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Maharashtra Political Deadlock Ends As Eknath Shinde Accepts Deputy CM Post

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Mumbai: Maharashtra can heave a political sigh. Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde has finally veered round to the view that he must reclaim his political space in the Mahayuti government by joining the Devendra Fadnavis cabinet as a Deputy Chief Minister. The denouement came in the form of an extended meeting when Fadnavis called on Shinde for the second time in two days, at Varsha, the caretaker Chief Minister’s official residence.

Shinde has purportedly relented to pressure from party colleagues and allies and will go with the political flow, for the time being. Shinde, who was initially insisting on the Home Department, appears to have resolved the dilemma in his own mind by accepting other crucial portfolios. Political exigency and compulsions of coalition dharma have essentially prevailed.

Eknath Shinde Likely To Get Urban Development Portfolio

Shinde is tipped to get the Urban Development portfolio, which is expected to assuage his pride. Sources familiar with the matter revealed that Fadnavis and Shinde took their discussion forward and also finalized a list of ministers who are expected to take oath on Thursday. That should set at rest the speculation that government formation is in a state of limbo.

Shinde was reportedly hesitant to accept the Deputy CM’s post without the Home Department; the BJP leadership convinced him that the portfolio would remain with Fadnavis, who had managed the key portfolio from 2014 to 2019. The latter also made a cryptic statement, that ‘‘the Chief Minister’s post is just a technical agreement between us… We have been together to take decisions and will continue to do so”. Shinde can join the dots at leisure.

Party leaders, including Shiv Sena MLAs and BJP allies, underscored Shinde’s role as being pivotal for political stability and the party’s future. They cautioned that his absence from the cabinet could result in creation of another power center, potentially destabilizing the alliance. Despite lingering doubts, Shinde’s colleagues, including Uday Samant, Sanjay Shirsat, and Shambhuraj Desai, were eagerly awaiting the meeting’s outcome. Voices within the Sena stressed Shinde’s inclusion as essential for Maharashtra’s governance.

During a press conference at Raj Bhavan, Fadnavis expressed optimism. “All Mahayuti MLAs want Shinde to join the cabinet. I met him on Tuesday and tried to convince him,” he stated. Addressing the media alongside Fadnavis, Shinde said, “Two and a half years ago, Fadnavis proposed my name for CM. Now, I have the opportunity to propose his name for CM. As Devendraji mentioned, everything will be clear soon, so please wait.” Shiv Sena leader Uday Samant echoed this sentiment, stating, “All Shiv Sena MPs and MLAs believe Shinde should be sworn in as Deputy CM. While Shinde Saheb is willing to focus on organizational tasks, we hope he accepts our request to join the cabinet for Maharashtra’s benefit.”

With Shinde relenting, the political stalemate appears to have reached a resolution, paving the way for the swearing-in ceremony of the new cabinet on Thursday.

Maharashtra

Mumbai Police arrests 367 absconding and wanted accused

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Mumbai: Police has claimed to have arrested 367 wanted criminals, including 18 who were wanted for 20 years. All these wanted criminals were declared absconders. In this, an accused wanted since 1987 has also been arrested in Azad Maidan police station, similarly an accused wanted since 1988 has also been arrested in MN Joshi Marg. These accused have been arrested from January 1, 2026 to March 31, 2026. The police have arrested these accused in this special operation to search for the absconding criminals, which is highly successful. This operation has been carried out on the instructions of Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti.

