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Maharashtra Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule Blames SEC For HC Order Deferring Maharashtra Civic Poll Counting To Dec 21

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Mumbai: Maharashtra Minister and senior BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Tuesday said “misinterpretation of laws” by the State Election Commission (SEC) has led to the Bombay High Court deferring the counting of votes for the local bodies polls to December 21.

The SEC’s actions alone had “prompted such a decision”, the state revenue minister claimed, adding that he had repeatedly cautioned the poll body against delaying elections.

Bawankule was speaking to reporters here hours after the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court directed that the counting of all civic bodies polls in the state will be held on December 21.

The SEC had earlier scheduled the counting for Tuesday’s elections on December 3.

The HC’s order has come on a day when polling was underway for elections to 264 municipal councils and nagar panchayats in Maharashtra, days after the SEC rescheduled the elections in 24 local bodies on December 20.

“I have been saying that the SEC is misinterpreting laws and postponing elections without any basis,” Bawankule said.

He pointed out that there were no demands for the postponement of elections from any part of the state, and despite this, the SEC had delayed the polls, resulting in the high court’s intervention.

The minister further stated that it was “for the first time in the history of the SEC” that elections or counting had been stayed in such a manner.

“Such decisions are unacceptable. Leaders across parties are outraged,” Bawankule said, claiming that the SEC had failed to hold any all-party meetings and is creating problems for voters.

Raising questions about the deferred counting date, he said, “Which political party wants counting on December 21? We want the result tomorrow. Is there any political party in Maharashtra that wants results on the 21st?” The BJP leader said that he had personally raised concerns with the SEC on several occasions.

“I discussed these issues seven to eight times and even wrote to them, but nothing was acknowledged. We showed the SEC how it was misinterpreting laws, yet everything was taken in the wrong way,” he said.

Asked whether the high court’s order would be challenged, Bawankule said it was for the SEC to decide.

“It is the SEC’s prerogative to appeal in the Supreme Court. For once and for all, the Commission should find a solution. Larger local bodies are yet to face elections,” he said.

He also criticised the SEC’s handling of the poll schedule.

“It is not good that political parties put in effort, run campaigns, and then suddenly the Commission postpones polling. It does not present a good picture,” the minister said.

He slammed the Opposition parties for blaming the government for the postponement, saying their allegations were misplaced.

“The SEC is an autonomous body. The government has no role. This chaos is unfathomable, and the Commission must resolve it,” he said.

Expressing disappointment over the last-minute postponement of polling in some pockets, Bawankule said, “How can you let parties campaign for weeks and then, 24 hours before polling, announce postponement? In 35 years of public life, I have never seen such mismanagement.” “I spoke to several collectors and SEC officials, but nobody was ready to hear us. It appears the people in the SEC feel they are above accountability,” he said.

Maharashtra

An example of Hindu-Muslim unity at the Dahi Handi celebration in Mahim, Mumbai.

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Mumbai: Setting an example of Hindu-Muslim unity in Mumbai, the Govinda Pathaks have offered the first salute at the entrance gate of the Astana of Maham Hazrat Makhdoom Faqih Ali Mahim. The trustee of the dargah, Sohail Khandwani, said that this is the specialty of India that here everyone respects each other’s religion and the Maham Dargah is the cradle of Hindu-Muslim unity and unity. Everyone attends here without any discrimination, religion or nationality. This is the reason why the Govinda Pathaks offer salute here every year in the traditional way. This tradition has been established for centuries because India is a country of Sufi saints. In the backdrop of Gokul Ashtami Dahi Handi, the police have issued an alert at the Mumbai police station. The police used drones to monitor the Govinda Pathaks. The height of the dahi handi was also fixed. In addition, children were banned from participating in high dahi handi. The festival of Dahi Handi was celebrated with enthusiasm in Mumbai city and its suburbs. In view of this, the traffic police had also blocked the highways so that action could be taken against the violation of traffic rules. Under this, the traffic police has also taken action against the violation of traffic rules. Mumbai Police Commissioner Devin Bharti had claimed that strict security arrangements were made for Dahi Handi in Mumbai city. Accordingly, DCP Raj Tilak Roshan said that the police are fully prepared for Dahi Handi and the situation is also being monitored. Apart from this, surveillance is also being carried out using drones. DCP Raj Tilak Roshan has also appealed for compliance with the law on Dahi Handi. According to the information received from various government and BMC hospitals about the injured Govindas till noon, more than 25 Govinda Pathaks have been injured while the Dahi Handi festival is still going on. In such a situation, BMC hospitals are constantly on alert mode, along with the police, there is also an alert. No untoward incident of any kind took place during Dahi Handi in Mumbai, however, there have been incidents of Govinda Pathaks getting injured and many have been discharged after treatment. Govinda Pathaks gave the first salute from the Astana of Mumbai’s Maham Hazrat Makhdoom Faqih Ali Mahayami and presented proof of Hindu-Muslim unity and solidarity. This Govinda Mandal raises the slogan of Baba Makhdoom and Maa Sahib ki Jai every year by giving the salute at the Astana of Makhdoom in the same style. This is a slap in the face of the haters. It promotes solidarity and unity. The police had made strict security arrangements at Dahi Handi, due to which no untoward incident of any kind took place in Mumbai.

