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Lingayat community seeks OBC status, BJP in a fix

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The ruling BJP is in a fix over the demand of the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community seeking its inclusion in the Other Backwards Classes (OBC) list by the Centre. The community leaders have also warned that if the demand is not fulfilled, they would start agitation on a large-scale.

Sources in the BJP said that it is not good news for the party, which is preparing to face the upcoming 2023 Assembly elections. Shamnur Shivashankarappa, President of the Akhila Bharatha Veerashaiva-Lingayat Mahasabha, who is also a veteran Congress leader from the state has stated that a decision in this regard has been taken in the general body meeting.

Veerashaiva-Lingayat community, considered as a dominant community in the state comprising 18 to 20 per cent of the population, is firmly standing behind the ruling BJP in Karnataka. Former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and present Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai hail from the Lingayat community.

It would be a tricky situation for the BJP-led Central government to accord Veerashaiva-Lingayat community the OBC status. According to sources, the decision has to be taken at the national level. Vokkaliga community, another dominant community from Karnataka was accorded OBC status during the tenure of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda.

Eshwar B. Khandre, Mahasabha General Secretary and also a senior Congress leader stated that though Veerashaiva- Lingayat community is considered as a forward caste, it is one of the most backward communities in terms of socio, economic and academic scenarios.

The share of Veerashaiva-Lingayats is negligible in terms of recruitments in the UPSC, banking sector, railway, Staff Selection Commission and Public Sector enterprises run by the Central government, he said.

However, sources said that the timing of the demand by the Veerashaiva-Lingayat Mahasabha is intended to put the ruling BJP in a fix. If BJP commits to the fulfillment of the demand, it will have to address such demands from across the country which will open the Pandora’s box.

If the BJP doesn’t commit to the fulfillment of this demand, the opposition Congress can target them, sources said.

The BJP has not reacted over the issue and is treading cautiously.

Maharashtra

Concreting of roads, cleaning of drains should be continuously inspected till monsoon works are completed properly: Mayor Ritu Tawde

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Mumbai: Pre-monsoon works are in full swing in Mumbai (Mumbai city and suburbs). However, until these works are completed properly and on time, we will continue to inspect concreting of roads, removal of silt from drains and other works, said Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde. At the same time, Mayor Tawde has directed the administration to work very diligently in relation to roads, drains and water. Along with the roads of Chembur, Mayor Ritu Tawde inspected the silt removal works in the drain and Mithi river this morning (May 2, 2026). M-West Ward Committee President Asha Marathe, L-Ward Committee President Vijayendra Shinde, F-South and F-North Ward Committee President Mansi Satmkar, Corporator Mrs.

Sakshi Kanojia, Corporator Kshish Phulwaria, Deputy Commissioner (Zone 5) Mrs. Scindia Nanded, Assistant Commissioner West, B-West Commissioner Scindia Shankar, Sakshi Kanojia. (L Division) Dhanji Harlekar, Chief Engineer (Roads) Mantaya Swamy, Deputy Chief Engineer (Storm Water Channels) Sunil Russell, Sunil Karjatkar and concerned officers were present.

Mayor Ritu Tawde initially inspected the works. The Mayor inspected Road No. 21 and 11 in Babasaheb Ambedkar Udyan area. The quality of road work, condition of various utility channels, trees along the road and water drainage system were inspected very closely. Besides, to check the quality of footpath construction, he has arranged a basic test to check the cement, concreting, iron used in it, nets etc.

Talking to the media during the visit, Mayor Tawde said that the Municipal Corporation has implemented the cement concreting project of roads in Mumbai as a long-term initiative. The road work is going on at a fast pace. The administration has been instructed to complete these works before the monsoon.

However, there should be no delay in the construction and maintenance of the quality of roads while increasing the pace of work. The completed roads and their water drainage pipes should be cleaned thoroughly. So that water does not get mixed in the cement and the pipes do not get blocked. Water should not be allowed to accumulate on the roadside. Along with this, Tawde directed that care should be taken that no tree is affected by cement concrete.

Meanwhile, while inspecting the roads in Chembur, the Mayor also interacted with the local citizens. The citizens expressed satisfaction with the road work and thanked the Mayor, public representatives and the administration.