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Maharashtra

Public representatives should cooperate for effective implementation of SIR program in Mumbai: Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide

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Mumbai: As per the instructions of the Commission of India, the Special In-depth Review (SIR) programme is being implemented for the electoral rolls in Mumbai city and suburban districts of Mumbai. District Election Officer and Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide has appealed to the public representatives and political parties to cooperate in implementing this programme in Mumbai in a very effective manner.
In connection with the Special In-depth Review (SIR) programme, a meeting was held with representatives of various political parties at the Mumbai Municipal Corporation headquarters today (April 24, 2026). Leader of Opposition Kishori Pednekar, group leaders of various parties, representatives of various political parties were present at the Mumbai Municipal Corporation House. Additional Municipal Commissioner (Western Suburbs) Dr. Vipin Sharma, Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Dr. Ashwini Joshi, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijeet Bangar, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Eastern Suburbs) Dr. Avinash Dhakne, District Collector (Mumbai City) Aanchal Goel, Joint Commissioner of Municipal Commissioner (Mumbai City) and Local Government Commissioner etc. were present.
At the beginning of the meeting, detailed information about the Special In-Depth Review Programme was provided to the representatives of political parties through a computer presentation. Apart from this, various issues were discussed in detail.
District Election Officer and Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide said that earlier a Special In-Depth Review was conducted in Maharashtra in the year 2002, i.e. about 24 years ago. The change in the voter list is necessary due to migration, double registration, illegal registration of dead voters or foreign nationals. In this regard, a Special In-depth Review (SIR) programme is being implemented in the Brihanmumbai region along with other parts of Maharashtra. This Special In-depth Review (SIR) programme will be implemented in a total of six phases, namely, pre-review period, counting period, preparation of AASD (Already Enrolled, Absent, Transferred, Dead) list, publication of draft voter list, claims and objections period and publication of final voter list. The work of voter mapping in the Brihanmumbai region (Mumbai city and Mumbai suburbs) is underway under the pre-review period. Accordingly, voters in the Special In-depth Review 2002 electoral roll are being mapped in the BLO app by searching the details in the 2024 electoral roll. Meanwhile, the cooperation of political parties is important for more effective implementation of the Special In-depth Review (SIR) programme in the Mumbai region. The Municipal Corporation has appointed Polling Station Level Officers (BLOs) for this work. On this basis, Mrs. Ashwini Bhide also appealed to the political parties to appoint Polling Station Level Assistants (BLAs) in the respective local bodies so that the revision process can be completed more efficiently, transparently and expeditiously.

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Crime

Goa Cyber Police Arrest Maharashtra Man In ₹61.84 Lakh Digital Arrest Scam Case

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Panaji: The Goa Cyber Police apprehended a 48-year-old man from Maharashtra for his alleged involvement in a major cyber fraud case amounting to Rs 61.84 lakh, police officials said on Friday.

The accused, identified as Dayanand Baburao Devalkar, a resident of Ajara in Kolhapur, was traced following an in-depth technical investigation, the office of the superintendent of police (cyber crime), Raibandar, said in a statement.

Police officials said that the funds were transferred into Devalkar’s bank account before being routed to multiple accounts belonging to his associates.

An investigation was initiated after a complaint filed by a resident of Quepem on April 13. According to the police, the fraudsters, acting as Mumbai Crime Branch officers through a WhatsApp number, allegedly threatened the complainant with fabricated allegations of money laundering linked to the banned organisation, PFI.

The accused shared fake documents, including a fraudulent bank statement and an arrest warrant, to intimidate the victim, the police said.

The complainant was subjected to a ‘digital arrest’ and coerced into transferring Rs 61,84,200 to settle the alleged case, the police statement said.

A team led by Sub-Inspector Navin Naik, alongside constables Sidaramaiyya Math and Vinay Amonkar, conducted the raid in Ajara to secure the arrest of the accused.

The investigation is being conducted by Inspector Deepak Pednekar under the supervision of Assistant Superintendent of Police BV Sridevi and Superintendent of Police (Cyber Crime) Raju Raut Desai.

This arrest follows a surge in ‘digital arrest’ scams across the coastal state.

In February, a Porvorim resident lost nearly Rs 15 lakh in a similar ruse involving fake narcotics officials. In late 2023, the Goa Police issued a public advisory after several professionals reported being held on video calls for hours by individuals posing as officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation.

The arrested accused is being produced before the court to seek police custody.

The police are currently tracking the secondary bank accounts to identify the wider network involved in the syndicate.

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