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.
Maharashtra
Three arrested in theft at Sewri Jain temple; police track down accused even after damaging CCTV

Mumbai: The police have claimed to have arrested three masked robbers who ransacked a Jain temple in the limits of the Sewri RA Kadwai Marg police station. On April 22 at 2 am, three unidentified robbers broke the lock of the Jain temple and entered the temple. They stole the idol’s ornaments – gold tikka, gold kapati, silver mace, donation box worth a total of more than Rs 7 lakh and cash and fled.
During the theft, the unidentified robbers had damaged the CCTV camera and video footage and had also cut its wires, so it was difficult to find them, but the police team examined more than 70 CCTV footage at 29 places in the area, in which these accused were identified. The accused had covered their faces with a handkerchief so that they could not be identified. However, using technology, the police arrested the three thieves, Sunil Singh Suraj Singh, Rahul Singh Parveen Singh, and Jagar Dinesh Singh Vaghela. The stolen goods and equipment have been recovered from the possession of the accused. This operation was carried out under the leadership of Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti on the instructions of Joint Commissioner of Police Satyanarayan Chaudhary and DCP Ragasudha.
Maharashtra
SP leader Raees Sheikh writes to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vishnu demanding special trains for UP and Bihar

Mumbai: In the wake of the unavailability of train tickets for North Indians from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, Samajwadi Party legislator Raees Sheikh on Saturday demanded that the Railways run special trains from Mumbai to these states. Sheikh made the demand after images of crowding of people on train tracks and railway platforms and lack of basic civic amenities went viral on social media. A large number of people from the North Indian community are upset due to the lack of proper train services.
In his letter to Railway Minister Ashwini Vishnu, Sheikh said that railway stations like Bandra Terminus, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) and Dadar are crowded with passengers for tickets. A large number of North Indians travel to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar during the summer, which coincides with the wedding season. Lack of sufficient trains and resulting overcrowding are causing severe hardship to the North Indian community in Mumbai, said MLA Raees Sheikh, who demanded that the Railways immediately run special trains from Mumbai to Gorakhpur, Patna and other places in Purvanchal, departing from Bandra, LTT and CST stations. Sheikh added, “The Railways should also set up proper help desks and GRP assistance booths at major stations in Mumbai to manage the crowd and assist passengers.” He further stressed on the need to add additional general and sleeper coaches in all trains going to UP to accommodate the rush. He also urged the Railways to take all necessary steps to ensure better coordination with the authorities concerned.
Maharashtra
Accused of verbally abusing Environment Minister Pankaja Munde arrested from Pune

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Cyber Cell has claimed to have arrested a youth from Bhosari area of Pune for harassing Environment Minister Pankaja Munde. According to details, the accused used to harass the minister continuously through several messages and personal mobiles and also made derogatory comments. After that, the Cyber Cell department received a complaint and when the above number was traced, it was found in Bhosari, Pune. A case was registered under the provisions of the Cyber Technology Act and BMS and in this case, the accused Amol Chhagan Rao Kale has been arrested. He is an engineering graduate and is also a resident of Beed district. The accused was produced in the court where an order was issued to keep him on remand. The accused used to harass the minister repeatedly. In this case, the police have also claimed to have seized the mobile phone and other devices used in the crime.
Along with collecting digital evidence, an investigation is also underway to find out who else is involved in this matter. The cyber department takes immediate action on complaints related to women and if someone misuses social media platforms to target women, strict action is taken against them. If someone is found involved in the crime of defaming or threatening women by disclosing their personal information, the cyber department takes strict action against them. The cyber cell has appealed that if any woman is a victim of harassment, she can contact the cyber cell immediately.
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