National News
Mission ‘Shat Pratishat’: BJP targets 2029 solo majority after local body sweep
Mumbai, Feb 12: Following the municipal elections, the BJP has achieved a decisive victory in the Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections. With this win, the party appears to have launched a massive exercise to achieve an ambitious goal of ‘Shat Pratishat BJP’ (100 per cent BJP) for the 2029 Assembly elections. This strategy seems to have been formulated in light of the appeal made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Although the next major election in the state is nearly three and a half years away, the party has sent a clear message to its workers to continue working hard. BJP State President Ravindra Chavan stated, “Work in the BJP continues 24/7; there is no rest here. The results of the urban and local self-government bodies will boost our workers’ confidence, and they will enter the field with even greater determination.”
A senior BJP leader mentioned that while the goal of gaining a majority in the state on its own is challenging, it is not impossible. Currently, the party’s vote share is around 26-27 per cent. To reach this target, an additional increase of 10 to 15 per cent is required. He explained, “The party’s target for the 2029 Assembly elections is to win more than 150 out of 288 seats. The majority mark is 145, and the party is currently only 13 seats away from it.”
The BJP leader’s statement is important as the party contested the 2024 Assembly elections and the recent local body elections as part of the Mahayuti alliance. If it contests independently, the dynamics will change. Converting this local body success into Assembly votes, however, remains the primary challenge.
According to the data released by the State Election Commission, in recent elections, the BJP has successfully shed its “urban-centric” image. The party has made significant inroads into several strongholds of the Congress party and both factions of the NCP.
Out of 288 Assembly constituencies in the state, 160 are in rural areas. In the Zilla Parishad results announced on Monday, the BJP emerged as the largest party in six out of 12 Zilla Parishads, including Sindhudurg (Konkan), Satara (Western Maharashtra), Solapur (South-West Maharashtra), and Parbhani, Dharashiv, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Marathwada).
Furthermore, the BJP also dominated the Panchayat Samiti results. Out of 125 Panchayat Samitis, the party won a clear majority in 55, followed by Shiv Sena 26 seats, NCP 25 seats, while opposition (Maha Vikas Aghadi) comprising Congress and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) were restricted to eight seats each, while Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena won only three.
Reacting to the victory in 12 zilla parishad and 125 panchayat samiti elections, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated that the public has voted for the development work done by the Central and state governments. He remarked, “The opposition lacked political will and seemed disconnected from the people. They failed to raise the issues of the grassroots, which made the BJP’s victory easier.”
According to the party sources, to strengthen the party’s grip across 355 talukas and approximately 28,000 villages, booth-level workers were given a target of securing 50 per cent of the votes at nearly one lakh booths across the state. For the BJP, these local body elections were crucial because, despite success in the Assembly and Lok Sabha, the party had historically struggled in rural areas.
The concept of a “full majority on its own” was first proposed in 2005. While the demand grew after the first alliance government with the undivided Shiv Sena, the dominance of the Congress-NCP in rural Maharashtra had kept this dream unfulfilled. Since 2014, the BJP has consistently expanded its base. Despite changing alliances, the party emerged as the largest single party in 2014, 2019, and 2024, winning 122, 105, and 132 seats, respectively. The splits in the Shiv Sena and NCP have significantly benefited the BJP.
BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhye commented that Uddhav Thackeray joined the Congress-NCP alliance for power, abandoning Hindutva, which is why the public rejected him. Furthermore, the Zilla Parishad results suggest that Sharad Pawar’s grip on the Maratha leadership in Western Maharashtra’s sugar belt is weakening, with his faction emerging as the largest party only in Sangli and remaining limited to Pune and Kolhapur.
Crime
Two apprehended for firing at house in Nand Nagri to create fear

New Delhi, Sep 14: The Anti-Auto Theft Squad (AATS) of North-East District Police worked out a firing incident reported under the jurisdiction of Nand Nagri Police Station by apprehending two accused persons who allegedly fired at a complainant’s house to create fear.
The accused were identified with the help of extensive CCTV footage analysis and technical investigation.
According to police, on September 4, two unidentified persons riding a scooty fired at the complainant’s house in the Nand Nagri area with the intention of creating fear and fled from the spot.
Following the incident, FIR No. 485/26 dated September 4 was registered at Nand Nagri Police Station under relevant Sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Arms Act, and an investigation was initiated.
Considering the seriousness of the incident, the AATS team of North-East District was tasked with identifying and apprehending those involved.
A dedicated team led by Inspector Deepak Pandey, In-charge of AATS/NED, analysed numerous CCTV recordings and developed clues through technical investigation and other sources. Sustained efforts and detailed examination of the available evidence helped the team identify the suspects.
On September 12, acting on a specific tip-off, the AATS team conducted a raid in the Sunder Nagri area and apprehended Azim Khan. During interrogation, his associate Imran alias Rahul was also apprehended at his instance. Both accused were subsequently handed over to the local police for further legal proceedings.
Police said Imran alias Rahul, 25, son of Ibrahim and a resident of Bhopra Chowk, Siddqi Building, Uttar Pradesh, was previously involved in two theft cases.
Azim Khan, 36, son of Illiyas and a resident of Gali No. 1, Sunder Nagri, Delhi, has nine previous cases registered against him, involving murder, attempt to murder, culpable homicide, robbery, snatching, rape, kidnapping, theft and offences under the Arms Act. He is a Bad Character of Nand Nagri Police Station.
Further investigation into the case by the police is underway.
Business
India okays 18 hours a day power supply to Nepal till Dec 31

