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Maharashtra: BJP’s Surprise Rajya Sabha Picks Reflect Alliance Strategy, Caste Balance, & Organisational Loyalty

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Mumbai: When the BJP released its much-awaited list of candidates for the Rajya Sabha biennial polls on Wednesday, it caught not only party members off guard but also NDA allies. The four names announced — Vinod Tawde, Ramdas Athawale, Maya Ivnate and Ramrao Wadkute — upended weeks of speculation and sidelined several heavyweights who had been widely tipped for nomination.

The most significant pick is Tawde, a senior party leader whose inclusion simultaneously resolved a delicate alliance question. By fielding him, the BJP effectively absorbed RPI-A chief Ramdas Athawale into its own ticket, allowing the Union Minister of State for Social Justice to retain his Rajya Sabha seat — this time as a BJP nominee rather than as leader of his own party. Athawale, an NDA ally since 2011 and a Union government minister since 2016, had served two previous terms in the Upper House under the RPI-A banner. His absorption into the BJP ticket, while pragmatic, marks a quiet but consequential dilution of his party’s independent identity.

Tawde himself had been denied a BJP ticket from the Borivali Assembly constituency in 2019. His nomination now appears to be recognition of his organisational work at the national level, particularly his role in Bihar. He currently serves as the party’s in-charge for Kerala, which heads to Assembly elections in the near future. The remaining two selections were equally unexpected.

Maya Ivnate, a former mayor of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation, was chosen over prominent names including Vijaya Rahatkar and Navneet Rana, both of whom had been considered near-certain candidates. Ivnate, who served as mayor between 2007 and 2009, belongs to the tribal community and has been a member of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes. She is regarded as a senior organisational figure within the BJP’s Nagpur unit.

Ramrao Wadkute, the party’s Hingoli district chief, rounds out the list. He belongs to the Dhangar community and came to the BJP in 2019 after resigning from the State Legislative Council, where he had been nominated from the Governor’s quota by the NCP. He left eleven months before completing his term, reportedly on assurances of a future berth. That assurance, delayed by over six years, has now been honoured. The list reflects a BJP that is balancing caste arithmetic, alliance management and organisational loyalty — sometimes at the expense of its more prominent faces.

Maharashtra

Drug dealer arrested in Mumbai with 1.5 kg of charas (cannabis resin)

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On October 24, Crime Branch Unit 9 (Bandra West, Mumbai) intensified its crackdown on drug peddlers, resulting in the arrest of an individual involved in the sale of narcotics. The police had received information that the accused was selling charas (cannabis resin) and other intoxicating substances from his residence. Acting on this intelligence and following the guidance of senior officers, a team from Crime Branch Unit 9—accompanied by independent witnesses (panches)—raided the premises on October 24. During the operation, 1.505 kilograms of charas were seized in accordance with legal procedures; the estimated value of the contraband is 15 million rupees (1.5 crore INR) based on international market rates.

A case has been registered in connection with this incident under the NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act. One individual, aged 40, has been arrested. Additionally, another person has been identified as a wanted suspect, and a search is currently underway to locate him.

This notable operation was carried out under the supervision of Police Commissioner Deven Bharti, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Anil Kumbhare, Additional Commissioner of Police Krishnakant Upadhyay, and Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Nonath Dhole.

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Maharashtra

Lawrence Bishnoi gang shooters had practised shooting in the Aarey Colony forest before opening fire at Tiger Shroff’s residence.

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Following the firing incident involving Tiger Shroff, an investigation has revealed that a businessman in Pune and a film star in Mumbai were on Lawrence Bishnoi’s target list. The gang’s objective is to instill fear among the film industry and the business community in order to extort money—specifically, to collect protection money or ransoms. The primary goal of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang is not necessarily murder, but rather the creation of terror and fear within the film industry and among business circles.

Currently, 56 operatives of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang are incarcerated in various Mumbai jails; they have been linked to over 10 criminal incidents in Mumbai and Pune over the past 2–3 years. Targeting Bollywood is a key objective for the Lawrence gang, and they have been involved in conspiracies to target film actors specifically to spread fear and terror throughout the business community.

In the Tiger Shroff case, it has emerged that the shooters underwent firearms training in the Aarey Colony forest. A shepherd witnessed the shooters practicing and serves as an eyewitness; according to him, three to four individuals trained there, and he saw them firing weapons. New revelations continue to surface in the case involving Tiger Shroff, with the Crime Branch making significant progress in its investigation.

Weapons have also been recovered in connection with the matter. Furthermore, the interrogation of the shooters arrested by the police has led to the discovery of a link to Anil Pandit—a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang—with whom the shooters were in contact.

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Maharashtra

Major action by Mumbai ANC: Drug peddlers arrested.

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On October 25, the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of Mumbai claimed to have arrested individuals—who were also wanted in a murder case—while they were in possession of narcotics. During a patrol near the main gate of Shri Krishna Complex, opposite the National Park in Borivali West, Mumbai, the Ghatkopar unit of the ANC apprehended three individuals who were allegedly selling ‘MD’ (Mephedrone). Upon searching them, 1.028 kilograms of Mephedrone was recovered. The police registered a case (Kasturba Marg Police Station, Case No. 728/2026) under Sections 8(c) read with 22(c) and 29 of the NDPS Act, 1985. During the subsequent interrogation, it was revealed that the arrested individuals were also involved in a murder case. They had brought the narcotics from Nalasopara with the intent of selling them at this location.

The arrested individuals include a 28-year-old man, another 28-year-old man, and a 39-year-old man. A total of 1.028 kilograms of Mephedrone was seized from the three suspects.

This successful operation was carried out under the guidance of Police Commissioner Deven Bharti, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Anil Kumbhare, Additional Commissioner Kant Upadhyay, and DCP Purnima Chougule-Shringi.

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