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Maharashtra Elections 2024: Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis Likely To Claim CM’s Post If Mahayuti Forms Govt Again

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Maharashtra Elections 2024: Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis Likely To Claim CM's Post If Mahayuti Forms Govt Again

With most of the exit polls predicting a majority for the Mahayuti led by the BJP, the saffron party is preparing to occupy a central position post the results which will be declared on Saturday. The main question is who will be the BJP’s candidate for chief ministership. The party had assiduously avoided projecting anyone as the CM candidate and has preferred to wait for the results to be declared. However, considerable significance is assigned to Fadnavis’ meeting with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat at the Sangh’s headquarters in Mahal, Nagpur, on Thursday.  Officially it is being said Fadnavis called on Bhagwat to thank for the massive voter mobilisation that the Sangh Parivar did during the assembly poll of November 20. 

Sources in the BJP told that in June, 2022 the party made a big blunder in agreeing to have Eknath Shinde, the rebel Shiv Sena leader, as the CM. Fadnavis (54) had played a crucial role behind the scenes in vertically splitting the Shiv Sena and pulling down the Uddhav Thackeray government. He staged a coup right under the nose of Thackeray by weaning  away Shinde and his pack of 36 MLAs away from Uddhav Thackeray.  For all his efforts, it was widely assumed in BJP circles that Fadnavis would be rewarded with the CM’s post, especially since the party had the maximum number of MLAs at 105.  

However, the cadres and Fadnavis himself was stunned when the BJP high command wanted Shinde to be the CM.  In fact, Fadnavis publicly made his disappointment public by asserting that he was not interested in joining the Shinde-led government. It required a lot of cajoling from PM Modi and home minister Amit Shah to get him to work under Shinde. 

The central leadership’s calculation was that by anointing Shinde as the CM the Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray would be politically emaciated. However, the past two years’ experience has proved the BJP central leaderships’ calculations wrong. The Shiv Sena (UBT) is not only strong but in fact put up a rather impressive performance in the Lok Sabha elections early this year at the cost of the BJP.

Several persons in the BJP are saying, in retrospect, that had Fadnavis been made the CM after the eclipse of the MVA government led by Thackeray the party would have politically become stronger and done well in the LS polls. “We hope that the central leadership of our party will learn a lesson from the mistakes committed by it in the past and this time around recommend Fadnavis for the CM’s post. He has already served as CM from 2014 to 2019 and acquitted himself well as a good administrator,” a senior BJP leader observed.

There are a few other contenders for the CM’s post like Pankaja Munde, Chandrakant Patil and Vinod Tawde. But none of them have the political stature of Fadnavis who is keen on working only in Maharashtra. The only minus point is that he belongs to the Brahmin caste which is traditionally distrusted by the Marathas. But then it was Fadnavis who took the initiative to pass a law providing for reservation for Marathas. 

All these calculations are based on the surmise that the psephologists have got it right this time around vis-a-vis the assembly poll outcome. Also, the increase in voting percentage is expected to help the BJP.  However, the BJP has kept a Plan B ready lest its calculations go awry. The party is not averse to taking the help of Sharad Pawar if the Mahayuti falls short of numbers.  The Central government has already put tremendous pressure on Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule in the Rs 250 cr bitcoin case. It might politically weaponise the case to make Pawar fall in line. It may even agree to accommodate Supriya as the deputy CM.

It may be recalled that Pawar, for all his secular posturings, has as early as 1978 joined hands with the Janata Party (of which the major component was the Bharatiya Jana Sangh) to become the CM. More recently, he was part of the plot to let his nephew Ajit Pawar join hands with the BJP to form a government in November, 2019. Also, industrialist Gautam Adani is a common link between Pawar Sr and the BJP. 

Maharashtra

Maharashtra Waqf Board approached the Tribunal regarding extension of date, don’t worry, 100% registration is assured: Chairman Sameer Qazi

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Aurangabad: (F.A.) The last date for registration on the UMID portal for all registered waqf organisations in Maharashtra, including mosques, dargahs and graveyards, was today, December 5, 2025, which has now expired. Although most of the waqf organisations in Maharashtra have been registered on the portal, some organisations are still missing out due to unavailability of records or other paper errors. In view of this situation, Maharashtra State Waqf Board President Sameer Qazi has appealed to the concerned trustees, trustees and the Muslim community not to panic or believe in any rumours. He has confidently said that: The Waqf Board will complete the registration of every institution. Although the Supreme Court has refused to extend the date, it has allowed the Waqf Tribunal (Waqf Court). The State Waqf Board has approached the tribunal and we are confident that justice will be done there and the deadline for registration on the UMID portal will definitely be extended. Chairman Qazi expressed his firm resolve and further said that the board will not sit in a hurry without the registration of every Waqf institution in the state being completed.

