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Monday,02-February-2026
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Maharashtra Politics: Ambernath Alliance Sparks Political Embarrassment For BJP & Congress State Units

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Mumbai: The state units of BJP and Congress were left red-faced after their local units in Ambernath (Thane district) allied to form the municipal council. While the state BJP distanced itself from the move, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis termed it a violation of party discipline. Congress, meanwhile, suspended its 12 councillors involved in the alliance.

In another setback, BJPs local unit in Akot (Akola district) aligned with Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM, drawing criticism from BJP leaders. These two developments, coming amid campaigning for elections to 29 municipal corporations, triggered a furore and invited strong reactions from both the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena. Reacting to the developments, Fadnavis said such arrangements lacked approval from BIP state leadership and amounted to a breach of discipline.

Any alliance with Congress or AIMIM will not be accepted. If any local leader has taken such a decision on his own, it is wrong in terms of discipline, and action will be taken,” he said.

The Shiv Sena, led by Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, which was furious over the Ambernath decision, termed the move a betrayal of coalition dharma. As reported, BJP leaders in Ambernath formed the Ambernath Vikas Aghadi with the Congress and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP to run the civic body. This relegated the Shinde-led Shiv Sena to the opposition benches.

Following reports of the alliance on Wednesday, the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee suspended 12 councillors and dissolved the Ambernath block committee. The Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) also dissolved the Ambernath block committee. In Akot, the BJP, along with the AIMIM, two factions of the Shiv Sena, the NCP, former MLA Bachchu Kadu’s Prahar Janshakti Party, and other groups, formed the Akot Vikas Manch to govern the civic body.

The state BJP issued a show-cause notice to local MLA Prakash Bharsakhle, seeking an explanation. “You have undermined the party ideology by aligning with the AIMIM,” said the notice issued by BJP state president Ravindra Chavan. The Shiv Sena (UBT) reacted sharply, saying the developments reflected double standards and showed that the BJP could go to any extent to grab power. Party MP Sanjay Raut said the alignments in Akot and Ambernath exposed the BJP’s frivolous political behaviour.

Sanjay Raut added that these alliances contradicted the BJP’s stated ideological positions. Meanwhile, BJP leaders in Akola claimed the AIMIM councillors had quit their party and joined the Akot Vikas Manch. AIMIM leader and former MP Imtiaz Jaleel said, “Our political stance is against the BJP. I have asked the party incharge in Akot to brief me immediately.”

Owaisi has made it clear that his party will not have a truck with the BJP, he said. Akola BJP MLA Randhir Savarkar claimed that out of the five AIMIM council members in Akot, four “rejected the party’s hardline and communal stance” and chose to join the Akot Vikas Manch.

Crime

Mumbai Police Rebuts Social Media Claims About Missing Children; Warns Action Against Rumours

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A day after reports claimed that 12 minor children went missing within 36 hours across Mumbai, the Mumbai Police on Monday issued a statement rejecting the claims and warning social media users against spreading rumours related to missing or abducted children.

In a post on X, the Mumbai Police said, “Some social media accounts are spreading false information and rumours regarding missing and abducted children. We completely deny these claims.”

The police added that the process has been initiated to register FIRs and take strict legal action against individuals deliberately circulating false information to create fear among the public.

The clarification came a day after Media reported that 12 minor children, including eight girls, had gone missing within a 36-hour span. The unusually high number had triggered concerns about the possible presence of organised child trafficking networks in the city.

While some cases were linked to family disputes or children running away from home, a human trafficking angle was suspected in others.

According to Mumbai Police records, 145 children went missing between June and December 2025, including 93 girls. Between November 1 and December 6 alone, 82 missing cases were registered, with adolescents accounting for more than half. These included 41 girls and 13 boys under 18. Police said several children were later traced and reunited with their families.

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Crime

‘Drunk’ SUV Driver Ploughs Into Crowd After Hitting Several Vehicles In Sangli; 11 Injured

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Chaos unfolded in Maharashtra’s Sangli on Sunday when an SUV ploughed into a crowd after ramming several vehicles on Tilak Road near the Ganpati Temple. According to reports, 11 people, including five police personnel, were injured in the incident.

The accused driver has been identified as Praniket Dattatrey Panchal from the Barshi Road area in Latur. The vehicle first hit several vehicles before ploughing into a crowded stretch where people were walking to attend the Krushnamai Festival.

After the incident, the driver was pulled out of the vehicle by an angry mob and assaulted. The crowd also vandalised the SUV.

The accused was later rescued by the police.

According to reports, the driver was under the influence of alcohol when incident occured. The injured were rushed to hospitals for treatment. Police stated that the driver has been booked and further investigation is underway.

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National News

Fierce govt-Oppn showdown in LS over Rahul Gandhi’s mention of ex-Army chief’s unpublished memoir (Lead)

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New Delhi, Feb 2: The Lok Sabha witnessed uproarious scenes and a huge pandemonium with opposition and treasury benches getting into a face-off over the citing of an ‘unpublished’ book by former Army Chief Mukund Naravane.

LS Speaker Om Birla’s repeated attempts to bring order in the House failed utterly as the Congress party persisted with demands to quote Naravane’s memoirs while the government strongly objected, terming it ‘theatrics’.

The ruckus broke out after the Leader of Opposition (LoP), Rahul Gandhi, led the opposition charge during the debate on Motion of Thanks to the President’s address on Monday.

The Congress MP started his speech by targeting the Centre over an article in a magazine, based on the memoirs of former Army chief Naravane. This invited a quick and direct counter from Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and also Home Minister Amit Shah.

Gandhi said that the BJP questions the Congress party’s patriotism but blocks a book penned by a top officer of the Armed Forces.

As he started citing lines from the memoir, loud protests erupted from the treasury benches.

Rajnath Singh strongly objected to Gandhi’s quoting from the book, stating that the claims were vague as the book had not even published.

“What is the government scared of?” asked Rahul while doubling down his charge.

LS Speaker Om Birla advised the opposition members to refrain from citing any unverified subject, stating that this would amount to a breach of parliamentary norms.

As the opposition resorted to slogan-shouting, prompting a counter from HM Amit Shah. He urged the Speaker to direct the LoP to stop misleading the House with falsified claims.

The ruckus over Gandhi’s claims, where he stated that Chinese tanks were hurtling towards the Indian border, continued unabated as the opposition insisted on raising these charges while the treasury benches, including Union Ministers, erupted in protest.

The parliamentary rulebook was also cited by some BJP members, but the chaos and pandemonium persisted.

At one point, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav also rallied behind Rahul Gandhi and stated that since the China border is a sensitive matter, the Congress leader should be allowed to speak on the same.

Congress MPs also pointed fingers at the Speaker, claiming that the ruling party lawmakers have quoted false claims on the Nehru rule multiple times, but they were always given a free hand.

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