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Maharashtra

MVA, BJP pray for ‘political miracles’, 225 MLAs vote in MLC polls

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Voting for the biennial elections to 10 seats of Maharashtra Legislative Council continued with both the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi and Opposition Bharatiya Janta Party praying for a ‘political miracle’ for the one crucial seat on which there’s a main contest among 11 candidates, here on Monday.

Emerging from their five-star weekend retreats, the legislators of MVA allies Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress and BJP were driven in buses to the Maharashtra Legislature at Nariman Point with senior leaders keeping a close watch on their respective flocks.

Polling started on a brisk note with over 225 MLAs across party lines casting their votes under the eagle eyes of their respective polling agents by 1 p.m.

A total of 11 candidates are vying for the 10 MLC seats vide the electoral college comprising 288 MLAs, though effectively 285 shall vote in the elections on Monday (June 20).

The MLC elections are witnessing a thriller contest with the prime contest between Congress’ Bhai Jagtap and BJP’s Prasad Lad, both vying for the crucial 10th seat.

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 Bombay High Court to vote for the MLC polls and have now moved the Supreme Court.

The quota for winning – depending on the actual votes cast – would be 26 or 27 per candidate, and the votes of 29 MLAs of smaller parties or independents are expected to be the clinching factor.

The MVA has fielded Sachin Ahir and Amasha Padvi (Shiv Sena), Ramraje Naik-Nimbalkar and Eknath Khadse (Nationalist Congress Party), Chandrakant Handore and Bhai Jagtap (Congress).

The BJP has nominated Pravin Darekar, Prof Ram Shinde, Shrikant Bhartiya, Uma Khapre and Prasad Lad.

With a strength of 106, the BJP can comfortably bag four of the five seats it is contesting and the battle will be for Lad’s candidature vis-A-vis Jagtap.

The Sena with 55 legislators and NCP with 51 MLAs can easily win their two seats respectively, while the Congress with 44 legislators would require around a dozen votes from the independents, smaller parties or its allies.

Both MVA and BJP are desperately wooing the independents and smaller parties though the Samajwadi Party, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen and Bahujan Vikas Aghadi have kept their strategies close to their chest.

Entertainment

1000 Cops To Be Deployed At Coldplay Concert Venue In Navi Mumbai

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Thane: Nearly 1,000 cops will be deployed to maintain law and order during the Coldplay concert in Navi Mumbai, police said on Friday.

As part of their ‘Music of the Spheres World Tour’, the British rock group has three shows scheduled at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on January 18, 19 and 21.

Nearly 45,000 fans are expected to attend the event, for which elaborate security arrangements have been made, said a release by the Navi Mumbai police.

The release said 70 officers and 434 policemen will be inside the stadium as part of their bandobast. Also, 21 officers and 440 policemen will be deployed outside the stadium each day, it said.

Heavy vehicles from Uran, Nhavasheva, Pune and Thane have been banned in the area during these days. The Thane city police have also issued similar directives, restricting the movement of heavy vehicles within their jurisdiction.

There are designated parking areas during the event, the release added.

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Maharashtra

Police Issues Traffic Advisory Ahead Of TATA Mumbai Marathon 2025; Check Details

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Mumbai: The Mumbai Traffic Police department has issued a traffic advisory for residents ahead of TATA Marathon 2025 which will take place on January 19. The Mumbai Traffic Police has issued an advisory, to inform commuters about the traffic arrangements and road closures. The authorities have appealed to citizens to cooperate and plan their travel accordingly to avoid any inconvenience.

According to the advisory issued, a total of 63 routes have been blocked by the Mumbai traffic police issuing ‘no entry’ to vehicles on the route due to marathon.

The TATA Marathon is all set to take place on January 19, 2025, across Greater Mumbai with thousands of runners participating in the event. To ensure a seamless and safe experience for the runners, the authorities have made special traffic arrangements along the marathon route.

The Marathon will take place from 3 am to 2 pm on January 19, Sunday. The marathon route will be closed to regular traffic, providing a free way for the runners to complete their journey.

The traffic restrictions will be in place to prevent any disruptions or congestion that might hinder the progress of the runners. The police has informed about alternative routes that can be taken to avoid congestion.

In their advisory, Mumbai Traffic Police has informed about the categories of marathon and the routes that are to be taken for each category leads to closure of a few routes.

The TATA Marathon 2025 will have seven categories, Full Marathon (Amateur) which will take place from CSMT Dr D N Road to OCS Junction covering 42.195 kilometers, Full Marathon (Elite) which will take place from CSMT Dr D N Road to CSMT Junction covering 42.195 kilometres, Half Marathon and Police Cup will take place from Mahim reti bunder to OCS junction, 10 KM Run starting from CSMT to OCS Junction, Senior citizen run starting from CSMT to OCS Junction covering 4.2 kilometers, champions with disability run covers 1.30 Kilometers from CSMT to OCS junction and Dream Run Marathon from CSMT to Metro Junction covering 5.9 kilometers.

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Maharashtra

Coldplay Mumbai Concert: Bombay HC Dismisses PIL, Says Only State Can Act On Ticket Scalping

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Mumbai: Though, there is a ‘need for robust regulatory mechanisms’ against the unethical practices in the online ticketing ecosystem, the responsibility for creating a statutory framework lies with the legislature, the Bombay High Court has said in its order dismissing the a public interest litigation (PIL) against black marketing and ticket scalping at major events.

The division bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar had on January 10 dismissed the PIL filed by a city based lawyer Amit Vyas alleging foul play during the online ticket sales of British band Coldplay scheduled in Navi Mumbai later this month.

Vyas had sought directions to the state government to frame laws, rules and regulations to prevent the practices of ticket scalping, touting and black marketing concerning the sale of tickets for major events.

Additionally, a request was made to the court to order the formation of a committee to conduct an inquiry into the matter and to issue directions to online ticketing companies to cooperate with the committee.

Dismissing the plea, the HC observed that the power to enact a law doesn’t lay with the judiciary. “In keeping with the constitutional scheme, courts can only guide the executive to comply with duties explicitly cast by constitutional provisions. They cannot assume a supervisory role over lawmaking powers, which remain within the exclusive domain of duly elected legislative bodies,” the court said.

The HC said they can, however, issue such directions only in case of violation of fundamental rights. “However, the practices of ticket scalping, hoarding and resale by private entities and individuals, without any direct or substantial involvement of the state or its instrumentality, do not per se violate fundamental rights of citizens,” HC observed.

“While Article 19(1)(g) guarantees the freedom to practise any profession or to carry on any occupation, this provision neither creates a fundamental right to access privately organised events nor does it prohibit all profit-driven endeavors,” the court further said adding, “No unreasonable restriction has been shown to be imposed by the state in relation to ticket scalping or resale activities by private entities.”

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