Maharashtra ranks second in the country: 80 percent registration completed.

The registration of all organizations related to the Waqf Board has been completed at a fast pace on the UMID portal. The state of Maharashtra ranks second in the country in terms of registration of Waqf institutions. There are a total of 36 thousand registered Waqf properties in Maharashtra, out of which about 30 thousand (80 percent) properties of organizations have been successfully registered on the UMID portal. All the officers and staff of the Waqf Board have made additional arrangements and completed the registration process. Not only this, but 300 young technicians were hired at the Hajj House in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar to expedite registration on the Omid portal, which is a commendable effort by the board.

Waqf Tribunal issues urgent notice to the central government, seeks response by December 10
Immediately after the Supreme Court’s direction, the Maharashtra Waqf Board approached the Waqf Tribunal. The tribunal has issued a notice to the central government while hearing the matter urgently. The notice asks the centre: “Why should the deadline not be extended?” and has directed it to file its reply by December 10. Due to this urgent action and notice by the tribunal, there is a strong possibility of an extension in the deadline, which has brought a big relief to the waqf institutions.

Don’t pay attention to rumors, time has not been extended.

A statement by Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju was circulating on TV and social media throughout the day today, in which he said that although the trustees have not received any relief, there is hope of getting an extension in time from the tribunal. He also said that no penalty will be imposed on the institutions that approach the tribunal. President Sameer Qazi, while explaining this statement, said: The Minister has not extended the time for uploading on the portal, but has only set a time of three months for checker and approval for those institutions that have already been registered. He explained that false news about the extension in time is being spread on social media, so do not be fooled by any kind of hesitation and until the official extension is done, the institutions must complete the uploading process.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai Weather Update: AQI At 183 In ‘Unhealthy’ Category As Temperature Hovers Around 27°C

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WETHER

Mumbai’s air quality deteriorated to the unhealthy category on Friday morning, even as the city witnessed clear and sunny weather, according to real-time air quality monitoring data updated at 8.30 am. As per aqi.in, the Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 183, placing it well within the unhealthy range and raising concerns for vulnerable groups across the city.

Data showed PM2.5 levels at 100 micrograms per cubic metre and PM10 levels at 130 micrograms, both well above safe limits prescribed by health authorities. Elevated particulate matter is known to penetrate deep into the lungs, posing serious health risks, especially to children, the elderly and those with respiratory or cardiac conditions.

Other pollutants, including carbon monoxide at 266 parts per billion, nitrogen dioxide at 16 ppb, ozone at 14 ppb and sulphur dioxide at 7 ppb, remained within controlled limits. However, high particulate matter alone is sufficient to cause breathing discomfort and eye irritation.

The city recorded a temperature of 26 to 27 degrees Celsius, with humidity around 54 per cent and wind speed at nearly 16 kmph. While the weather remained pleasant with no rainfall forecast, the atmospheric conditions failed to prevent the accumulation of fine dust particles in the lower air layers.

The seven-day outlook shows maximum temperatures ranging between 28 and 31 degrees Celsius, with clear skies continuing through the week. Despite the sunshine, pollution levels are expected to remain volatile due to vehicular emissions, construction dust and seasonal factors.

Doctors advise residents to limit prolonged outdoor exposure, especially during morning and late evening hours when pollution concentration tends to be higher. People experiencing coughing, throat irritation or breathlessness are urged to seek medical attention immediately. Use of masks, air purifiers indoors and adequate hydration has been strongly recommended.

Environmental groups have once again urged civic authorities to intensify road dust control, monitor construction activity strictly and regulate traffic emissions. Citizens are also being encouraged to use public transport and avoid unnecessary vehicular travel during peak hours.

With winter setting in, experts warn that Mumbai may witness more frequent unhealthy air days unless immediate mitigation steps are implemented.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai: Crime Branch raids travel agency… Fraud in the name of sending abroad illegally, police action, case registered

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Mumbai: Several travel agencies in Mumbai’s Nagpara area are defrauding people under the guise of sending them abroad. Such a complaint was received by the Mumbai Police Crime Branch. These agencies do not have any permission from the Ministry of External Affairs and they charge huge amounts of money from people in the name of sending them abroad for jobs. Under the influence of the Ministry of External Affairs, the Protector of Emigrants, Bandra, in collaboration with the Mumbai Crime Branch unit, conducted a joint operation. A raid was conducted on 9 offices in KD Building, Nagpara, which were working to send them abroad without any permission. A complaint was also received regarding them. 238 passports, several documents, offer letters, visiting cards, letters used for foreign use and other documents were also recovered from their offices. The police have registered a case against them under the Passport Act, including the Immigration Act, in Nagpara. The police are investigating the matter further. This operation was carried out by DCP Raj Tilak Roshan on the instructions of Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti.

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