Maharashtra
MLC Polls: Big jolt for MVA as BJP’s ‘extra’ candidate wins, Congressman loses
In another jolt for the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in Maharashtra after the June 10 Rajya Sabha polls, the opposition BJP managed to get its ‘extra’ contestant elected as MLC, trouncing the Congress’ first preference candidate Chandrakant Handore, here late on Monday.
The BJP’s prayers for a ‘political miracle’ seemed to have been answered with all its five nominees getting elected despite lacking numbers while the MVA also bagged five seats.
The prime contest for the tenth seat — between Congress’ Bhai Jagtap and BJP’s Prasad Lad — came as a shocker as both won, while Congress’ first choice Handore was trounced in an unexpected upset, from the total 11 candidates vying for 10 seats.
Jagtap, 66, is a trade unionist heading the Bharatiya Kamgar Karmachari Mahasangh (BKKM) and President of Mumbai Congress, while Lad, 51, is an ex-MLC and ex-chairman of Mumbai Buildings Repair and Reconstruction Board.
Of the 288-member strong lower house, one Shiv Sena MLA, Ramesh Latke, died recently, while two NCP MLAs Anil Deshmukh and Nawab Malik – currently in jail – were denied permission by the courts to vote.
The quota for winning was 26 per candidate, and the votes of 29 MLAs of smaller parties or Independents were critical for both sides.
The MVA’s nominees – Sachin Ahir and Amasha Padvi (Shiv Sena), Ramraje Naik-Nimbalkar and Eknath Khadse (Nationalist Congress Party) and Bhai Jagtap (Congress) have won.
All the BJP’s nominees — Pravin Darekar, Ram Shinde, Shrikant Bhartiya, Uma Khapre and Prasad Lad — sailed through though they were running short on numbers. Boisterous celebrations erupted outside the party offices in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra.
Congress legislative party leader and Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat admitted that the MVA’s votes had been lost and he would not point fingers at the BJP.
This proved to be the second major setback for the MVA after the BJP – under similar circumstances – bagged three Rajya Sabha seats, while the ruling alliance secured three, with one each for Sena-NCP-Congress, while the Sena’s second candidate was defeated.
Maharashtra
Mumbai: Murder sparks sensation after dispute over hotel bill payment, police launch major operation, solves murder mystery within 24 hours, two arrested accused confess

A sensational incident of murder of a youth took place in a hotel in Mumbai after a dispute over payment of the bill, after which tension spread here, while the police have succeeded in arresting the accused within 24 hours. On the night of August 11, a man was severely beaten near the Salman Hotel in the limits of Goregaon police station. Aziz Muhammad Atiq Khan, 30, was admitted to the hospital where the doctors declared him dead. The police have started an inquiry into the murder. The victim’s brother told the police that Aziz Khan asked the owner of Salman Hotel, Danish Khan, to pay the hotel bill to two people. During this, both of them argued with the victim and said that we don’t know what you have to do with this. We will see about you … Then they both attacked the victim and hit Aziz Khan on the head with a wooden box, due to which he was seriously injured and the doctors declared him dead during treatment. The police have registered a case of murder and started searching for the accused. Six teams were formed to arrest the accused. After receiving a tip-off, the police arrested the accused and they have confessed to the crime. The accused have been identified as Ajay Mani Upadhyay, 39, and Vikas Devaraj Paswan, 32, an office boy. Within 24 hours, the police have solved the mystery of the murder and succeeded in arresting the accused. This operation was carried out by DCP Parshottam Karad on the instructions of Mumbai Police Commissioner Devin Bharti.
Maharashtra
Two arrested in two separate operations involving interstate drug trafficking network, hashish, tramadol, narcotics seized

