National News
Maharashtra Politics: Shiv Sena (UBT) Accuses BJP Of Engineering ‘Unopposed Election Scam’, Using Commissioner As ‘Puppeteer’
Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) on Monday accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of orchestrating a large-scale “unopposed election scam” in Maharashtra’s local body polls, using “puppeteers” like Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar as a metaphor for those working behind the scenes to fix outcomes.
It claims that a web of uncontested victories, first alleged in the context of Delhi and Bihar, is now being replicated across districts and talukas in Maharashtra, raising questions about the state of democracy and the Constitution. In a scathing editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana, the Thackeray camp claimed repeated reliance on threats, money and administrative misuse to engineer unopposed wins, shows a fear of genuine electoral competition that is causing the “visible collapse” of all pillars of democracy.
“If such trends continue in a politically significant state like Maharashtra, the moral authority of the Constitution and the credibility of elections will be gravely damaged, even as the BJP publicly projects the local body polls as a prestige battle to demonstrate its dominance,” it warns.
The editorial accuses the BJP of systematically ensuring that relatives of party leaders are elected unopposed to municipal corporations, Nagar Parishads and Nagar Panchayats by forcing Opposition candidates to withdraw through threats, pressure and inducements.
It cites alleged instances in Jamner, Daund and a Nagar Parishad in Solapur district, where public anger reportedly spilled over into violence, and claims that in places like Chikhaldara and Daund, family members of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and minister Jaykumar Rawal have secured posts without facing a contest, mirroring wider Opposition complaints that BJP-linked relatives are winning unopposed in the ongoing local body elections.
According to the editorial, this pattern is part of a broader “money-and-power-driven” strategy in which BJP leaders openly boast of having “bags of money” to fight elections and allegedly signal that government control will take care of expenses, while the election authorities remain passive.
“From Gram Panchayats to housing societies and cooperative banks, BJP is trying to entrench dominance by deploying financial clout and manipulating institutions, turning itself into an ‘election-obsessed’ organisation more focussed on securing and managing victories than respecting democratic norms. Key decisions on whose nomination forms to accept or reject, and who should be left unopposed, are effectively taken before formal scrutiny, with money purportedly changing hands even in uncontested seats for officials and local intermediaries,” says the editorial.
Drawing a link to its earlier criticism of the Bihar Assembly election outcome as a “scam” driven by a pre-decided formula, it suggests that a similar playbook is now being used in Maharashtra’s civic polls through what it calls “Gyanesh Kumar-type operators” embedded in the system.
Mumbai Press Exclusive News
Navneet Rana meets Sunitra Pawar… Is BJP preparing to send Navneet to Rajya Sabha from NCP quota, NCP senior leaders are angry

Mumbai : BJP leader Naveen Rana’s meeting with Nationalist Congress Party president Sunitra Pawar has sparked fresh debate in political circles. There are speculations that the meeting was held to deliberate on the Rajya Sabha seat that fell vacant after Sunitra Pawar resigned as an MP. After Vikram Kakde, who is outside the party, was nominated for the Pune Local Authority constituency of the Legislative Council, preparations are being made to send Naveen Rana, who has now joined the BJP, to the Rajya Sabha, a debate that has angered several senior leaders in the NCP.
Rajya Sabha seat: Chhagan Bhujbal is interested Senior party leader Chhagan Bhujbal is interested in this Rajya Sabha seat. However, after the discussion of Navneet Rana’s name started, an open discussion has started that the influence of MP Partha Pawar’s group on the decision-making process in the party has increased. It is also being said that Praful Patel is not very active in the party after his name was removed from the post of National Executive President. It is also being said that Sunil Tatkre is also angry and the number of angry leaders in the party is increasing. The last date for filing nominations for this Rajya Sabha seat is June 8, so various leaders in the party have started lobbying for this seat and efforts to get nomination are going on rapidly. After all, the focus of political circles is on who will give the party a candidate.
Navneet Rana, who was elected as an independent candidate with the support of the Nationalist Congress Party in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, joined the BJP in 2024. However, there are talks about her political revival after her defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. It is also said that she has recently contacted some senior BJP leaders. However, it is known that she was advised to contact them because the vacant Rajya Sabha seat is in the NCP quota. It is believed that she met Sunita Pawar only after that.
Elections have been announced for 24 vacant Rajya Sabha seats and by-elections. This includes 4-4 from Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka, 3-3 from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, 2 from Jharkhand and one each from Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram. Apart from this, by-elections for one seat each from Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu will also be held on the same day. Voting will be held on June 18 and the results will be announced on the same day. Meanwhile, there is an important development. It is being told that former MP Naveen Rana is trying to get the Rajya Sabha nomination. The Rajya Sabha nomination from the Nationalist Congress Party quota will be announced soon. For this, Naveen Rana met Sunita Pawar and Partha Pawar on Wednesday. Yesterday, Naveen Rana and Ravi Rana also met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Therefore, it is being said that an attempt is being made to nominate Navneet Rana on the NCP quota seat. However, will Navneet Rana give up his quota seat for the NCP? This is also a question. So, will this meeting result in Navneet Rana being nominated in place of Sunitra Pawar? This will become clear in the coming days.
Rajya Sabha Seat: Amul Matkari’s social media post is under discussion, Amul Matkari has posted in this regard and said that the vacant Rajya Sabha seat of Smt. Sunitra Vahini belongs only to NCP! No one else should claim this and put up a front. The name of the NCP party is “Ajit Dada”. Therefore, the decision taken by Smt. will be final. This party is a party that is under the sway of Ajit Dada. That’s all for now.
Crime
CBI court sentences firm partner to three years RI in Rs 4 crore bank fraud case

