Maharashtra
Maharashtra Congress jolted as MLC nominee withdraws, foists son as ‘Independent’ candidate
In a huge embarrassment for the Congress, Sudhir Tambe, the party’s official candidate for the January 30 biennial elections to the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) for Nashik Division Graduates’ constituency, backed out of the race here on Thursday.
Instead, his son Satyajeet Tambe has filed his nomination as an Independent candidate, saying he will seek support from all the parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and meet Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis soon, though the latter has not committed anything.
“I have decided to step back in favour of youthful leadership of my son,” Sudhir Tambe told mediapersons, amid speculations that the father-son duo may switch loyalties to the BJP.
Tambe’s abrupt decision took the Congress by shock and rekindled memories of the rude political setbacks that the party had suffered during the MLC bypolls in June 2022, followed by the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government.
The top state and central leaders of the Congress were at total loss to comment on the developments with state Congress chief Nana Patole claiming that he is yet to get a full report as to what exactly transpired and how the official nominee did not file his papers as directed.
“We are trying to get the full information from our senior leaders in Nashik, including Congress Legislative Party leader Balasaheb Thorat, the local party unit and others,” said Patole.
The party’s chief spokesperson, Atul Londhe, said that they had no idea what transpired in the Tambe family, but Sudhir Tambhe has contacted neither the state or the Central leadership of the Congress so far.
The Tambe father-son duo rattled the party hours after Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge formally announced Sudhir Tambe’s candidature. He would have contested for the third time had he not backed out of the race.
Now, there are indications that the party may crack the whip on Tambe in the form of disciplinary action for disregarding Kharge’s directives.
Some leaders are also wondering if all this transpired due to any pressure or external influence, or was a well-planned political conspiracy.
The fast-paced happenings took place a day after the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi staged a show of unity for the biennial polls to five MLC seats to be held on January 30.
Besides Patole, the meeting was attended by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Jayant Patil, Shiv Sena (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray and other senior leaders from the three alliance partners.
The five MLC seats comprise three from Teachers’ constituencies and two from Graduates’ constituencies, and the MVA had expressed confidence that it will bag all the five by giving ‘one-to-one fight’ to the ruling BJP-Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena (BSS) combine.
Unaware of what was in store after 24 hours, the Congress had displayed a large heart by deciding to give the Nagpur Teachers’ constituency seat to Sena (UBT).
The Congress would contest the Nashik and Amravati Graduates’ constituencies, currently held by BJP’s Ranjit Patil, who has been re-nominated.
The NCP will contest the Aurangabad Teachers’ constituency for which it has nominated sitting MLC Vikram Kale, while MVA ally, Peasants & Workers Party, will contest the Konkan Teachers’ constituency repeating its sitting MLC Balaram Patil.
Maharashtra
Kasturba Marg Police recover 100 stolen mobile phones, return them to their original owners

Acting on complaints regarding stolen and lost mobile phones within the jurisdiction of the Kasturba Marg Police Station in Mumbai, police analyzed data from the CEIR portal and conducted technical investigations. By verifying device details, IMEI numbers, and user information, officers from the Kasturba Marg Police Station tracked down and recovered a total of 100 mobile phones from locations across Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra.
The total estimated value of the 100 recovered mobile phones is ₹2,270,658. Of these, 18 phones have already been returned to their respective owners/complainants, including: 1) Rajendra Puri, 2) Khush Saw, 3) Kripa Lodhiya, 4) Shreya Satam, 5) Atul Sathe, 6) Priyanka Mistri, 7) Banu Tarang, 8) Prem Gupta, 9) Adya Shaikh, 10) Shweta Shah, 11) Sandhya Pandit, 12) Deepak Sawdekar, 13) Saurabh Jhangar, 14) Ketan Shete, 15) Onkar Raut, 16) Jayalal Yadav, 17) Lakshmi Appa Kripagiri, and 18) Praveen Dubey. The process of returning the remaining phones to their owners is currently underway.
This operation was carried out under the supervision of the DCP (North, Zone 3), Mumbai, by the team at Kasturba Marg Police Station, led by Balasaheb Bunkar.
Crime
CBI books Mumbai firm, officials in Rs 93.44 crore loan fraud case