New Delhi, Sep 14: India has approved a proposal to supply power to Nepal for 18 hours a day till December 31 this year, following the extensive damage caused to the Himalayan country’s hydropower projects in the devastating flash floods, an official statement said on Monday.
“The Ministry of Power has accorded approval for the export of power, for 18 hours a day to Nepal Electricity Authority till December 31, 2026,” according to the statement.
Approval has been given for up to 600MW of export through Muzaffarpur-Dhalkebar 400 kV D/c line and up to 54 MW through Tanakpur-Mahendranagar 132 kV S/c line. The quantum of power to be exported from January 2027 will be reviewed in December, 2026, the statement said.
The recent floods have caused significant damage to hydropower infrastructure in Nepal, reducing its domestic power generation capacity and creating an additional requirement for electricity.
The approval will help Nepal meet its power requirements during this difficult period and further strengthen the close and longstanding energy cooperation between India and Nepal, the statement explained.
“India remains committed to supporting Nepal and strengthening bilateral cooperation in the energy sector,” the statement added.
India also intensified its humanitarian assistance to Nepal in the wake of the floods, delivering relief material and deploying personnel to support search, rescue, and forensic operations. Indian Air Force aircraft were used to carry relief and rescue supplies to Kathmandu.
The country also dispatched specialised technical gear, including mud rescue suits, gas detectors, breathing apparatus, inflatable walkways, portable generators, lighting towers, and dewatering pumps. India has provided DNA kits, reagents, and equipment for DNA profiling to aid in victim identification.
Meanwhile, the death toll from flash floods has risen to 1,386, with more bodies recovered from eight affected districts.
The floods, triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26, devastated towns and villages in northern and central Nepal.
According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, 104 of the recovered bodies have so far been identified and handed over to families. Around 5,130 people are still reported missing.
Security forces continue search and rescue operations. More than 13,700 people have been rescued so far, while 339 people are undergoing treatment in hospitals.
Crime
‘Felt unsafe’: Woman biker alleges car attack after asking occupants to maintain distance in Gurugram

Gurugram, Sep 14: A woman biker in Haryana’s Gurugram has alleged that a car repeatedly followed her before hitting her motorcycle and fleeing the spot, leaving her shaken and raising concerns over road safety in the city.
“I have nothing to say, but today I felt unsafe on Gurugram roads. People like these aren’t afraid of hitting people and running away,” the woman said after the incident.
The rider, who identifies herself as Sia and operates the Instagram page ‘rebelwheels_sia_’, uploaded footage of the incident on social media and described what she said happened before the collision.
According to Sia, the incident occurred on Sunday while she was riding her Aprilia RS 457 sports bike along Golf Course Road with members of her biking group.
In the video, she alleged that the occupants of a car had been following her from the beginning of the ride. She claimed that the people inside the vehicle behaved aggressively and attempted to get close to her motorcycle.
Sia said she asked the occupants to maintain a safe distance, but instead, they allegedly asked her to stop. She also claimed that the men appeared to be under the influence of alcohol.
The rider said she continued moving ahead in an attempt to prevent the car from cutting her off. A friend riding behind her also tried to intervene by positioning his motorcycle in a way that prevented the car from repeatedly coming alongside her.
Despite this, Sia alleged, the car continued following her. She claimed that at one point, the driver attempted to cut across the path of her motorcycle, resulting in a collision.
The impact knocked Sia off her bike, while her motorcycle was dragged several metres along the road. The car then reportedly left the area.
The incident was captured on an action camera fitted to Sia’s motorcycle.
She further alleged that one of her friends pursued the car and attempted to stop the driver. The vehicle eventually halted at a traffic signal, where the friend confronted the driver and allegedly told him that he was responsible for the collision.
However, according to Sia, the driver denied causing the accident and subsequently drove away from the traffic signal.
In a social media post, Sia appealed to the Gurugram Police to take action against motorists who allegedly put other road users at risk and flee after causing accidents.
She also shared the vehicle’s registration number and identified the registered owner mentioned in the vehicle’s registration certificate.
The video subsequently gained significant attention online, with social media users expressing support for the rider and calling for action against the alleged driver. Several users tagged the Delhi Police, Gurugram Police, Gurugram Traffic Police and Haryana Police, urging authorities to investigate the incident.
Some users also called for an FIR to be registered, while others highlighted concerns over rash driving and the safety of motorists, particularly on busy roads in Gurugram.
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