Maharashtra
Mamata Banerjee and Sitaram Yechury meet Sharad Pawar to discuss candidate for President

NCP supremo Sharad Pawar on Tuesday met Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury to deliberate on the issue of Presidential elections, a day ahead of Mamata’s opposition meet.
Mamata Banerjee has called a meeting of opposition parties on Wednesday (June 15) to discuss strategy for a joint opposition candidate for President.
Yechury along with D. Raja of the CPI and P.C. Chacko of the NCP met Pawar where NCP leader Praful Patel was also present. After the meeting, Yechury said, “I have been informed that Sharad Pawar has refused to become a opposition candidate but have discussed some names and those are under considerations.”
Pawar said in a tweet, “Mamata Banerjee called upon me at my residence in Delhi today. We had a detailed discussion on various issues related to our country.”
Meanwhile, the Congress has asked three leaders — Leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, Jairam Ramesh and Randeep Singh Surjewala to be present in the meeting called by Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday. NCP, Shiv Sena and other parties have also nominated their representatives for the meeting.
Sources have said that Mamata Banerjee is keen to field Yashwant Sinha, a former BJP leader while major opposition block wants Sharad Pawar as their candidate. The opposition wants a candidate who can win away the fence sitters like the BJD headed by Naveen Patnaik, the TRS of K. Chandrashekhar Rao and the YSRCP of Jagan Mohan Reddy. All of them command votes which can disturb BJP’s prospects provided all the opposition parties come together and vote for the joint opposition candidate.
The BJP is also calculating its numbers and is banking on the smaller parties to fill up its difference of votes in the elections.
In the electoral college of around 10.86 lakh votes for Presidential polls, the BJP and its alliance partners in the NDA are a little short of the halfway mark.
To comfortably cross the halfway mark, the BJP is banking on Naveen Patnaik and Jagan Mohan Reddy. With the support of either of the two, the BJP candidate will comfortably win the election but the saffron party is trying to increase its votes with the support of other smaller and non Congress opposition parties.
Crime
Maratha Reservation Protest: FIR Filed Against 8–10 Protesters After They Attempt To Storm CCI’s Premises In Mumbai’s Marine Drive

Mumbai: Tension gripped the Cricket Club of India (CCI) at Marine Drive after a group of Maratha reservation agitators allegedly attempted to storm into the premises and threatened the security staff. The Marine Drive police have lodged an FIR against 8–10 unidentified protesters.
As per the complaint filed by Shankar Namdev Salunkhe, the incident occurred at Gate No. 9 on Dinshaw Vachha Road. Though the gate was closed, the agitators allegedly tried to force their way in. Salunkhe claimed that the protesters also issued death threats, warning security personnel, “Keep the gate open or we will return at night with more people then you will see what happens.”
Police have registered a case under Sections 189(1), 189(2), 189(3), 351(2), 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and relevant provisions of the Maharashtra Police Act. CCTV footage is being scrutinised to identify the accused.
Meanwhile, the city has witnessed multiple flare-ups linked to the Maratha agitation. Zone 1 police registered eight FIRs during the stir day before yesterday — including two at Marine Drive, three at Azad Maidan, and one each at MRA Marg, JJ Marg, Dongri, and Colaba police stations. The investigation into the CCI incident and other related cases is ongoing.
Maharashtra
Arun Gawli Released from Nagpur Jail After 17 Years as Supreme Court Grants Bail

