Maharashtra
Likely pitfalls that could derail the Shinde-Fadnavis combination

After hijacking the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) 3-party �auto-rickshaw, new Chief Minister Eknath Shinde converted it into a �two-wheeler with an over zealous pillion-rider in Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Over 3 weeks after they were sworn-in, instead of zooming off, the government is still �parked’ on the road, but is busy clearing the route ahead by yanking off the MVA’s decisions, policies, schemes and projects.
Relegated to the pavement, the Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress looked on gleefully as Fadnavis once snatched the microphone as a startled Shinde cast a brief bewildered stare at the audacity.
Many in the Opposition are wondering aloud �how soon’ before the Bharatiya Janata Party heavyweight Fadnavis grabs the reins of power to jump into the driving seat sidelining the ex-autorickshaw driver Shinde.
The challenges before the new regime are both daring and daunting, starting with the much-awaited Cabinet expansion, amid a storm raised by Shinde’s 40-strong band of restless rebel Shiv Sena MLAs.
Then, the Independents or fringes like the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) to ensure a �Thackeray’ on board and the frightful prospects of humouring the BJP legislators, with many bigwigs ready to draw first blood at the first slight.
All these would test the best of Shinde’s balancing skills and Fadnavis’ claimed �Chanakya-esque’ mastery to ensure a turbulence-free ride for the new regime.
Among the secret worries are whether the Brobdingnagian BJP with 106 MLAs looking down, would try to grab the cake and leave only crumbs for the rebels, with at least 20 prime portfolios up for grabs and coveted by all.
The next concern for the breakaway group would be the Supreme Court verdict which could make or break the new government, with both sides of the Shiv Sena proclaiming they are the �real’ party.
While winning the trust vote in the House was easy, the next formidable challenge for Shinde would be to win the confidence of the masses and establish his own credibility — a dismaying proposition as many in the past, like Raj Thackeray of the MNS, and others who revolted in different parties all over India have experienced.
A major battle – legal and political – waiting to erupt between the Thackeray and Shinde sides, is over who will ‘conquer’ the Shiv Sena Bhavan (the party headquarters), bag its �Tiger’ logo, the iconic Bow and Arrow election symbol, the well oiled 56-year-old party apparatus, and most important, convincingly delink it from the magical Thackeray surname�
Shinde would have to prove his supremacy over the Thackeray side in the upcoming civic body elections but hurdles are already cropping up with a section of his group reportedly against allying with the BJP.
Retaining the CM’s traditional stronghold of Thane may be a cakewalk, but dislodging the MVA hold over many other civic bodies like Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Aurangabad, Nanded, etc could pose problems, with or without the BJP’s overbearing shadow.
Top MVA leaders like Thackeray, Sanjay Raut (Sena), Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar (NCP), Nana Patole, Balasaheb Thorat (Congress), have already predicted that the �E.D.’ (Eknath-Devendra) government could fall on its own and the state would be pushed to a mid-term election in a few months.
After Shinde-Fadnavis clear these teething hurdles, they have a table-full of major governance issues like the OBC quotas, handling Covid better than the MVA did, and fast-track or complete several big ticket ongoing projects, estimated to cost over Rs 5 lakh crores.
They are the Mumbai-Nagpur Super Expressway, the Borivali-Thane Tunnel, the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, the Mumbai Coastal Road, the southern and northern extension to the Worli-Bandra Sea Link, the Navi Mumbai International Airport, and more than 375-kms of Metro Rail spanning the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
Other mega projects are the Pune Ring Road, Marathwada Water Grid, the Jalna-Nanded corridor linking the Mumbai-Nagpur Super Expressway, augmenting the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, kickstarting the Konkan Expressway, the Sagari (coastal) Highway, Palghar-Raigad Multimodal corridor, and the long pending Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in the Arabian Sea and the Dr B. R. Ambedkar Memorial in Dadar.
Maharashtra
Mumbai Waqf Act protest proved costly, notice to Asif Shaikh, police accused of harassment and nuisance, demand for action from Police Commissioner

Mumbai: Seeking permission for a protest against the Waqf Act in Mumbai on April 18 proved costly for Asif Shaikh and his family and the police have now started harassing Asif Shaikh and his wife, against which Asif Shaikh has now lodged a complaint with the Police Commissioner and requested to take action against the policemen who entered their house without permission.
Against the harassment and hooliganism of Tilak Nagar Police Station, Asif Shaikh and his wife Jasmine Shaikh have requested the Mumbai Police Commissioner to take strict action against the policemen who have harassed them by pasting a notice not to protest under the Waqf Act at their house in the absence of her husband. Jasmine Shaikh has said that my husband was not at home and in his absence the police not only harassed us at our house, but now the police is also harassing and troubling the people of our neighborhood so that they do not support us.
Asif Sheikh has requested the Mumbai Police Commissioner to take action in this regard, otherwise he will be forced to commit suicide and will commit self-immolation at the Mumbai Police Commissioner Headquarters. Asif Sheikh said in his video message that the local police station has made it clear that they are misbehaving with him on the orders of the Commissioner. He said that apart from harassing my wife, the police officers have also made a video of the women of our house in a nude state, which is illegal, but the police officers are stubborn and say that they have permission to make the video. When DCP Nunath Dhola was talked to in this regard, he said that permission was not given to protest against the Waqf Act and Asif Sheikh and others have been given notice, but the DCP has denied the allegation of harassing other people of the area.
Maharashtra
Wankhede withdraws defamation case against Kashif Khan and Rakhi Sawant

Mumbai: Former NCB Zonal Director Additional Commissioner IRS has withdrawn the defamation case filed against film actress Rakhi Sawant and her lawyer Kashif Ali Khan. Sameer Wankhede had filed a defamation case against Rakhi Sawant and her lawyer Kashif Ali Khan Deshmukh seeking compensation of Rs 11.55 lakh. Wankhede withdrew the case on personal grounds. On withdrawing the complaint, Kashif Ali Khan said that our mediation is complete. Instead of mutual differences, we fought against our hidden enemies. An example of this is that I have pleaded the case of Sameer Wankhede’s sister Yasmin Wankhede and also filed a defamation case against former minister Nawab Malik.
Sameer Wankhede had arrested Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan in the Cordelia cruise case and Kashif Ali Khan, the lawyer of Manmohan Dhamicha who was arrested in this case, made objectionable and indecent comments against Sameer Wankhede on his Instagram and social media channels, after which Wankhede filed a defamation case against him and Rakhi Sawant also shared the same post on her Instagram. Since Kashif Ali Khan is the one who is advocating many cases of Rakhi Sawant, Wankhede had filed a case against both of them, but now Wankhede has withdrawn the case on the basis of personal reasons. The court had ordered the parties to remain present for the withdrawal of the case, while Wankhede said that he has reached a settlement with Kashif Ali and after this understanding, Wankhede has withdrawn the case.
Maharashtra
Drugs worth Rs 50 crore destroyed in Mumbai

Mumbai: In line with the 100-day program launched by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the Anti-Narcotics Cell, ANC of Mumbai Police seized 530 kg 4433 bottles of cocaine worth a total of Rs 50 crore in 130 court cases registered in Mumbai. The operation was completed at Maharashtra Government approved Waste Management Private Limited Company, Taluja Panwal Raigad. The action was taken on the instructions of Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Pansalkar, Special Commissioner Devin Bharti, Joint Commissioner of Police Satyanarayan Chaudhary, Joint Commissioner of Police Laxmi Gautam. Satyanarayan Chaudhary is also the chairman of the committee and the operation was carried out by ANC DCP Shyam Ghaghe.
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