Chandigarh, June 5: A Special CBI Court in Mohali, Punjab, has convicted and sentenced Samir Dua, a partner of M/s G.D. Ispat Udyog, Mandi Gobindgarh, to three years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) along with a fine of Rs 15,000 in connection with a multi-crore bank fraud case, an official statement said on Friday.
The sentence was pronounced on June 4, following the conclusion of trial proceedings in the case investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
According to the CBI, the case was registered against Dalip Dua and Samir Dua, partners of M/s G.D. Ispat Udyog, along with other accused, for allegedly entering into a criminal conspiracy to defraud Indian Overseas Bank’s Mandi Gobindgarh branch in Punjab.
The investigation revealed that the accused had fraudulently secured a cash credit limit of Rs 4 crore from the bank by submitting false and fabricated information and documents.
The loan facility was allegedly obtained through misrepresentation, causing a wrongful loss to the bank and corresponding unlawful gain to the accused, the agency said.
Following a detailed investigation, the CBI filed a charge sheet against the accused persons before the competent court. During the trial, the prosecution presented evidence establishing the fraudulent nature of the transactions and the conspiracy behind obtaining the credit facility.
After examining the evidence and hearing the arguments, the Special CBI Court found Samir Dua guilty and sentenced him to three years of rigorous imprisonment. The court also imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 15,000.
Proceedings against co-accused Dalip Dua were abated due to his death during the pendency of the case.
The conviction marks the culmination of the CBI’s investigation into the bank fraud, underscoring the agency’s efforts to prosecute financial crimes and hold those responsible for defrauding public sector banks accountable.
National News
Rahul Gandhi, Kharge condole loss of lives in Malviya Nagar blaze; ask Cong workers to extend help

New Delhi, June 3: Congress leaders, including party President Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi and party MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, on Wednesday, expressed grief over the 20 lives lost in the tragic Delhi fire, calling the tragedy “extremely heartbreaking”. They also appealed to Congress leaders and workers to extend every possible help and support to the victims injured in the blaze and the families of the deceased.
At least 20 people were killed, and dozens were injured after a massive fire broke out at the multi-storied Lemon Green Restaurant in Malviya Nagar on Wednesday morning, officials said.
So far, 37 people were rescued and taken to the hospital, while a search for others is underway, officials added.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said he was “deeply saddened” by the news.
“My heartfelt condolences to the families who lost their loved ones and prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured,” he said in a post on X.
He urged the Delhi government and authorities to provide adequate and timely compensation, “including prompt medical care to the victims”.
“I urge Congress workers to extend every possible help and support to the victims in this difficult time,” he added.
LoP Rahul Gandhi called the incident “extremely heartbreaking.”
Taking to X, he said: “I express my deepest condolences to all the bereaved families. I urge all Congress workers to contribute in every possible way to the relief and rescue operations.”
“I hope for the swift recovery of the injured,” Rahul Gandhi mentioned.
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra echoed: “The news of the deaths of a large number of people and injuries to nearly three dozen or more due to a fire in a hotel in Malviya Nagar, Delhi, is extremely heartbreaking.”
“May God grant peace to the departed souls. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for the swift recovery of the injured,” she wrote in a post on X.
She, too, appealed to Congress leaders and workers to extend their support to the affected people as much as possible.
Senior officials from Delhi Police, Delhi Fire Services and rescue services are present at the scene of the tragedy and were monitoring the situation.
Upon receiving information, ten fire tenders were immediately dispatched to the scene. The fire was soon brought under control. However, the damage was extensive.
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