Maharashtra
Maharashtra: Frantic BJP still woos Ajit Pawar, pats his working style
Not prepared to rest in peace after losing power in Maharashtra, the state BJP is still hoping for a ‘miracle’ that could resurrect it into the driving seat, after dozens of ominous deadlines to topple the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government passed away event-free.
In the latest bid, during a by-election rally, state BJP President Chandrakant Patil suddenly remembered Nationalist Congress Party’s Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and lauded his “no-nonsense” style of functioning.
Taking a swipe at Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Patil expressed desire to ‘examine’ the CM’s horoscope for the latter’s good fortune of being surrounded by stalwarts like Pawar or Eknath Shinde.
The BJP chief also concurred with the sulking ruling ally Raju Shetti, head of the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (SSS) who rued that “the CM is barely visible these days and it was Pawar who calls the shots in the MVA show”.
Patil claimed that no Shiv Sena legislators are allowed to hover around the CM and they all troop down to Pawar or Shinde to get their works done or problems resolved, and warned that “the MVA is going to face a lot more” from the various probe agencies.
Earlier, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Patil had ‘invited’ Pawar to rule the state from Pune and recently alleged that earlier Thackeray’s duties were hindered by the lockdown and now hampered by his health.
Apparently flustered by Patil’s utterances, Shiv Sena MP and Chief Spokesperson Sanjay Raut hit back terming it as the BJP’s “step-motherly love for Ajit Pawar”.
“Praising good work is always welcome… We also have great appreciation for the good work done by Union Minister for Road Transport Nitin Gadkari…”, said Raut in a return-stroke.
Though the central probe agencies have gone all-out to target Sena-NCP leaders, the BJP has largely refrained from directly attacking Ajit Pawar, who had once strayed to form a two-member government headed by Devendra Fadnavis that took oath in a pre-dawn ceremony on November 23, 2019.
However, it proved to be the shortest-ever regime in the state’s history, crashing in hardly 80 hours.
Barely 48 hours later, the Sena-NCP-Congress coalition MVA government headed by Thackeray took office on November 28 that year, something that the BJP has yet to fully digest.
Yesterday (Sunday), eyebrows went up in MVA circles as senior NCP leader and ace criminal lawyer Majeed Memon paid rich compliments to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the recent sweep in four of the five states’ assembly elections.
“If Narendra Modi wins people’s (mandate) and is also shown as world’s most popular leader, there must be some qualities in him or good work he may have done which the Opposition leaders are unable to find,” Memon declared.
Patil’s fond hopes also stem from the recent admission by NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, who revealed on December 30 how Modi wanted a NCP-BJP alliance government in Maharashtra after the fractured verdict of 2019 assembly polls, but he (Pawar) had firmly rejected it.
But, barely a week later, in early-January, the NCP warmly invited Thackeray – who proclaimed that the Sena had rotted 25 years in alliance with BJP – to join the national secular Opposition alliance and help dethrone the BJP in 2024 elections.
Attempting to drive a wedge among the MVA allies, Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis alleged last week that a lion’s share of the budget (nearly 53 per cent) had gone to the NCP, while Sena-Congress had to be content with the left-over, a charge denied by Ajit Pawar, who is also the state finance Minister.
Political observers say that these “verbal duels” will continue as both the MVA and BJP are keen to score brownie points and keep their respective flocks in good humour.
Crime
‘He Kicked Her, Inquired About Her Name & Then Committed Obscene Act’: Navi Mumbai Police Arrest 35-Year-Old Man For Molesting Minor Girl In Rabale

Navi Mumbai: Police have arrested a 35-year-old man for allegedly molesting a minor girl in the Rabale area on Saturday morning.
The incident took place on 4 April 2026 at around 8:35 AM, when the complainant’s young daughter was walking along the road. According to the complaint, the accused approached the girl from behind, kicked her, inquired about her name, and then committed an obscene act.
Based on the girl’s complaint, Rabale Police Station registered a case (C.R. No. 293/2026) against the accused under Section 74 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 8 and 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Senior Police Inspector Balkrishna Sawant supervised the investigation, with active involvement from PI (Administration) Bansode and PI (Crime) Sachin Gawali.
Crime Detection Officer API Dipak Kharat and his team immediately examined the crime scene and reviewed CCTV footage from the surrounding area. Using technical analysis and inputs from informants, officers successfully traced the suspect within hours.
The accused, identified as Vivek Gajanan Kadam, an office boy residing in Ghansoli, Navi Mumbai, was taken into custody. During interrogation, he reportedly confessed to the crime.
The operation was carried out by API Deepak Kharat along with police personnel Darshan Katke, Mayur Sonawane, Ganesh Veer, Dhanaji Bhangare, Yadavrao Ghule, and Manoj Dede.
Local residents have expressed concern over the safety of children in the area, especially during morning hours. Police have assured strict action against such offences and appealed to citizens to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities immediately.
The accused has been remanded in police custody for further investigation and legal proceedings.
Maharashtra
Abu Asim Azmi demands to start new bus service from Mankhurd to Kalina Vidyapeeth

Mumbai: Hundreds of poor and needy students of Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar constituency are studying in the Kalina campus of Mumbai University. Only, or the lack of BEST buses for the transportation of students, the transportation tickets are high. Taking this issue seriously, Samajwadi Party state president and MLA Abu Asim Azmi has written a letter to the chairman of the ‘BEST’ committee and demanded the start of a new bus service. Azmi said in his letter that due to the non-availability of buses for timely travel, students have to travel urgently between 10 am and 12 pm and 5 pm to 6 pm, but despite this, the students have to wait. Due to which the students suffer academically and they have to endure physical and mental trauma. He has requested the administration to provide a new bus service from the new bus stand located on 90 feet road to Kalina Vidyapeeth and provide more buses at the right time.
Maharashtra
Mumbai: Two arrested for involvement in online terrorist group ‘Soldiers of Khilafat’

Mumbai: Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and Delhi Special Cell have claimed to have arrested two Muslim youths on charges of involvement in terrorist activities during raids in Thane and Mumbai. They have been identified as 18-year-old Hammad Siddiqui, a resident of Kurla, and 32-year-old Musaib Ahmed alias Iftahar Ahmed alias Kalam Sonu, a resident of Kalyan. An electric gazette has also been recovered from both of them and their mobile phones have also been seized. The ATS claimed that a raid was conducted in the early hours of April 3, during which this arrest was made. Along with this, Yasir Muslim Khan was taken into custody from the police station and the house of a 15-year-old minor from Kandivali was also searched. During this, items were also seized from their houses. The ATS said that the Delhi Special Cell has summoned both of them for questioning. In this case, the Delhi Special Cell and the ATS are further investigating to see who else was in their contact. Not only were they active on social media, they were also associated with a group called Caliphate Soldiers. There is a fear of more arrests in this case. Along with this, there has been a sensation after the ATS operation. Many such youths are now on the radar of the ATS who are suspected of belonging to terrorist groups and are in contact with these organizations. It is said that Jaish-e-Mohammed and ISIS have started misleading propaganda and misleading the youth on social media. In such a situation, the ATS has appealed to the youth to avoid such extremist groups.
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