After inspecting the roads, Mayor Tawde inspected the sludge removal works at three places – Mahol Nallah in ‘L’ section, JK Chemical Nallah in ‘F North’ section and Methi Nadi. Regarding the cleaning of drains, Mayor Tawde said that the target is to remove 8.28 lakh metric tonnes of sludge from drains before the monsoon this year. Out of this, about 45% or 3.76 lakh metric tonnes of sludge has been removed by May 1, 2026. The garbage removal work should be expedited and it should be ensured that all drains are free from sludge before the monsoon. Where necessary, protective walls should be constructed along the drains. CCTV monitoring facilities should be provided so that the administration and local public representatives can also see the actual status of the drain cleaning work. It should be ensured that the wheels of vehicles carrying silt are washed before plying on the roads. Tawde also gave instructions so that the roads do not become unsafe due to mud.

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Maharashtra

Census 2027 campaign launched in Maharashtra, appeal to citizens to participate spontaneously in the national census: Devendra Fadnavis

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Mumbai: Maharashtra Governor Jishnu Dev Verma and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today (May 1, 2026) launched the Census-2027 campaign being conducted by the Government of India by conducting digital self-enumeration from Mumbai. The Governor and the Chief Minister also appealed to the citizens to participate in this national census themselves. The first phase of Census-2027, i.e. self-enumeration, is being implemented by the Government of India from May 1, 2026. In this context, Maharashtra State Governor Jishnu Dev Verma launched the Census-2027 campaign at an official office of the Census Bureau in Mumbai. The Governor’s wife Sudha Dev Verma was present on the occasion. Maharashtra State Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis conducted the self-enumeration at Varsha’s official residence in Mumbai and enrolled in Census-2027. The Chief Minister’s wife Amrita Fadnavis and daughter Smt. Devija Fadnavis were present on the occasion. Meanwhile, Bombay High Court Chief Justice Chandrashekhar, Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker, Advocate Cultural Affairs and Information Technology Minister Rahul Narvekar and Mumbai Suburban District Caretaker Minister Advocate Ashish Shelar, Minister for Skills, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Co-Caretaker Minister of Mumbai Suburban District Mangala Prabhat Lodha, Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde, Deputy Mayor Sanjay Gadi and other dignitaries also participated in the census drive by counting themselves. Additional Municipal Commissioner (Western Suburbs) and Additional Principal Census Officer Dr. Vipin Sharma, Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Dr. (Ms.) Ashwini Joshi, Maharashtra Principal Census Officer Dr. Nirupama J. Dange, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijeet Bangar, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Eastern) Joint Commissioner (Additional Municipal Commissioner). (Function) M. Devendra Singh, Secretary to the Governor Dr. Prashant Naranwar, Joint Director (Census) Santosh, Deputy Registrar General of Census A. N. Rajiv, Census Officer of Municipal Corporation Dr. Santosh Gaikwad and other concerned officers were present on the occasion. Municipal Corporation Commissioner and Principal Census Officer Ashwini Bhide were present on the occasion. Additional Municipal Commissioner (Western Suburbs) Dr. Vipin Sharma, Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Dr. Ashwini Joshi, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijit Bangar, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Eastern Suburbs) Dr. Avinash Dhakne, Census 2027 is being conducted in urban areas.
In this regard, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Western Suburbs) and Additional Principal Census Officer Dr. Vipin Sharma said that Census 2027 will be conducted in two phases. In the first phase, citizens will have to do the self-enumeration digitally from May 1 to 15, 2026. For this, you will have to register on the website https://se.census.gov.in and do the self-enumeration. In addition, you will have to answer the 33 questions given in it. It is possible to do the self-enumeration in just ten minutes. Under this, the census takers will go door to door from May 16 to June 14, 2026 to verify and verify the information. The second phase of the census will begin in February 2027. In which the actual enumeration will be done door to door. In the Mumbai (Mumbai city and suburbs) area, about 25 thousand employees are working for the census on behalf of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation. Mumbaikars should participate spontaneously in this census. In addition, Dr. Vipin Sharma has appealed on behalf of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation administration to provide accurate information and cooperate with the enumerators visiting homes for the census.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai Kandivali shopkeeper attacked by gangster, attacker arrested, trying to create terror

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Mumbai: A shopkeeper was attacked and killed in a shop in Kandivali Lokhandwala, Mumbai. The Samtanagar police have claimed to have arrested Bala Patil, a gangster who demanded money from a cross, on charges of attempted murder. According to the police, the accused tried to attack the shopkeeper last afternoon, along with which his employee was injured in the attack. Several criminal cases have been registered against the accused and he was also sent to the city for abduction. His aim was to create terror and chaos in the area with this incident. Therefore, the police have arrested him for creating terror and the murderous attack. The CCTV footage of the incident also went viral, after which the police have arrested the gangster and taken action.

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