Maharashtra
Maharashtra Gram Panchayat polls: Despite losing power MVA claims gains; BJP single-largest party
Despite losing power nearly four months ago, the Opposition Congress, Nationalist Congress Party and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) claim to have made huge gains while the ruling ally Bharatiya Janata Party emerged as the single-largest entity in the recent Gram Panchayat elections held in 18 districts.
The elections were held to 1,079 of the total 1,165 Gram Panchayats (DPs) where the Maha Vikas Aghadi has claimed to have trumped the ruling BJP-Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena combine, based on the purported political affiliations of the winning candidates.
However, authoritative sources in the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) reiterated to IANS that “the GP elections are not contested on party symbols” and declined to comment on the claims of various parties.
After the final results emerged late on Monday, the BJP has contended it has bagged more than 230 GPs, while ally Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena got some 110 seats, totalling to 340.
On the other hand, the NCP claimed to have bagged 155, Shiv Sena (UBT) 150 and the Congress 140 – tallying to 445 seats, and the remaining seats went to independents and others.
Additionally, candidates in 86 GP’s were declared elected unopposed and the polls were held for the remaining 1,079 GPs on Sunday.
Trashing the BJP’s assertions, NCP’s Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar asked sharply, “How did they arrive at their so-called victory figures… when the polls are not fought on party-lines, adding that all such claims are ‘false’.”
Referring to the rebels led by Shinde, Sena (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday said the ‘gaddaars’ (traitors) have been taught a sound lesson in the GP elections.
Congress Chief Spokesperson Atul Londe said that the party has been on a constant winning spree in the past few months in all the local elections, including the Nagar Panchayat, Panchayat Samitis and now the GPs.
NCP Chief Spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said that the MVA allies have made inroads even into areas where they had no presence till now.
“The people have totally dumped the leadership of the Shinde Group MLAs in their own constituencies in the GP polls… The MVA has performed exceedingly well and the NCP has picked up around 190 GPs,” Tapase said.
Maharashtra
Kasturba Marg Police recover 100 stolen mobile phones, return them to their original owners

Acting on complaints regarding stolen and lost mobile phones within the jurisdiction of the Kasturba Marg Police Station in Mumbai, police analyzed data from the CEIR portal and conducted technical investigations. By verifying device details, IMEI numbers, and user information, officers from the Kasturba Marg Police Station tracked down and recovered a total of 100 mobile phones from locations across Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra.
The total estimated value of the 100 recovered mobile phones is ₹2,270,658. Of these, 18 phones have already been returned to their respective owners/complainants, including: 1) Rajendra Puri, 2) Khush Saw, 3) Kripa Lodhiya, 4) Shreya Satam, 5) Atul Sathe, 6) Priyanka Mistri, 7) Banu Tarang, 8) Prem Gupta, 9) Adya Shaikh, 10) Shweta Shah, 11) Sandhya Pandit, 12) Deepak Sawdekar, 13) Saurabh Jhangar, 14) Ketan Shete, 15) Onkar Raut, 16) Jayalal Yadav, 17) Lakshmi Appa Kripagiri, and 18) Praveen Dubey. The process of returning the remaining phones to their owners is currently underway.
This operation was carried out under the supervision of the DCP (North, Zone 3), Mumbai, by the team at Kasturba Marg Police Station, led by Balasaheb Bunkar.
Crime
CBI books Mumbai firm, officials in Rs 93.44 crore loan fraud case

Mumbai, Oct 3: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted searches at multiple premises in Mumbai and registered a Rs 93.44 crore bank fraud case against officials of Hanjer Biotech Energies on the complaint of Punjab National Bank, an official said on Saturday.
The CBI conducted searches on Friday at multiple premises linked to the directors of Hanjer Biotech Energies in Mumbai, the CBI said in a statement.
The CBI registered the instant case on September 30, 2026, on the complaint of Punjab National Bank, SAM Branch, Mumbai, against Hanjer Biotech Energies, its directors and guarantors, unknown public servants and unknown private persons.
The accused were booked for offences of criminal conspiracy for cheating and offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, resulting in alleged wrongful loss of approximately Rs 93.44 Crore to the bank.
It was alleged that the accused entered into a criminal conspiracy, obtained term loan of Rs 135 crore on the invoices of its related party and diverted/siphoned off the funds for other purposes for which it was not sanctioned, causing loss to the bank, the CBI said.
During the searches on Friday, incriminating bank documents and property documents relevant to the investigation were recovered and seized.
Investigation is continuing to ascertain the full extent of the conspiracy, identify the role of all involved persons, including public servants and private individuals, and trace the end-use of the loan funds, the CBI said.
In a separate case on Friday, the CBI arrested an Executive Engineer of the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), Mumbai, his relative and three officials of a Mumbai-based real estate group, in a Rs 50 lakh bribery case related to the issuance of a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) for a land parcel.
Vikrant Verma, Executive Engineer, CPWD Mumbai; Saurav Gupta, Verma’s relative based in Pune; and Arvind Semwal, Vice President, Baya Company, were among those named in the FIR by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday, an official said.
The arrested accused were produced before the Special CBI Judge in Mumbai on Friday, the official said in a statement.
Maharashtra
Monsoon Withdraws Further from Maharashtra; Hot and Humid Weather Alert Issued for Konkan Region

MUMBAI PRESS — The India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced on Saturday, October 3, 2026, that the Southwest Monsoon has withdrawn from parts of Maharashtra, as well as the remaining regions of North India, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh.
The current withdrawal line of the Southwest Monsoon passes through Harnai, Baramati, Parbhani, and Brahmapuri in Maharashtra, extending northeastward through Raipur, Ranchi, and Supaul. Weather officials stated that conditions are favorable for further retreat from most parts of Marathwada, Vidarbha, and additional areas of Madhya Maharashtra over the next 2 to 3 days.
Hot and Humid Stretch for Coastal Maharashtra
Residents in the coastal belt should prepare for elevated discomfort over the weekend. The IMD has issued a hot and humid weather warning for Konkan & Goa prevailing from October 3 through October 5.
Following this dry and muggy stretch, mild weather activity is expected to return to the region. Isolated to scattered rainfall is forecast across Konkan & Goa and Madhya Maharashtra between October 6 and October 9.
Southern and Northeastern Forecast
While monsoon forces retreat from central and northern parts of India, southern states are bracing for heavy downpours. Isolated heavy rainfall is predicted over Kerala, Mahe, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal from October 4 to October 6, with South Interior Karnataka expected to receive heavy spells on October 5 and 6.
In the northeast, isolated heavy rainfall is expected to continue over Assam, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh through October 3.
Advisory for Fishermen
Due to lower-tropospheric cyclonic circulations over the Arabian Sea, the IMD has urged fishermen not to venture into the sea along and off the Kerala coast, Lakshadweep, Maldives, and the Comorin area on October 3. Farmers in heavy rainfall zones have also been advised to ensure proper field drainage and move harvested crops to covered storage to prevent crop damage.
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