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Maharashtra: Sharad Pawar Frowns At Congress Ahead Of Seat-Sharing For Assembly Election, Rakes Up Cross-Voting In MLC Polls

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Pune: NCP founder Sharad Pawar criticised the Mahayuti government, and especially Cabinet Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, on Wednesday alleging that the government did not take any assistance from the opposition in the initial stages of the Maratha agitation and now, is suddenly holding the opposition responsible for the tension in various parts of the state.

Sharad Pawar was speaking to the media in Pune and also openly targeted the Congress party,  explaining how there was cross-voting in the recent MLC polls and how his party was disappointed to see Congress votes getting split.

NCP (SP) Chief Sharad Pawar Openly Expresses His Disappointment

This is the first time Sharad Pawar has openly spoken about his disappointment with his alliance  partners post-Lok Sabha polls and observers feel this was done so to put the state Congress leadership on the defensive ahead of seat-sharing talks for the assembly polls.

Pawar had some observations to make about the recent Maharashtra Legislative Council polls, where Jayant Patil, the candidate he had supported lost the contest because of cross-voting by Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) members. It has now transpired that as many as seven votes of the Congress party may have gone to the ruling Mahayuti.

“We had expected that some Congress votes would go to Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Milind Narvekar and some would come to Jayant Patil of the Peasants and Workers Party (PWP), whom we had supported. But the Congress could not ensure this vote transfer to Patil. We are disappointed. They must find out what happened,” Pawar said. 

Buzz About NCP (SP) leader Sharad Pawar Preparing To Put State Congress Leadership On The Defensive

Inside the Sharad Pawar NCP, there is buzz about how Pawar is now preparing to put the state Congress leadership on the defensive, ahead of the state assembly poll seat-sharing talks. Pawar is comfortable with the discussions between him and the central leadership of the Congress party but he is extremely uncomfortable with the state Congress leadership, as he considers the leaders to be his juniors and he has had issues with them in the past.

Pawar’s remarks on Monday are seen as part of his strategy to present a picture that the Maharashtra Congress cannot put its house in order and there are differences among the leaders to such an extent that they could not even prevent cross-voting by Congress party MLAs in the MLC polls. It seems that Pawar wants Rahul Gandhi to send a message to the state Congress leadership that in the upcoming assembly poll campaign, he should generally hold the command of MVA in the state and also be given seats of his choice, especially in western Maharashtra including Pune and Satara districts, where NCP (SCP) wields political power.

Pawar also used the opportunity to target the BJP-led Mahayuti government in Maharashtra over its alleged ‘failure’ in handling the Maratha agitation issue.

“The agitation restarted last year. The state government sent various delegations to discuss solutions with agitators. The state sought to create the impression that it had found a solution. There was a celebration. All along, the opposition was never included in the process. No opposition leader was invited to any talks. Now that the government has discovered that its solution has not worked and there is tension in parts of the state, at this point, it wants the opposition to get involved. Cabinet Minister Chhagan Bhujbal met me and said I should take the initiative to convince the agitators. Why has the government thought of involving us at the last minute, like this. Why should we now be held responsible for the tension in some parts of the state?” Pawar asked.

Maharashtra

Digital payment facilities will be made available at Lokmanya Tilak General Hospital, Additional Municipal Commissioner directs

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Mumbai: Lokmanya Tilak General Hospital, run by the Mumbai Municipal Corporation, is witnessing a large influx of patients seeking various medical treatments. Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Prajakta Verma Longare has directed that both cash and digital payment options be made available for various healthcare services. He also directed that the Hospital Management Information System (HMIS) be implemented effectively within the hospital.

The Lokmanya Tilak General Hospital in Mumbai is currently undergoing a capacity expansion project. Prajakta Verma Longare visited the hospital today (August 8, 2026) to personally inspect the progress of the expansion work. He visited the Emergency Department, various wards, MICU, and CCTV control room, among other areas.

Patients and their families currently have to pay cash for various medical services, such as X-rays, MRI scans, Outpatient Department (OPD) case papers, and medical service fees. Point of Sale (POS) machines should be provided at these locations to facilitate digital payments. Additionally, a dedicated counter for digital payments should be set up inside the hospital to help reduce queues. Ms. Verma-Laungaree noted that digital payment options will provide greater convenience to citizens, patients and their relatives.
Officers and staff including Deputy Commissioner (Public Health) Sharad Oghade, Deputy Commissioner (Zone-2) Prashant Sapkale, Director (Medical Education and Major Hospitals) Dr. Shailesh Mohte and Assistant Commissioner (F-North) Mr. Arun Kasher Sagar were present.

Mrs. Verma-Laungaree inspected the ongoing works in the main building (Phase 2A), Oncology building and other areas of the hospital, while also reviewing the status of the project. He directed that recreational areas be created for the citizens as well as the resident doctors and staff within the newly developed hospital. He directed the hospital administration to ensure the availability of barrier-free walkways for the citizens at the entrance of the hospital and within the premises. He also directed that staff should be regularly deployed in the control room. The staff working in the hospital should be monitored through the CCTV control room so that the employees leave the premises before their scheduled time. Notably, the human resources department at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) headquarters is already monitoring the attendance of the staff using artificial intelligence. He further directed that steps be taken to implement a public address system operated from the control room.

