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Maharashtra

Maharashtra Elections 2024: BJP MP Narayan Rane Fields Both Sons From Konkan, Will Rane Family Retain Stronghold

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Maharashtra Elections 2024: BJP MP Narayan Rane Fields Both Sons From Konkan, Will Rane Family Retain Stronghold

Mumbai: All the candidates for the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections have filed their nomination on October 29. Several key families are in the fray including the Pawars in Baramati and Rane family from Konkan region. After being elected as the MP from the Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg constituency in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Narayan Rane has now fielded his both sons Nilesh and Nitesh from the Kudal and Kankavali assembly seats.

Both the Kudal and Kankavali assembly constituencies fall under the Sindhudurg LS constituency. The ensuing state polls will determine whether the Rane family retains its stronghold in the Konkan region. However, the contest won’t be easy as the region is set to witness a fierce battle between Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena.

The Sena V/s Sena Fight

The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has fielded BJP MP Narayan Rane’s elder son Nilesh Rane from the Kudal seat against the two-term sitting MLA Vaibhav Naik from Shiv Sena (UBT) Nilesh exited the BJP to join the Sena to be able to contest from Kudal-Malvan as the Mahayuti had left the seat for Shiv Sena in the seat-sharing.

Notably, Naik is not only a Sena UBT candidate but is a staunch opponent of the Rane family. Naik also had defeated Narayan Rane from the Kudal assembly seat in 2014 when Rane contested with a Congress ticket.

After the division of Shiv Sena, it is the first assembly elections where the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena will compete against each other. In Maharashtra, the coastal belt, Konkan region has broadly been dominated by the Shiv Sena (undivided). It is not only an electoral contest but a fight to retain their strongholds.

Dominance Of Rane Family

BJP has renominated Narayan Rane’s younger son, Nitesh from Kankavali assembly seat. Nitesh is the two-term sitting MLA from the constituency. In 2019 assembly polls, Nitesh defeated Shiv Sena candidate Satish Sawant with a margin of 28,116 votes. While in 2014 assembly elections Nitesh fought with a Congress ticket and defeated BJP candidate Pramod Jathar. This election, Sena UBT has fielded Sandesh Parker against Nitesh Rane from Kankavali.

While, Nilesh Rane has also been former MP from Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg constituency. Narayan Rane too has been the MLA from Konkan region in the past.

Recent Controversy

Recently, a national controversy erupted from the district of Sindhurdurg, when a newly erected statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s collapsed. PM Modi himself apologized to the people of Maharashtra after the mishap and the government now is in the process of building another statue at the same spot.

However, since then the region has come into the national limelight and the for both Mahayuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi it will be a tough contest in the assembly polls, undoubtedly.

Maharashtra

Mumbai Local Train Update: Mega, Jumbo Blocks Announced On Western & Transharbour Lines On March 15; Check Time & Route Here

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Mumbai: Multiple railway blocks will be carried out across the Mumbai suburban network this weekend on Western Railway and Central Railway to facilitate operational and maintenance work, which will disrupt several suburban and long-distance train services.

Western Railway will undertake a jumbo block on the UP and DOWN fast lines between Borivali and Bhayandar and a major block on all lines at Prabhadevi station during the night of Sunday, March 15, 2026 to carry out operational work and de-launching of a girder of the Prabhadevi Road Over Bridge.

The block between Borivali and Bhayandar will be carried out from 12:15 am to 3:45 am, while the major block at Prabhadevi station will be undertaken from 1:30 am to 6:00 am.

During the Borivali–Bhayandar block, all fast line trains will run on the slow line between Virar/Vasai Road and Borivali.

Meanwhile, during the block at Prabhadevi station, some suburban services will be cancelled, short-terminated, or reversed from Dadar and Bandra.

In addition, no suburban train services will run between Churchgate and Prabhadevi, and trains will also remain unavailable at Matunga Road and Mahim stations during the block period.

Due to the block, several Mail and Express trains will be regulated or rescheduled between Surat and Virar.

Western Railway has clarified that no daytime block will be taken on the suburban section on Sunday, March 15.

Meanwhile, Central Railway has announced a mega block on the Transharbour line on Sunday between Thane and Vashi/Nerul for maintenance work of railway tracks and signals.

The block will remain in effect from 11:10 am to 4:10 pm, during which all up and down local train services between Thane and Vashi/Nerul and between Thane and Panvel will remain cancelled.

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Crime

Navi Mumbai: Crime Branch Nab Trio In Swift ₹36 Lakh Jewelry Heist

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Thane: Three persons have been arrested for allegedly breaking into a house and decamping with gold and silver jewellery worth Rs 36 lakh in Navi Mumbai, police said on Saturday.

The crime branch made the arrests on March 10 within 24 hours of the burglary that occurred at a residential building in the Kalamboli area, an official said.

According to the police, the accused broke into the flat on the evening of March 9 and stole gold and silver ornaments and cash worth about Rs 36 lakh.

A case of theft and break-in was registered, and following investigation, the crime branch zeroed in on the trio and apprehended them from Daighar village in Thane district, the official said.

The accused, Pawan Rohidas Jadhav (25), Sumit Rohidas Jadhav (22), and Shivaji Jagan Rathod (23), were caught with the stolen valuables, he said.

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Crime

ED Arrests 2 In ₹300 Crore Digital Investment Scam; Duo Remanded To Custody

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Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested two persons for allegedly cheating investors in Gujarat and Maharashtra of around Rs 300 crore through digital investment schemes and laundering the proceeds. A court has remanded the accused Sudhir Kotadiya, 33, and his cousin, Umang Kotadiya, 27, from Amreli to ED custody till March 20.

The money laundering case was registered based on an FIR initially filed at the Vartak Nagar police station in Thane and later transferred to the Economic Offences Wing (EOW).

Investigators allege the accused operated a large-scale digital investment scheme through several entities, including Qfonn App Limited, Qfon Connect India LLP, Qfon Entertainment Pvt Ltd, and Qfon Ajobman India LLP, among other related firms.

ED prosecutor Arvind Aghav, seeking their custody, told the court that the accused had been absconding, prompting authorities to issue a look-out circular.

He said the duo fled to Dubai and later re-entered India via Nepal to evade legal action before being traced and arrested in Gujarat.

According to investigators, the accused lured people to invest by promising monthly returns ranging from 2% to 10.5%, claiming the income would be generated through online advertisement viewing and app-based digital activities.

The probe found that funds from new investors were used to pay returns to earlier investors, while a significant portion was allegedly siphoned off.

One investor who had put in Rs 183 crore provided details of about 60 companies, entities and individuals whose bank accounts were allegedly used to collect nearly Rs 55 crore on the instructions of the accused.

The ED claims Sudhir Kotadiya was the mastermind behind the Qfonn app-based Ponzi scheme and held 25% shares in Qfonn App Limited, with another 25% held by his wife, Ranjanben Kotadiya, while the remaining shares were with other family members.

Umang Kotadiya allegedly handled operations, serving as director or partner in multiple Qfon group entities and acting as an authorised signatory for several bank accounts linked to the scheme.

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