Maharashtra
Maharashtra Elections 2024: BJP Renominates Bharati Lavekar For Versova Amid Infrastructure Delays; MVA Puts Forward Haroon Khan
Mumbai: Versova is one of the Vidhan Sabha constituencies located in the Mumbai Suburban district and is part of the Mumbai North West Lok Sabha constituency. Bharati Lavekar, 58, served as a BJP MLA for two consecutive terms and has now been nominated by the BJP for a third term.
With 2.82 lakh voters, the Versova constituency covers areas including Seven Bungalows, Yari Road, Versova, Lokhandwala, Oshiwara, Veera Desai Road, and parts of Jogeshwari West. It is a cosmopolitan area, with a significant Minorities and North Indian population, and includes the Koli community. The constituency comprises a mix of affluent, upper-middle-class, middle-class, and economically weaker sections of society.
The Versova constituency was established during the 2008 delimitation of the Vile Parle constituency. It includes portions of the former Vile Parle and Amboli constituencies. In 2009, Congress candidate Baldev Khosa was elected, but the seat shifted to the BJP in 2014 when Bharti Lavekar was elected and subsequently re-elected.
In 2019, Lavekar secured 41,057 votes, defeating Congress candidate Baldev Khosa by a margin of 5,186 votes, with Khosa receiving 35,871 votes.
Lavekar, a PhD holder, received the ‘Ahilyabai Holkar’ award from the Maharashtra Government in 2000-2001, and the ‘Maharashtra Ratna’ award in 2005 for her distinguished social work. She was one of two Indians selected by the American government to study the legislative elections in the U.S. in 2006.
According to a report by the Praja Foundation, which assesses the performance of elected representatives, Lavekar ranked 14th overall and maintained a clean criminal record with top attendance. However, she ranked 16th in terms of the quantity and quality of questions raised in the assembly.
The constituency faces several unresolved issues. The long-awaited Versova-Madh bridge has been planned for 35 years, yet construction has not begun, with estimated costs rising from Rs 400 crore to Rs 4,000 crore over the past years. Line 6 of the metro project has completed 80% of its civil work, but the construction of the yard remains stalled.
Other pending projects include a post office near Taraporewala Tower (planned since 1990) and a fire brigade station at Chitrakoot Grounds, reserved in the 1991 development plan but not yet built.
Dhaval Shah, Director of the Andheri Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizens Organisation, stated, “Road and bridge delays contribute to significant traffic congestion in the constituency. The Oshiwara River bridge project, started in 2018, remains incomplete. The Thackeray flyover extension has faced delays near Country Club, and the Yari Road to SVP Nagar flyover has been in the works for decades. The Mrinal Tai flyover extension is delayed by three years, and the Versova-Bandra Sea Link project has been delayed by four years, leading to cost escalation and high tolls for citizens.”
This time, predicting the outcome in this constituency is challenging. Political experts say that in the recent Lok Sabha election 2024, this constituency gave a lead of 21,000 votes to the MVA (Maha Vikas Aghadi) candidate. People are dissatisfied with Lavekar’s work, which could negatively impact BJP’s votes. However, the BJP has once again placed its confidence in Bharati Lavekar.
Lavekar stated, “The party declared my name late because it took time to decide who would receive this seat among the Mahayuti. My party informed me much earlier to start working. Over the last ten years, I have completed several major projects. The Savitribai Phule garden, a playground, a bridge work completed and the Versova-Madh bridge tender has been issued. A modern jetty worth Rs. 400 crore has been approved, which will benefit the Koli community. Approved Rs.35.50 crore funds for the Versova beach project, and approved Rs.20 crore for the Sea Erosion Barrier project.”
Further she stated, “The Oshiwara maternity hospital is under construction, and nine metro stations in the Versova area, along with the coastal road, are also being developed. The Versova-Bandra sea link project is 26% complete. Land for a Fire Brigade station has been reserved, and the process is ongoing. Several infrastructure projects were delayed due to the Maha Vikas Aghadi government gave stayed when they were in power.”
Meanwhile, the MVA seat that goes to Shiv Sena (UBT) has announced Haroon Khan’s name.
Versova has approximately 1.1 lakh minority voters. To counter the BJP and AIMIM’s strategy, Uddhav Thackeray has nominated a loyal Shiv Sena (UBT) member, Haroon Khan, as a candidate in the assembly elections.
Khan stated, “Voters should not think of me as just a Muslim candidate. I want to work for every community and focus on developmental work. In our constituency, several infrastructure projects, such as resolving issues on the JVLR, metro works, and pending SRA projects, are overdue. Good schools and playgrounds are needed in our constituency. This fight is between the BJP and the MVA.”
Raju Pednekar from the Thackeray group has rebelled and filed as an independent candidate. However, there is talk that Shiv Sainiks, along with other aspirants from the constituency, are upset because Thackeray has nominated Khan.