Mumbai: Acting on specific information, NCB Mumbai seized 1080 bottles of Codeine Based Cough Syrup (CBCS) weighing 108 kg and arrested N. Sheikh in Mumbai on August 8. He had attempted to smuggle the seized CBCS bottles, which were being transported in a passenger bus plying between Gujarat and Mumbai. The seized drugs were to be sold in Mumbai, Bhiwandi and adjoining areas. During the spot investigation, a distributor based in Gujarat was identified. Immediately, a follow-up team left for Gujarat and after extensive field surveillance, a distributor and his warehouse located in Vadodara, Gujarat were seized from where another 13938 CBCS bottles and 12,240 Tramadol tablets were seized. In an attempt to avoid signs of diversion of CBCS bottles, the numbers were found to be tampered with in several CBCS bottles. Moreover, several incriminating documents including fake receipts which were used to convert NRx i.e. narcotics based medicines were also seized.
During the investigation, it was noted that N. Sheikh, who was primarily operating from Bhiwandi area of Thane district in Maharashtra, had earlier been arrested by Maharashtra Police in another NDPS case. His area of operation was Bhiwandi.
It was also informed that the distributor based in Gujarat is wanted in NDPS cases registered by the police.
Tramadol and CBCS are strictly prescription based opioid drugs with legitimate medical use. Tramadol alters the central nervous system (CNS) and is considered to manage pain. Its non-prescribed use causes respiratory depression, rapid heart rate which can lead to fatal outcomes. It has severe withdrawal effects which makes it a dangerous substance for drug abuse. CBCS is commonly used to treat common cough and cold. However, codeine, being an opioid, has addictive and CNS depressant effects, the overdose of which can cause severe respiratory problems, liver and kidney damage with fatal consequences.
Acting on specific information, NCB Mumbai seized 1.060 kg of hashish during a search of the house of a woman named AJ Sheikh in Ghatkopar, Mumbai on August 12. The seized hashish was concealed in household goods and was recently purchased for sale in Mumbai and adjoining areas.
During interrogation, it has been revealed that the arrival of hashish was stopped to a great extent due to stringent drug enforcement measures and the upcoming festive season, due to which the seized hashish was bought by AJ Sheikh and his drug associates at high prices to take advantage of the opportunity. Other key drug associates have been identified and are being traced for their arrest.
Marijuana is a naturally occurring drug with a high THC content that is extracted from the cannabis plant, which is commonly grown in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Prolonged use of marijuana impairs cognitive and reflex development, with adverse effects on memory.
Both cases are under investigation. Both operations highlight the NCB’s continued efforts to dismantle organised drug gangs and target habitual criminals who fuel the drug ecosystem.
Maharashtra
Stagnant job market exposes reality behind 5-trillion economy: Shiv Sena(UBT) in ‘Saamana’

Mumbai, Aug 13: The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray on Thursday claimed that while the ruling administration frequently boasts about sustaining strong economic and industrial growth despite global instability, official government figures presented in Parliament have severely challenged these claims.
According to data released on Monday by the Ministry of Statistics, job opportunities in India neither increased nor decreased over the past year. The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) indicates that the domestic job market remains entirely stagnant, the party said.
The Thackeray camp, in an editorial in the party’s mouthpiece, ‘Saamana’, said that the ministry’s report reveals key indicators regarding the current state of employment in the country. The unemployment rate for the current quarter stands at 5.5 per cent, compared to 5.6 per cent a year ago. Salaried employees constituted 51.4 per cent in June, a slight movement from 51.2 per cent recorded the previous June. The proportion of female workers saw a negligible rise from 32 per cent to 32.7 per cent. Job opportunities in rural areas have continued to decline.
While government supporters argue that stable unemployment figures show resilience, critics highlight a deepening crisis among educated youth, said the editorial. It further added that India’s graduate youth population has reached 6.30 crore, growing 13-fold over four decades, while unemployed graduates grew 16-fold in the same timeframe. Six out of every ten graduate youths are currently unemployed.
According to an Azim Premji University report, two out of every three unemployed youths hold a degree — meaning they possess the qualifications but lack employment opportunities. Out of every 1,000 job-seeking youths, only 12 secure permanent employment, said the editorial.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena argued that the Statistics Ministry’s figures directly contradict recent claims made by Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, who stated that the government created 1.7 crore new jobs annually over its 12-year tenure. The statistics also validate concerns raised recently by Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi during the “Chatron Ki Goonj” event in Prayagraj regarding youth unemployment.
The Thackeray camp claimed that the government, which boasts about a “five trillion” economy, has failed to create a single new job in the past year. The administration has failed to deliver on its promise of creating two crore jobs per year, leaving millions of qualified graduates facing uncertain futures.
“This is the “mirror” to the Modi government’s economic policies, and it has been shown by one of their own ministries. The country’s Home Minister, who suggests “fry pakodas if there is no job,” and the Prime Minister, who made a “Hello Friends” reel addressing the youth out of fear of protests at Jantar Mantar, need to take a look at themselves in this mirror,” it noted.
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