Mumbai, Oct 3: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted searches at multiple premises in Mumbai and registered a Rs 93.44 crore bank fraud case against officials of Hanjer Biotech Energies on the complaint of Punjab National Bank, an official said on Saturday.
The CBI conducted searches on Friday at multiple premises linked to the directors of Hanjer Biotech Energies in Mumbai, the CBI said in a statement.
The CBI registered the instant case on September 30, 2026, on the complaint of Punjab National Bank, SAM Branch, Mumbai, against Hanjer Biotech Energies, its directors and guarantors, unknown public servants and unknown private persons.
The accused were booked for offences of criminal conspiracy for cheating and offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, resulting in alleged wrongful loss of approximately Rs 93.44 Crore to the bank.
It was alleged that the accused entered into a criminal conspiracy, obtained term loan of Rs 135 crore on the invoices of its related party and diverted/siphoned off the funds for other purposes for which it was not sanctioned, causing loss to the bank, the CBI said.
During the searches on Friday, incriminating bank documents and property documents relevant to the investigation were recovered and seized.
Investigation is continuing to ascertain the full extent of the conspiracy, identify the role of all involved persons, including public servants and private individuals, and trace the end-use of the loan funds, the CBI said.
In a separate case on Friday, the CBI arrested an Executive Engineer of the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), Mumbai, his relative and three officials of a Mumbai-based real estate group, in a Rs 50 lakh bribery case related to the issuance of a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) for a land parcel.
Vikrant Verma, Executive Engineer, CPWD Mumbai; Saurav Gupta, Verma’s relative based in Pune; and Arvind Semwal, Vice President, Baya Company, were among those named in the FIR by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday, an official said.
The arrested accused were produced before the Special CBI Judge in Mumbai on Friday, the official said in a statement.
Maharashtra
Monsoon Withdraws Further from Maharashtra; Hot and Humid Weather Alert Issued for Konkan Region

MUMBAI PRESS — The India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced on Saturday, October 3, 2026, that the Southwest Monsoon has withdrawn from parts of Maharashtra, as well as the remaining regions of North India, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh.
The current withdrawal line of the Southwest Monsoon passes through Harnai, Baramati, Parbhani, and Brahmapuri in Maharashtra, extending northeastward through Raipur, Ranchi, and Supaul. Weather officials stated that conditions are favorable for further retreat from most parts of Marathwada, Vidarbha, and additional areas of Madhya Maharashtra over the next 2 to 3 days.
Hot and Humid Stretch for Coastal Maharashtra
Residents in the coastal belt should prepare for elevated discomfort over the weekend. The IMD has issued a hot and humid weather warning for Konkan & Goa prevailing from October 3 through October 5.
Following this dry and muggy stretch, mild weather activity is expected to return to the region. Isolated to scattered rainfall is forecast across Konkan & Goa and Madhya Maharashtra between October 6 and October 9.
Southern and Northeastern Forecast
While monsoon forces retreat from central and northern parts of India, southern states are bracing for heavy downpours. Isolated heavy rainfall is predicted over Kerala, Mahe, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal from October 4 to October 6, with South Interior Karnataka expected to receive heavy spells on October 5 and 6.
In the northeast, isolated heavy rainfall is expected to continue over Assam, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh through October 3.
Advisory for Fishermen
Due to lower-tropospheric cyclonic circulations over the Arabian Sea, the IMD has urged fishermen not to venture into the sea along and off the Kerala coast, Lakshadweep, Maldives, and the Comorin area on October 3. Farmers in heavy rainfall zones have also been advised to ensure proper field drainage and move harvested crops to covered storage to prevent crop damage.
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