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Maharashtra

Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: Congress, Shiv Sena-UBT Downplay Seat-Sharing Dispute; MVA Decision Expected Today

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Mumbai: All talk of the camaraderie between the Congress and the Shiv Sena – partners in the Maha Vikas Aghadi — has proved hollow, with both sides refusing to mend their respective ways, thereby delaying the announcement of the division of seats among the three partners. Finally, with the two allies having denied any major conflict over seat-sharing, an announcement is now likely to be made on Tuesday.

About The Ongoing Squabble

The ongoing squabble has revealed the cracks within, as it was being said that the MVA had reached consensus on 260 seats. But this figure came down to 210 on Monday. The Congress announced it had finalised its plan for 96 seats by Monday evening, and that the dispute with the Sena was over four or five seats. But Sena leaders say there were 12 seats in dispute.

Meanwhile, Congress leaders are reportedly trying to resolve the seat distribution dispute through discussions with NCP (SCP) chief Sharad Pawar and Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray. On Monday, news about the Sena planning to contest all the 288 seats on its own created a flutter in political circles but it was short-lived, as the party quickly denied any such move. The Congress high command is believed to have asked its leader Vijay Wadettiwar to make the party stand clear. Rejecting any Plan B, he said the MVA was going to finalise the deal by Tuesday in Mumbai. Wadettiwar told mediapersons in Delhi, “By tomorrow evening, we will finalise 17 seats. There are issues on six or seven seats in Vidarbha, and that too will be resolved. We are going to contest as Aghadi…Since there are three parties sharing 288 seats, it took a little time.”

The Congress election incharge for the assembly elections, Ramesh Chennithala, denied reports of differences among the INDIA bloc partners in Maharashtra in the MVA, claiming that they were united.

The Congress had two crucial meetings in Delhi – that of the screening committee and the central election committee, to finalise the list of the candidates. Speaking after the meetings, MPCC chief Nana Patole stated that discussions regarding 96 seats had been completed, and further talks will take place on Tuesday with Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray.

Addressing rumours of the Shiv Sena leaving the alliance, he said, “There is no truth to that; the BJP is deliberately trying to spread misunderstanding about the opposition parties. Out of fear of defeat, the BJP is playing such games. The Congress has made no such statements. All our efforts are focused on bringing the Maha Vikas Aghadi to power in Maharashtra.”

About The Dispute

The dispute with Shiv Sena pertains to seat allocation in Vidarbha, where the Congress has an edge compared to its two allies. The party doesnʼt want to accommodate the Shiv Sena in the east Vidarbha region it is said. Incidentally, Patole belongs to Bhandara, from the same region. There are reports of disputes over nearly 12 seats in Vidarbha. Additionally, sources indicate that Congress is aggressively seeking certain seats in Mumbai.

On Monday afternoon, there was tension when electronic media channels ran reports of Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis having a meeting with Uddhav Thackeray and MP Sanjay Raut reportedly having met Home Minister Amit Shah. Both the Congress and Shiv Sena termed the reports as baseless, with some choice words from Raut. Both the parties blamed the BJP for spreading such ‘newsʼ.

Raut said these news items were just rumours being spread by the ruling sideʼs media machinery. “We know who is doing it and why. We too have our own small ‘Pegasus’ set-up which keeps us informed,’’ said the MP, referring to the Israeli spyware controversy

Crime

Virar Building Collapse: 5 People Arrested In Connection With Case; Probe Handed Over To Crime Branch

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Palghar: The investigation into the collapse of the Ramabai building in Virar, which claimed 17 lives earlier this week, has been handed over to the Crime Branch Unit 3.

Initially, builder Nittal Gopinath Sane (48) was arrested in connection with the case. Following further inquiry, police have also taken into custody Shubhangi Bhoir (38), Sandhya Patil (35), Surendra Bhoir (46), and Mangesh Patil (35) — the daughters and son-in-law of the late landowner Parshuram Dalvi. All five accused are scheduled to be produced before the Vasai Sessions Court on Saturday.

According to investigators, Dalvi had entered into an agreement with developer Sane for the construction of the building between 2008 and 2011. In 2020, the municipal corporation had issued a notice citing the need for repairs. Officials have confirmed that the structure was illegal.

On Tuesday, tragedy struck when the building collapsed, killing 17 residents and leaving several others injured. The probe is focusing on negligence, accountability of the landowners, and the role of the developer in the unauthorized construction.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai News: Central Railway’s Local Train Services Between Ambernath And Badlapur Disrupted Due To Technical Failure

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Mumbai: Local train services between Ambernath and Badlapur were severely disrupted on Friday morning following a technical failure in a goods train engine, causing inconvenience to hundreds of daily commuters on the Central Railway’s main line.

According to Central Railway officials, the incident occurred at around 5:42 am between Ambernath and Badlapur, bringing train movement to a halt in the section. The disruption led to delays and overcrowding on platforms during the crucial morning peak hours.

The Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of the Mumbai division took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) at 7:08 am to confirm the issue and assured that teams were working to resolve the situation.

“Due to a technical issue in a goods train engine between Ambernath and Badlapur, train services are affected between Ambernath and Badlapur. Our team is working to resolve the issue at the earliest. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused,” the post read.

The response from commuters on social media was swift and pointed. A user named Dhiraj Karande replied, “It happens every day. Trains are always late—technical fault, management failure,” highlighting recurring issues on the route.

Another commuter, Nitesh Singh, took a more sarcastic tone, posting, “Your patented comment ‘Kindly look into it’ is missing in this post… please post it…”

Railway officials managed to resolve the problem by 7:34 am, after which the DRM confirmed on X that services between Ambernath and Badlapur had been restored.

Passengers have called for better contingency planning and more transparent communication to avoid such early morning chaos in the future.

“The disruption once again highlighted the infrastructure and maintenance challenges faced by the suburban rail network, often referred to as Mumbai’s lifeline,” said Rajesh Kamble of Badlapur, a daily commuter of CR’s local train services.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai: Goregaon Police Arrest 26-Year-Old Within 18 Hours For Threatening Businessman While Posing As Lawrence Bishnoi Gang Member

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Mumbai: The Goregaon police have arrested a 26-year-old for allegedly giving a death threat to a businessman and his family, while claiming to be a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. The accused, Tejas Shelar, was nabbed within 18 hours and he confessed that he was addicted to online gaming and had a debt of Rs3 lakh, said the police.

According to the police, Malav Shah, 58, a Juhu resident, has an office in Goregaon West, and a factory in Vasai. On Tuesday, when he was in his office, he received a call from an unknown number. The caller told Shah he has been offered Rs25 lakh and one kg of gold to kill him, said the police. The businessman said that he was further told that shooters were on their way to his office, residence andfactory.

The caller gave an offer to Shah, saying he would spare him if he paid more than the amount he is set to receive, said the police. Under the guidance of senior inspector Suryakant Kharat, the police traced the accused’s SIM location to Ambernath East, leading to Shelar’s arrest on Wednesday. He allegedly admitted that he knew about Shah’s financial status and hence threatened him.

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