Giving priority to cleanliness in the hospital, he directed that specific uniforms be provided to the staff. Steps should also be taken to keep the hospital free from the nuisance of rats and stray dogs. Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Prajakta Verma-Laungare directed that the Hospital Management Information System (HMIS) be implemented in the hospital.

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Maharashtra

Jamiat Ulema Maharashtra (Arshad Madani) appeals for assistance to Assam flood victims, asking well-wishers and helpers to cooperate as much as possible

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Mumbai: An important consultative meeting of the executive members of Jamiat Ulema Maharashtra, special invitees and dignitaries of the city was held at the State Office, Imambara Compound, Mumbai under the chairmanship of President Jamiat Ulema Maharashtra Hazrat Maulana Haleemullah Qasmi, in which the executive members, special invitees and eminent personalities of the city participated. It may be noted that the executive members of Jamiat Ulema Maharashtra and special invitees were invited to attend the meeting of the Emirate of Sharia at Sabo Siddique Guest House in Mumbai, taking advantage of this opportunity, this meeting was held at the state office of Jamiat Ulema Maharashtra.

The meeting reviewed the flood disasters in Assam and the serious situation arising as a result of it. The participants were also informed about the ongoing relief and relief activities for the flood victims by Jamiat Ulema Assam on the instructions of the President of Jamiat Ulema Hind, Honorable Maulana Syed Arshad Madani.

On this occasion, stressing the need for immediate and effective assistance to the victims of Assam, Mufti Muhammad Yousuf Qasmi, General Secretary of Jamiat Ulema Maharashtra, appealed to the executive members, special invitees, district presidents and nazmas and philanthropists to actively participate in relief activities in the spirit of humanitarian sympathy and offer cooperation according to their capacity. He said that receipts have been set aside in the office for the relief of the flood victims, you should also take the receipt book with you. The imams of the mosques are also requested to announce this in their mosques and attract the donors towards it. It was also explained in the meeting that a large number of brothers of the country are in the flood-affected areas, however, in times of trouble and disaster, it is the moral and human responsibility of all of us to help the victims on the basis of humanity, transcending religion and nationality. In this regard, instead of Zakat, seeking support from donations, Allah and interest, while observing the principles of Sharia, so that timely assistance can be provided to the needy and affected families.

The participants of the meeting expressed their full solidarity with the flood victims of Assam and reiterated their resolve that Jamiat Ulema Maharashtra will continue to provide all possible support in relief activities to the best of its ability.

The State Executive Council, special invitees and dignitaries of the city attended the meeting in large numbers.

Jamiat Ulema Maharashtra

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Maharashtra

Juhu: Conspiracy to kill businessman’s family and loot exposed after security guard’s murder, entire plan of accused foiled, accused arrested

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Mumbai: Police have claimed to have unearthed a robbery conspiracy while solving the mystery of the murder of a security guard in Mumbai. An incident took place between 4 am on August 2, 2026 (Juhu Police Station CR No. 1236/2026; Sections 103(1), 310(3) of BNS 238), where the accused reached a residential building with the intention of robbing a businessman. The robbers attacked the building’s security guard Manoj Kumar Ayodhya Yadav (38), strangled him to death with a cloth rope, and threw his body into the building’s water tank. Soon after the crime, various police teams were formed under the supervision of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (West Zone-2) and started the investigation. During the investigation, information came to light about the involvement of the domestic helper (cook) through the businessman’s family and his friend. On the arrest of the cook, Jogeshwar Udhan Malik (alias Kishan) and his accomplice Vijay Gonzari, it was revealed that Malik, along with the businessman’s wife and daughter, had hatched a conspiracy to kill the businessman’s relative and loot cash and jewellery from the house. It was learnt that the conspiracy had been in the planning stages for the past two years. As the mastermind behind the conspiracy, Jogeshwar Udhan Malik (alias Kishan) took the help of Vijay Gonzari and appointed three additional accomplices Sharad Yarodkar (41), his brother Mahadev Yarodkar (35) and Aniket Bornak (30) to execute the plan. During the investigation, the main accused Jogeshwar Malik introduced his accomplices to the deceased security guard Manoj Kumar Yadav. On the night of August 2, the accused gathered near the building and sat down to drink alcohol with the security guard. They strangled the guard, tied his hands and threw his body into a water tank. Thereafter, at around 4:00 AM, the accused went to the 6th floor and tried to enter the flat of a businessman using a duplicate key. However, after failing to open the door, they gave up the attempt and fled the spot. After being arrested, the accused confessed to the crime. The investigation was conducted under the guidance of Additional Commissioner of Police (West Region) Abhinav Deshmukh and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 2, West) Mr. Mohit Kumar Garg.

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