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Crime

Nagpur man kills wife after argument over cooking and dance class; husband arrested

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Nagpur, Sep 5: A 38-year-old woman died in Maharashtra’s Nagpur after she was allegedly assaulted by her husband during a heated argument over her decision to attend a dance class instead of preparing food at home, police said.

The incident came to light after the woman’s condition deteriorated following the alleged domestic violence.

Police initially treated the death as accidental, but a post-mortem examination reportedly revealed severe injuries, prompting them to register a murder case and arrest the woman’s 41-year-old husband.

The victim has been identified as Yamini Krishna Lal Yadav, while her husband and alleged accused is Krishna Lal Yadav. The couple has two young children.

According to the police, Krishna Lal returned home from work and asked Yamini to prepare food for him and their children. However, Yamini was reportedly getting ready to attend a dance class organised within their housing society and declined to cook at that time.

What began as a domestic disagreement allegedly turned violent. Police said Krishna Lal was under the influence of alcohol when the argument escalated and he allegedly assaulted Yamini, attacking her around the neck and abdomen. The incident reportedly took place in front of their two terrified children.

According to NDTV, after the alleged assault, Yamini complained of intense pain in her neck and abdomen. She reportedly asked her husband to bring painkillers to ease her discomfort. Krishna Lal went to a nearby medical shop, but it was closed, following which he returned home without the medicine.

Yamini’s condition subsequently worsened. Her abdomen reportedly began swelling, indicating serious internal injuries. She was eventually taken to a hospital for treatment, but doctors could not save her and she died during treatment.

Following her death, police initially registered a case of accidental death and sent the body for post-mortem examination as part of the standard procedure.

The medical examination, however, raised serious questions about the circumstances surrounding her death. The post-mortem reportedly found a fractured neck bone along with severe injuries to the intestines and other internal organs.

Yamini’s brother said the family initially believed that she had died under tragic circumstances. However, the findings in the post-mortem report suggested that she had suffered severe violence and there were signs of strangulation.

Speaking to reporters, he said the family was in Mumbai when they received the news of Yamini’s death.

“We were in Mumbai when we received a phone call informing us that my sister had passed away. The post-mortem report revealed that she had been strangled and had suffered injuries to her abdomen. It showed that she had been attacked in the stomach. Based on the findings, the police immediately registered an FIR and arrested my brother-in-law, Krishna Lal Yadav. He was booked under Section 302 for murder,” he said.

Yamini’s brother further said that the couple had experienced arguments in the past as well. He said his sister had occasionally spoken to him about their domestic disputes, but had discouraged the family from intervening.

He recalled that whenever relatives suggested stepping in, Yamini would tell them that it was a family matter and that their intervention could create further problems for her at home.

The family, he said, had therefore considered the earlier disputes to be routine marital disagreements and did not anticipate that the situation could turn fatal.

After examining the post-mortem findings, police questioned Krishna Lal and subsequently arrested him. A murder case has been registered against him, and further investigation is underway to establish the sequence of events and circumstances leading to Yamini’s death.

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Crime

Mumbai Police seeks civic action over MNS Dahi Handi stage in Ghatkopar

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Mumbai, Sep 5: A controversy has erupted in Mumbai Ghatkopar West over the construction of a Dahi Handi stage in the middle of a road, with the Ghatkopar Police urging the Municipal Corporation to take immediate action against the structure.

The Senior Police Inspector of Ghatkopar Police Station has written to the Assistant Commissioner of N-Ward, raising objections to the stage being constructed for a Dahi Handi festival organised by the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).

According to the letter dated September 3, MNS leader Ganesh Chukkal is scheduled to organise the Dahi Handi festival on Saturday at Amrit Nagar Circle in Ghatkopar West. The Municipal Corporation had reportedly been informed about the police’s no-objection to the programme on the condition that pedestrian and vehicular movement would not be obstructed.

However, during an inspection on September 3 at around 7 p.m., police officials observed that a stage was being constructed in the middle of the road in front of the Sagar Park building.

The police have raised concerns that once completed, the stage could completely block the proposed 90-foot road leading towards the Sagar Park building. According to the letter, such an obstruction could prevent emergency vehicles, including ambulances and fire engines, from reaching the area in case of an emergency.

The police further pointed out that necessary permissions had allegedly not been obtained from the ward officer and the fire department in Vikhroli before the construction of the stage. They also stated that it appeared that no site inspection had been conducted before the structure was erected.

The police cited a previous incident to underline the seriousness of the issue. On September 2, 2025, a fire broke out at a shop in Indira Nagar. At the time, emergency vehicles reportedly faced difficulties in reaching the location due to hawkers and unauthorised parking on the road in front of the Sagar Park building.

The issue of hawkers and unauthorised parking in the area was also raised during the hearing of PIL No. 324/2025 before the Bombay High Court on September 3, 2025.

The Ghatkopar Police have, therefore, sought appropriate action from the Municipal Corporation to ensure that the proposed festival arrangements do not obstruct traffic or compromise emergency access.

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