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Maharashtra Elections 2024: BJP Releases First List For Assembly Polls With 14 Candidates From Mumbai; Party Plans To Contest From 18 Seats

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Mumbai: On the BJP’s first list of candidates in Maharashtra are 14 candidates from Mumbai. It is being said that the party plans to contest 18 seats in Mumbai. All its existing MLAs have been given another chance. Vinod Shelar, the brother of Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar, is the only first-timer in the running, from the Malad West constituency.

Interestingly, there is only one ‘Ladki Bahin’ among the 14 Mumbai candidates – Vidya Thakur, with 13 ‘Ladka Bhaus’ in Mumbai. The party has not declared its candidate from the Borivli constituency. Sunil Rane is the sitting MLA and it has been said that his performance in the last five years has not been satisfactory. Similarly, no candidate has been named for the Versova constituency, where Bharti Lovekar is the sitting MLA; Ghatkopar East is another constituency without a candidate.

Former housing minister Prakash Mehta and existing MLA Parag Shah are both keen to contest from the same seat. It seems as if the party has not yet succeeded in resolving their dispute. There was news that Ram Kadam, Vidya Thakur, Captain Tamil Selvan, and Kalidas Kolambkar were in the ‘danger zone’ but the party has put its faith in them. Whether these sitting MLAs will get a chance in the second list or not remains to be seen. 

BJP Legislator Ameet Satam Expresses Gratitude To The Party

BJP legislator from Andheri West, Ameet Satam, has thanked the party leadership for the second opportunity and expressed confidence that he will win the seat with a thumping majority.

“I am thankful to the party leadership for giving me the opportunity to serve the people of Andheri West for a third consecutive term. I will strive to the best of my abilities to serve my constituents, who have wholeheartedly supported the BJP in its quest for development over the past ten years. I look forward to the support, cooperation, and blessings of the people of Andheri West,” said Satam.

“Over the next month, I will make an effort to reach every voter to understand their needs, opinions, and concerns so that I can incorporate them into my work. I am confident of winning the seat with a thumping majority due to the extensive development work undertaken across the country, the state, and specifically in Andheri West over the past decade,” he added.

BJP MLA From Mulund Also Expresses His Gratitude To The Party

The BJP MLA from Mulund, Mihir Kotecha, too has thanked the party leadership for giving him an opportunity, saying he would go to the people for the making of Viksit Maharashtra and Viksit Bharat. Kotecha too expressed that he would win by a huge majority.

“Once again, the party leadership has shown trust in me. I thank PM Narendra Modiji, Home Minister Amit Shahji, our party president Jagat Prakash Naddaji, and our leader Devendra Fadnavisji, for their confidence in me,” said Kotecha.

“Now, I will reach out to the people once again to seek their votes in the name of development, aiming for Viksit Maharashtra and Viksit Bharat,” he said.

Maharashtra

Mumbai Local Trains On Central Line Hit As Freight Engine Fails Between Neral & Vangani

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Mumbai: A diesel freight locomotive failure between Neral and Vangani early Friday morning caused significant disruption to Mumbai’s Central Railway (CR) services, delaying local and express trains during the peak rush hour.

At 8.13 am, a Sanath Nagar (Secunderabad)–JNPT freight train suffered a diesel locomotive failure and came to a halt at the Vangani Home signal on the Up line. The train blocked the main track, paralysing suburban and long-distance operations on the busy Neral–Vangani section.

Railway officials confirmed that the section was occupied and no train could move until the stranded freight rake was cleared.

The control office was alerted immediately, and on-site efforts to restart the diesel engine were made but proved unsuccessful. A decision was then taken to dispatch an assisting locomotive from the rear to move the failed train.

The relief loco arrived promptly, coupled to the stranded rake, and successfully cleared the section by 9.15 am — restoring normal train movement after one hour and two minutes of disruption.

The incident led to cascading delays across CR’s suburban network. The S-18 local service was among the first to be detained due to the blockage.

Two major long-distance trains — Train No. 11010 (Pune–CSMT) and Train No. 12124 (Pune–CSMT) — were diverted via Panvel to avoid further congestion and ensure minimal inconvenience to long-distance passengers.

Several subsequent suburban trains also faced delays as services were gradually normalised after clearance.

Freight movement in adjoining sections was briefly regulated until the failed locomotive was moved to the nearest station for inspection and repairs. Railway officials have initiated a technical assessment to determine the exact cause of the failure and prevent similar incidents.

Normalcy Restored After One Hour

By 9.15 am, train operations were fully restored on the Neral–Vangani stretch. Officials lauded the prompt coordination between the control room and the field team, which helped contain the disruption within a short span.

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Maharashtra

Rohit Arya, who held 20 children hostage, died during treatment after being shot.

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Rohit Arya, the accused who held 20 children hostage inside a studio in Mumbai’s Powai area, has died. The accused, Rohit Arya, had taken the children hostage and also fired at the police. Police retaliated, injuring him, and he died during treatment.

Rohit Arya was mentally ill. He had taken 20 children hostage at RA Studios in Powai. Upon receiving information, police immediately arrived at the scene and attempted to apprehend him. During this, Rohit Arya opened fire on the police, who retaliated, injuring him. He was immediately taken for treatment, but died during treatment.

Earlier, the accused, Rohit Arya, had released a video admitting to holding the children hostage. Police had stated that Rohit Arya was mentally ill. Police had safely rescued all the children from his custody.

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Maharashtra

Making Vande Mataram compulsory is illegal: MLA Raees Shaikh writes to the Chief Minister and Education Minister, demanding withdrawal of the order

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Mumbai: Samajwadi Party’s Bhiwandi East MLA Raees Sheikh has demanded that the Chief Minister and the Education Minister should revoke the ban imposed on all schools in the state on making the national song ‘Vande Mataram’ written by ‘Bankam Chandra Chatterjee’ mandatory on October 31.

In this regard, MLA Raees Sheikh said that ‘Jan Gana Man’ written by Rabindranath Tagore is the national anthem of India. However, the government’s order to sing the song in all schools in the state on October 31 and organize a song exhibition between October 31 and November 7 in the context of the 150th anniversary of the national anthem ‘Vande Mataram’ is illegal. Any organization should write a letter to the Minister of State for School Education Pankaj Bhuyar and the Education Department should immediately declare ‘Vande Mataram’ a mandatory song for all schools in the state, this is not good governance in a progressive state like Maharashtra.

The condition of schools and education in the state is deteriorating. It is the duty of the government to provide quality education. However, the government is discriminating by including religious issues like ‘Vande Mataram’ in the education sector. Making ‘Vande Mataram’ a mandatory song is a violation of the rights granted by the Constitution. There have been many discussions on the issue of ‘Vande Mataram’ till date. MLA Rais Sheikh said in the letter that ‘Jan Guna Man..’ is the national anthem of India and the national anthem should be given a place of honor, sanctity and respect everywhere, it has been agreed upon.

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