Apart from it MNS has announced Sandesh Desai as its candidate, and MIM has fielded Raiees Lashkaria.
Lashkaria stated, “In the Versova constituency, not a single infrastructure project has been completed in the last ten years. This reflects a total failure on the part of the BJP MLA. Both the Central and State governments have failed to address infrastructure needs in our area. With 40% of the constituency being from minority communities, I see a strong chance for the MIM to win this seat. This will be a battle between the MIM and the BJP”
MNS Desai added, “In our constituency, the Koliwadas’ FSI (Floor Space Index) and boundary issues are major concerns. The MLA has made promises but has not delivered any results. Our constituency includes affluent, middle, and poor classes, and high school fees with limited Right to Education quota seats are significant issues. Another concern is the lack of a BMC hospital; Cooper Hospital in Juhu is inadequate for our needs. We also lack public grounds as the Andheri Sports Complex charges fees, and traffic remains a persistent problem. People are disappointed with Lavekar’s performance.”
KEY CONCERNS
Versova-Madh connectivity
Metro yard construction
Fire brigade station requirement
Delayed bridge work over the Oshiwara River
Incomplete Thackeray flyover extension
Yari Road to SVP Nagar flyover delay
Mrinal Tai flyover extension delays
Versova-Bandra Sea Link project delay
Maharashtra
Municipal Commissioner directed to complete work on Bhandup Water Purification Project to ensure safe water supply to Mumbai

The state-of-the-art 2,000 million litres per day (MLPD) water treatment plant to be set up at the Bhandup Complex will significantly enhance the efficiency, transparency and resilience of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region’s water supply system. The project will help Mumbaikars get better quality, safe and sustainable drinking water as per national and international standards. Considering the growing population of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, the pace of urbanisation, the growth of the industrial and commercial sector, as well as the increasing demand for water in the future, it is a key infrastructure project for Mumbai’s long-term water security. Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide has directed that all necessary steps be taken to expedite all civil, structural, electrical, mechanical and process engineering works related to this water treatment project and complete the project ahead of schedule. A state-of-the-art Water Treatment Plant (WTP) with a capacity of 2,000 million litres per day (MLD) is being set up by the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) at Bhandup Complex. The water treatment project is expected to be completed by July 2028. Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide visited the site of the water treatment project today (June 17, 2026) and inspected it. He also reviewed the progress.
Additional Municipal Commissioner (Project) Abhijit Bangar, Deputy Commissioner (Municipal Commissioner’s Office) Prashant Gaikwad, Deputy Commissioner (Special Engineering) Parshottam Malwade, Deputy Commissioner (Engineering) Shri. Shashank Bhoor, Chief Engineer (Water Supply Project) Chandrakant Choudhary, Chief Engineer (Mumbai Sewerage Project) Ashok Mengade, Chief Engineer (Bridges) Rajesh Mulla along with concerned engineers and officers were present on the occasion. There are two main systems for supplying water to Mumbai. From one of them, through the Tansa-Vitarna system, water from Tansa, Modak Sagar, Madhya Vitrna and Upper Vitrna dams is brought to the Bhandup Complex by gravity through water channels. This water is purified at the water purification centre in the Bhandup Complex. About 2500 million litres of water is supplied to the people of Mumbai daily through water reservoirs located at various locations. The 1910 million litres per day water purification project in the Bhandup Complex was built about 43 years ago. As the project has become structurally weak, a new water treatment project is being set up with a capacity of 2,000 million litres per day (MLD). The new water treatment project will process 2,000 million litres per day (MLD) of water. This water treatment project is crucial to increasing the capacity of the Bhandup Complex, which supplies water to the western and eastern suburbs of Mumbai.
Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide said that the new water treatment project on 7.4 hectares of land in the Bhandup Complex will replace the existing project, which is the largest in Asia. It will help provide clean water to Mumbai. Its main objective is to meet the growing demand for water and replace the old project, which has reached the end of its life. Currently, soil testing, excavation, site clearance, relocation of power lines, tree planting, etc. are in full swing. Along with the construction works, mechanical, electrical and instrumentation work has also been started in parallel. The project works should be completed expeditiously by making additional manpower and machinery available. Instructions have been given to plan for excavation, radar transportation. Overall, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is committed to bridging the gap between the demand and supply of water for Mumbaikars. Bhandup Sewage Treatment Plant to be functional by October 2026.
The work of the 215 million litres per day (MLD) capacity sewage treatment plant project in Bhandup is in the final stages. Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide inspected the work today (June 17, 2026). Bhide directed that the project be fully implemented by October 2026.
In view of environmental protection in Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is setting up sewage treatment plants at a total of 7 locations. Under this, the work of Sewage Treatment Plant project is underway in Bhandup. Under this, the construction work of Primary Treatment Unit, Primary Clarifier, Continuous Sequencing Batch Reactor Tank, Air Blower Building and Digesters etc. has been completed. Mrs. Bhide inspected all the works and took detailed information.
Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide said that the state-of-the-art Sewage Treatment Plant with a capacity of 215 million litres per day in Bhandup will be an important milestone for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
Maharashtra
Eknath Shinde’s Operation Tiger was successful… Uddhav Thackeray’s rebellion in Shiv Sena UBT, Sanjay Raut is angry

Mumbai: Operation Tiger has been successful. Shinde Sena has succeeded in forcing 6 MPs of Shiv Sena UBT to form another group, after which the rebellion has started again in UBT. The independent group has also been approved by the Lok Sabha Speaker. Now these 6 MPs can soon merge with Shiv Sena Shinde Party. After Operation Gaigar, Uddhav Thackeray group MP Sanjay Raut addressed a press conference and said that despite what Uddhav Thackeray did not do for these MPs, these people have acted dishonestly. This is dishonest. It is said that the rebel MPs are camped in Delhi and will merge with the Shinde group in the next two days. The operation in the state has been going on for the past several days and in June, a meeting of the India Alliance was also held in Delhi. In this meeting, Home Minister Amit Shah gave the green signal to Operation Tiger. The rebel MPs of the Thackeray group have been accommodated in a five-star hotel in Delhi. On Sunday, Uddhav Thackeray also held a meeting of his MPs in which five MPs attended the online meeting, due to which no one suspected them. This is the second biggest split in the Shiv Sena. After the rebellion of the Shiv Sena MPs, the Shiv Sena has become completely weakened. These rebel MPs include Sanjay Deshmukh, Ayut Mahal, Sanjay Jadhav, Parbhani, Sanjay Dina Patel, Mumbai, Nagesh Patil, Hingoli, Amarraje, Nimbalkar, Dhara Shiv. There is resentment in Shiv Sena after the rebellion of these MPs. Sanjay Raut is angry with them. He says that Uddhav Thackeray did so much for them but these people became dishonest.
Maharashtra
Muslim students deprived of government schemes… Only Hindu candidates are accepted for drone pilot training scheme: Raees Sheikh

Mumbai: Raising the issue of Muslim youth and students being deprived of the government’s ‘Amrit’ institute schemes, Samajwadi Party MLA from Bhiwandi East Raees Sheikh has said that applications are being accepted for the drone pilot training programme of the institute run by the state government’s Other Backward Classes Welfare Department, while online applications from Muslim candidates are not being accepted. In his letter to Minister Atal Seo and the Chief Executive Officer of Maharashtra Research, Advancement and Training (AMRUT) Institute, MLA Raees Sheikh said that the Amrit Institute has invited applications till June 30 for drone pilot training which is aimed at candidates from Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) of the open category. “However, when applicants try to fill the online form, they are required to provide information about their religion and caste. The portal offers caste options only for Hindu communities, which prevents Muslim applicants from successfully submitting their applications.” Sheikh said he had received several complaints regarding this issue. Pointing out that the Amrit Institute aims to serve the economically weaker sections in the open category, he said that as an autonomous government institution, the founding government resolution (August 22, 2019) of Amrit does not mention any specific religion. It aims to work for different communities in the open category. Therefore, restricting applications in this manner is against the rules, he claimed. The Maharashtra government has set up several institutions for different social groups, including Barati, Aarti, Sarathi, Mahajyoti, Marti, and Amrit. While each institution may focus on a specific target group, it can be limited to a certain extent. They also provide training opportunities to and benefits to other communities. Sheikh added that unemployment is currently a major concern for youth of all castes and religions across the state. He said, “The Amritsar should not interpret the rules in such a way that Muslim youth are deprived of skilling opportunities. Minister Atul Sivaji, who heads the Other Backward Bahujan Welfare Department, should ensure that Muslim youth are not excluded from these training programmes.”
-
Crime4 years agoClass 10 student jumps to death in Jaipur
-
Maharashtra2 years agoMumbai Local Train Update: Central Railway’s New Timetable Comes Into Effect; Check Full List Of Revised Timings & Stations
-
Maharashtra2 years agoMumbai To Go Toll-Free Tonight! Maharashtra Govt Announces Complete Toll Waiver For Light Motor Vehicles At All 5 Entry Points Of City
-
Maharashtra2 years agoFalse photo of Imtiaz Jaleel’s rally, exposing the fooling conspiracy
-
National News2 years agoMinistry of Railways rolls out Special Drive 4.0 with focus on digitisation, cleanliness, inclusiveness and grievance redressal
-
Maharashtra2 years agoMaharashtra Elections 2024: Mumbai Metro & BEST Services Extended Till Midnight On Voting Day
-
National News2 years agoJ&K: 4 Jawans Killed, 28 Injured After Bus Carrying BSF Personnel For Poll Duty Falls Into Gorge In Budgam; Terrifying Visuals Surface
-
Crime2 years agoBaba Siddique Murder: Mumbai Police Unable To Get Lawrence Bishnoi Custody Due To Home Ministry Order, Says Report
