Mumbai: As the BJP leads in the Delhi Assembly election trends, Shiv Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut has pointed out the impact of a divided opposition. He remarked that the competition remains tight but suggested that a Congress-AAP alliance could have changed the outcome. He stated that both parties aimed to keep the BJP out of power but failed to unite, which might have secured the BJP’s defeat in the first hour of counting.

On BJP’s lead in Delhi Election trends, Raut said, “… The early trends show a sharp competition. Had Congress and AAP been together, the results may have been different… The political opponent of AAP and Congress is BJP. Both of them fought to keep BJP from coming to power, but they fought individually. If they had been together then BJP’s defeat must have been confirmed in the first hour (of counting)…”

Omar Abdullah’s Dig At INDIA Bloc Allies

Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah took a swipe at his India bloc allies, Congress and AAP over their separate contest in Delhi. Sharing a popular meme on X, he sarcastically suggested that the two parties continue fighting amongst themselves. The meme, which read, “Jee bhar kar lado. Samaapt kardo ek dusre ko!” was accompanied by his caption, “Aur lado aapas mein!!!” implying that their disunity had cost them dearly in the elections.

Abdullah’s remark follows the BJP’s lead in 45 out of 70 seats in the Delhi legislature, as per ECI trends. His criticism comes in light of Congress and AAP contesting separately, despite being allies under the INDIA bloc. This division seemingly played into the BJP’s hands, allowing them to consolidate their position in the capital. Abdullah had earlier questioned the INDIA bloc’s effectiveness and the Delhi elections appear to have further fueled doubts about its unity and strategy.

BJP’s Comfortable Lead Over AAP & Congress

As per early trends from the Election Commission, the BJP has now crossed the majority mark in Delhi. The party is leading in 45 seats, while AAP is ahead in 25. With 36 seats needed for a majority, the BJP appears set to return to power in the capital after over two decades.

The AAP, which won 62 out of 70 seats in the last election, was hoping for a third consecutive term. However, the BJP’s resurgence and Congress’ inability to make a major impact have reshaped the political landscape in Delhi.

Navi Mumbai: The ongoing dispute between contractual employees and the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) over wage regularization under the Minimum Wages Act has intensified. While the employee union has announced to go on indefinite strike,  civic administration denies the allegations made. 

Indefinite Strike Announced

More than 8,000 contractual workers have announced an indefinite strike starting February 10, citing NMMC’s failure to address their long-standing grievances. “Our demands for equal pay for equal work have been consistently ignored by the administration, leaving the workers with no choice but to go on strike,” said a union member affiliated with the Samaj Samata Kamgar Sangh,

A month-long chain hunger strike had been initiated last year by the union, during which several workers reportedly fell ill and required hospitalization. “Despite this, no concessions were made by the municipal administration,”  claimed a union representative.

NMMC Refutes Allegations

However, NMMC has refuted these claims, maintaining that workers’ welfare has always been prioritized. ” Since its inception, contractual workers have been engaged through contractors for essential services such as sanitation, water supply, and healthcare, with wages being paid as per legal provisions, ” said an official.

Administration further revealed that representations were submitted to the state government on July 25, 2022, and July 18, 2023, seeking guidance on implementing equal pay for equal work for contractual employees. “In response, on September 25, 2024, the state government refused to provide financial assistance, citing existing laws and regulations, and advised NMMC to take necessary action independently,” informed the official. 

Following this, a committee was established to examine legal provisions, prevailing rules, and judicial rulings from the High Court and Supreme Court. A fact-based report is informed to have been  prepared and shared with all workers’ unions “but it was not accepted by the protesting employees. Despite multiple meetings between senior municipal officials and protestors, attempts to convince them to withdraw the strike have been unsuccessful,” said the official. 

The Municipal Commissioner is reported to have personally met the protestors and subsequently ordered the formation of a special committee, led by a retired Additional Chief Secretary of Maharashtra Government. “The committee has been instructed to submit its findings at the earliest, considering the concerns of sanitation workers. The details of this process have been shared with Samaj Samata Kamgar Sangh and seven other workers’ unions.Continuous discussions are said to be underway with all concerned unions to prevent the mass strike and ensure that essential services remain unaffected,” said the official.

