Maharashtra
Maharashtra passes bills to postpone civic elections sans OBC quotas
In a major political development, the Maharashtra Legislature on Monday unanimously passed two bills to defer the upcoming elections to the civic and local bodies till the OBC quotas are restored in the state.
The two bills are the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, the Maharashtra Municipal Corporations Act, the Maharashtra Municipal Councils, Nagar Panchayats & Industrial Townships (Amendment) Bill 2022, and the Maharashtra Gram Panchayats Act, 1959, and the Maharashtra Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samitis (Amendment) Bill 2022.
Under these amendments, the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC)’s powers to delimit and fix the wards is proposed to be cancelled and the government shall be empowered to decide delimitation of wards and fix the number of members in these bodies.
The SEC will decide the poll schedules for the civic and local bodies elections in consultation with the state government.
With the new amendments, a majority of the civic bodies whose tenures are ending will be handed over to Administrators, who will govern till the elections are held.
The development came after the Supreme Court on March 3, rejected the Maharashtra State Backward Classes Commission’s interim report recommending restoration of the 27 per cent political reservations to the OBC communities, proving a setback to the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress.
The move, supported by the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, assumes significance as 15 top civic bodies including BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), 25 Zilla Parishads, and 232 Municipal Councils were slated to go for elections shortly.
The bills are likely to get the Governor’s assent immediately considering the interests of the OBCs and since the ruling and Oppositoin have also jointly supported it.
With the state getting the powers to delimit and form wards, it will help it collect the empirical data on the political backwardness of OBCs that is mandatory to restore the quotas for the communities in the local bodies’ elections.
The process, already underway for municipal corporations and district councils, has already led to an increase in the number of wards due to the rise in populations in the past decade, and a similar exercise was carried out in adjoining Madhya Pradesh.
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said last week that the local bodies elections shall be postponed by three months to enable complete the compilation of the empirical date in the format laid down by the SC, and till then, the local bodies shall be handed over to Administrators.
Ruling MVA leaders including NCP spokesperson Mahesh Tapase, and Shiv Sena’s Kishore Tiwari have welcomed the government move, saying they are committed from the beginning to ensure quotas for the OBCs.
However, the Aam Aadmi Party’s Mumbai Working President Ruben Mascarenhas slammed the MVA decision to curtail the SEC’s powers and termed it as a “dark hour” for Dr B.R. Ambedkar’s vision of a free and fair electoral democracy with equity in social development.
Maharashtra
Amrauti MP Anil Bonde receives threat from Hyderabadi Muslim over email, anger over removal of IIC banner and anti-Islamic rhetoric, situation tense

Mumbai: A Muslim organization called ICC had put up a banner at Panchoti Chowk in Amrauti, Maharashtra, which sparked a controversy, due to which communal tension has arisen in Amrauti. MP Anil Bonde has demanded a case to be registered against the putting up of the banner. Today, Anil Bonde has received a threatening email in this matter, after which the police have registered an NC in this matter and started investigating. This email has been said that Anil Bonde’s anti-Islamic statement has created hatred and the atmosphere of resentment against him among the Muslims of Hyderabad is very hot. The personal secretary of the complainant Anil Bonde has complained that when he was checking his email as usual in the morning, he received a threatening email. The following email was received on Bonde’s official email from an unknown email ID. Dr. Sahib, the language you used against Islamic teachings has ignited such a fire in the hearts of the Muslims of Hyderabad that the atmosphere here has become dangerously hot. This is anger, which turns into a storm with a spark. Every word of yours is feeling like an open wound to the Muslims, so control your language and your speech because Dr. Sahib, this time emotions have flared up so much that even a wrong word is enough to make the entire atmosphere uncontrollable. A threatening email has been received in the name of the angry Muslim community of Hyderabad. Bonde had filed a complaint in Panchavati Chowk regarding the banner of the Islamic organization. That is why the threat has been sent through email on the official email ID. After which an NC has been registered. Abel Bonde is identified as a hardline Hindutva leader and he had opposed the putting up of an Islamic banner at Panchavati Chowk. The situation is extremely tense due to this incident. The police are on immediate alert.
Maharashtra
Abu Asim Azmi demands immediate help from Indian government after pilgrims were involved in a bus accident during Umrah in Saudi Arabia

Mumbai: Maharashtra Samajwadi Party and MLA Abu Asim Azmi has expressed grief and sorrow over the martyrdom of Indian pilgrims in a road accident during Umrah in Saudi Arabia and has demanded that the Indian government help bring the bodies of the deceased pilgrims to India. Muslims are saddened and mourning after the video of this tragic accident went viral on social media. Abu Asim said that after visiting the house of Allah, Mecca, the pilgrims’ bus met with an accident while traveling to Medina and this accident was so terrible that 42 pilgrims died in it. Abu Asim said that this tragedy with Indian pilgrims who went for Umrah is very sad. We express our heartfelt condolences to the families of all the martyrs. May Allah Almighty grant them a high place in Paradise, grant patience to the bereaved families and grant a speedy recovery to the injured Amen.
We demand Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Jaishankar to immediately provide all possible assistance to the families who have to bring the bodies of their loved ones back to India.
And if anyone wishes to go to Saudi Arabia to perform the last rites of their loved ones, they should be issued emergency visas immediately and the injured should be provided with the best medical facilities.
Maharashtra
Byculla Redevelopment Site Accident Claims Two Lives

Mumbai: A tragic incident occurred on saturday afternoon at the proposed redevelopment site of Habib Mansion in Byculla (West). During piling work, the ground suddenly caved in, resulting in the death of two labourers on the spot.
Two to three other workers suffered serious injuries and were rushed to a nearby hospital. The accident took place at the Sundar Galli stretch between Haines Road and Tank Pakhadi Road, where redevelopment work is being undertaken by Ibrahim Jusab Sopariwala & Others. The project is linked to architects A2 Associates and Rajpurkar Associates, with ZZ Consultants reported as the structural advisors.
Local residents claimed that adequate safety measures were missing at the worksite, raising concerns about negligence. Police and BMC officials have cordoned off the area and launched an investigation.
Authorities said a detailed probe will determine whether safety protocols were violated during the redevelopment work.
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