Nagpur, September 3, 2025
Veteran gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli walked out of Nagpur Central Jail on Wednesday afternoon after spending over 17 years in prison. His release came after the Supreme Court granted him bail in connection with the 2007 murder of Shiv Sena corporator Kamlakar Jamsandekar.
A bench of Justices M. M. Sundresh and N. Kotiswar Singh observed that Gawli, now 76 years old, had already undergone more than 17 years of incarceration while his appeal remained pending. Taking into account his advanced age and the delay in the judicial process, the apex court allowed his release on bail, subject to conditions imposed by the trial court.
Gawli, popularly known as “Daddy” in Mumbai’s underworld circles, was convicted in 2012 under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) and sentenced to life imprisonment. The Bombay High Court later upheld the conviction in 2019. Despite previous denials of bail, the prolonged incarceration became a decisive factor in the Supreme Court’s ruling this time.
His release from Nagpur Central Jail was marked by the presence of family members, close associates, and supporters, who had gathered outside the prison since morning. Security was kept tight during the process.
Arun Gawli rose to prominence in the 1980s and 1990s as a key figure in Mumbai’s underworld, building his base at Dagdi Chawl in Byculla. Transitioning into politics, he founded the Akhil Bharatiya Sena and served as an MLA from Chinchpokli between 2004 and 2009. Even during his time in prison, Gawli remained in the public eye—most notably when he excelled in a Gandhian philosophy examination in 2018.
While his release is being seen as a significant development, the legal battle is far from over. The Supreme Court has scheduled the final hearing of his appeal for February 2026. Until then, Gawli’s future—both politically and personally—remains uncertain.
Maharashtra
Maratha Reservation Protest Sees Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis At Helm Of Affairs, Deputy Chief Ministers At Bay

Mumbai: The agonising tension between Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Maratha activist Manoj Jarange Patil dates back to September 1, 2023, when the police resorted to a lathi charge on protestors gathered at Antarwali Sarati (Jalna). The flashpoint came during the Lok Sabha and the state assembly elections last year.
Jarange was acerbic and bitter against the perceived casteist bias harboured by the CM. With Eknath Shinde at the helm between June 2022 and December 5, 2024, the Maratha quota leader was more pliable. This was witnessed when the Shinde-led government succeeded in convincing the protestors to return from Navi Mumbai in January last year.
The past four days were unprecedented. The Maratha agitation had reached the heart of Mumbai, and Fadnavis was at the receiving end for alleged mismanagement by allowing the protestors at Azad Maidan. Everything seemed out of control, until Sunday, that is, when Fadnavis took charge. When the protestors reached Mumbai, Maratha sub-committee head Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil was in Shirdi.
Deputy CM Eknath Shinde was mostly in Thane, speaking only on a couple of occasions, raising suspicions about his posturing. Deputy CM Ajit Pawar was in Pune, telling the media that he would go to Mumbai if required. It was Union Home Minister Amit Shah who, after visiting Lalbaugcha Raja, held a closed-door meeting with both Fadnavis and Shinde.
The next day, on Monday, a petition came before the Bombay High Court, and the government put up its views opposing the agitation. Fadnavis chaired a few meetings of the ministers’ committee where neither Shinde nor Pawar was present. No cabinet meeting was held to discuss the assurances to be given to Jarange Patil and the government resolutions (GRs) that were to be issued. The drafting of the GRs was also a careful process undertaken on Monday.
That their effectiveness only time will reveal is another matter, though. On Monday, when the CM was asked during his visit to Pune as to why no efforts were made to approach the activist, he said no one approached them for talks. On Tuesday, the state government swiftly deputed a group of ministers led by Vikhe Patil to meet Jarange Patil. Although the High Court was critical of the activist and the behaviour of the agitators, the state changed its stand. This could have been the result of a political fallout over ignoring Jarange Patil, who has a huge mass base, probably bigger than any political leader, a bureaucrat quipped.
-
Crime3 years ago
Class 10 student jumps to death in Jaipur
-
Maharashtra11 months ago
Mumbai Local Train Update: Central Railway’s New Timetable Comes Into Effect; Check Full List Of Revised Timings & Stations
-
Maharashtra11 months ago
Mumbai To Go Toll-Free Tonight! Maharashtra Govt Announces Complete Toll Waiver For Light Motor Vehicles At All 5 Entry Points Of City
-
Maharashtra11 months ago
False photo of Imtiaz Jaleel’s rally, exposing the fooling conspiracy
-
National News11 months ago
Ministry of Railways rolls out Special Drive 4.0 with focus on digitisation, cleanliness, inclusiveness and grievance redressal
-
Crime11 months ago
Baba Siddique Murder: Mumbai Police Unable To Get Lawrence Bishnoi Custody Due To Home Ministry Order, Says Report
-
Maharashtra10 months ago
Maharashtra Elections 2024: Mumbai Metro & BEST Services Extended Till Midnight On Voting Day
-
National News12 months ago
J&K: 4 Jawans Killed, 28 Injured After Bus Carrying BSF Personnel For Poll Duty Falls Into Gorge In Budgam; Terrifying Visuals Surface