Mumbai: Azad Maidan has hosted many of India’s legendary cricketers for their first tournaments as well as some of their record-breaking partnerships, giving Mumbai an identity as the city of cricket. As the need for open spaces to facilitate various developmental, social and political purposes has increased, its oldest playground has been shrinking one pitch at a time.

The triangular Azad Maidan was a hub for the Civil Disobedience Movement, when around two lakh people joined to greet Mahatma Gandhi. However, the ground has been more popular for launching cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar, Vinod Kambli and others.

The 25-acre maidan has been distributed among 22 sports clubs, which have one pitch each. Since 2015, 16 plots, belonging to John Bright Cricket Club, Muslim United, Young Mohammedan and St Xaviers’, among others, have been handed over to the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited for the construction of the underground corridor for Metro 3. While MMRCL had promised to hand over the ground and pitches after restoration by June 2024, the process is still nowhere close to being completed.

One of the remaining six plots has been handed over to Mumbai Police for their parade practice, one ground is appropriate only for children. This leaves Mumbai’s cricket enthusiasts with only four grounds that are fit to host a professional tournaments. These comprise Sassanian Cricket Club, Elphinstone Cricket Club, New Era and Hindustan Construction. Several political parties have also been permitted by PWD officials to build permanent offices on the ground.

“In the early 1990s, I had fought to evict illegal hawkers and slums which had encroached upon the playground, restricting cricket activities,” said Nadeem Memon, cricket secretary of the Mumbai School Sports Association. “We could successfully push out the illegal encroachment but are unable to do anything about the legal encroachment. Players have to go as far as Navi Mumbai and Vasai-Virar to play interschool matches.”

Azad Maidan has always hosted sports and civil protests, which flourished in the city alongside each other. After the metro construction work occupied a large part of the ground, including the protest site in front of the BMC headquarters, protestors were diverted to Fort Vijay Cricket Club, a 115-year-old club represented by renowned cricketer Vijay Merchant.

Jayant Jhaveri, secretary of Fort Vijay Cricket Club, said, “We opposed the decision to allow protests on our playground but that resulted in our field being concretised. Since 2017, we have not played any match on our ground and have to depend on the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) for a substitute ground. This has also affected players’ performance. We are not able to form good teams due to this setback.”

While the maidan has also been hosting a few Ramlila performances and the annual Sunni Ijtema on a regular basis, the frequency of such non-sporting events has increased in recent times. Mega marathon events and political rallies have hindered sports activities. The recent swearing-in ceremony of the Mahayuti government was also organised at Azad Maidan.

Several religious functions are also held here, and have caused a lot of damage.

“When we ask for permission to upgrade something, the authorities deny the request citing the heritage status of the ground. At the same time, [organisers of] non-sporting activities are allowed to dig up the ground to set up huge pandals for multiple days. In some of these events, they have also broken the fencing of the ground. While setting up the pandals their trucks run over our pitches which hurts like they are running over our hearts,” said Memon.

These surprise events pause the game for a few days as the permission given to the organisers to set up their pandals starts two days before and ends two days after the actual event. This results in postponement of multiple tournaments as well as affecting the playing field, which is known for hosting various prestigious tournaments including the Harris Shield and the Giles Shield.

Manik Madkaikar, a cricket coach associated with MCA, said, “The number of non-sport events in Azad Maidan has increased in the last year. Such events cause irreparable loss to the field and a lot of things go for a toss. Groundsmen work tirelessly to level the field and everything is ruined with one event. These mega marathon events earn crores of rupees in profit, but this money is never spent on betterment of the ground.”

“Days when events are organised on the maidan, they become no-play days for us. Irregular matches and uneven ground affects our performance in tournaments, where we aspire to perform well. The effect of this is suffered mostly by schoolchildren who cannot participate in interschool tournaments as the postponement collides with their examinations,” said Vineet Kumar, a young cricketer.