGST, Raigad, Rakesh Kumar Sinha, and a private person, Narinder Rajput, who worked as a conduit to the college on behalf of the officials, are already in judicial custody, the CBI said.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Anti-Corruption Branch, Mumbai, registered a case on August 26 under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, based on a complaint alleging that a Superintendent, CGST, Khandeshwar, Raigad, demanded illegal gratification.

It was alleged that an illegal gratification of Rs 1.50 crore, subsequently reduced to Rs 40 lakh, was demanded in connection with proceedings relating to the complainant’s firm, the CBI said

The Central probe agency laid a trap on August 27, during which a private person/Customs House Agent was apprehended while allegedly accepting Rs 40 lakh on behalf of the Superintendent, CGST, Raigad and the Additional Commissioner, CGST, Raigad, it said.

The CBI arrested all three accused and produced them before the learned Special CBI Court, Thane. The CBI sought five days of police custody for custodial interrogation. However, vide order dated August 28, the Special Court rejected the request for custody, held the arrests illegal and released the accused on bail, the statement said.

The CBI challenged the Special Court’s order before the Bombay High Court, which accepted the agency’s plea, quashed and set aside the Special Court’s order, and remanded three accused to two days’ CBI custody.

After examining the record, the High Court found that the grounds of arrest had been communicated to the accused in writing and that the family members and advocates had been duly informed, the statement said.

Pursuant to the High Court order, the accused Superintendent and the accused private person were taken into CBI custody for two days and subsequently sent to 14 days of judicial custody by the Court, the CBI said.

However, the accused Additional Commissioner, Vinay Kumar Kantheti, absconded instead of complying with the High Court order. The CBI said it has now arrested him He Rishikesh.