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Tuesday,07-October-2025
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Maharashtra

Nawab Malik Returns To Maha Assembly With Ajit Pawar’s NCP Faction After 18-Month Jail Term; Sits On Treasury Benches

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NCP leader and former Minister Nawab Malik, who spent 18 months in jail over an alleged money-laundering case, is reported to have aligned himself with the splinter group of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

At the age of 64, Malik was incarcerated from February 2022 to August 2023 and is presently released on medical bail.

Ajit Pawar had earlier invited Malik to Nagpur for winter session

Previously, Ajit Pawar conveyed to the media that he had reached out to Malik, expressing a warm invitation, stating, “You are most welcome in Nagpur.” He further emphasised that Malik, being a senior leader, is fully capable of making independent decisions on such issues.

This morning, Malik traveled to Nagpur for the Winter Session of the Maharashtra Legislature and surprised many by visiting the office of a leader affiliated with the Ajit Pawar faction within the Vidhan Bhavan complex.

Nawab Malik sits on treasury benches

Despite a somewhat embarrassed yet smiling demeanor, he engaged with numerous legislators and officials, exchanging pleasantries, shaking hands, and acknowledging others with waves. This marked his first appearance in a legislative session in nearly two years.

As the legislative session commenced, Malik took a seat at the back of the treasury benches in the Assembly, providing confirmation of his support for Ajit Pawar.

Both NCP factions were trying to woo Malik

Nevertheless, high-ranking leaders of the NCP, including those associated with Sharad Pawar, in Mumbai and Nagpur refrained from providing comments on the unfolding events. Instead, they mentioned that “he (Malik) is a senior leader and must have made his decision after careful consideration of all aspects.”

Since his release on bail in mid-August, Malik had been courted by both the factions led by Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar. However, he had maintained a level of secrecy about his intentions, fueling speculation that has now been put to rest.

The Ajit Pawar faction, in October this year, had submitted a list of 42 MLAs to the Election Commission claiming their support. Nawab Malik was one among them.

From bashing BJP to becoming ally, Malik comes full circle

Malik had hit headlines when he took on NCB officer Sameer Wankhede over his raid and arrest of Aryan Khan in Coredlia cruise drugs case. Malik led the attack against the BJP while he was a minister in the MVA government, claiming that the saffron party was behind Wankhede’s act of extortion against superstar Shah Rukh Khan.

His crusade, however, was cut short as he was sent to jail over alleged transactions with the sister of fugitive Don Dawood Ibrahim. He was in jail while the party split. It was DCM Ajit Pawar who tried for his release and hence, it was speculated that he would side with the Ajit Pawar faction. As it became clear on Thursday that he has joined the Ajit Pawar faction, it would be interesting to see how he manages to maintain relationships with his former rival BJP, which has now become an ally of the faction he’s part of. Maharashtra politics, meanwhile, continues to throw surprises every now and then, making it clear that ideology and and long-standing views do not necessarily deter leaders from switching sides and positions.

Maharashtra

Mumbai Accident: 1 Killed, 6 Others Injured As Speeding Tempo Traveller Crashes Into BEST Bus In Dadar

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Mumbai: A speeding tempo traveller crashed into a BEST bus and two other vehicles in Dadar late Sunday night, killing one and injuring six, including three brothers. The victim was identified as Shahabuddin Zainulabdeen Shaikh, 37, a clothes vendor, said the Shivaji Park police, adding that medical examination confirmed that the driver, Sandesh Kumbhar, 27, was driving under the influence of alcohol.

Preliminary investigation revealed that Kumbhar, a resident of Wadala, was driving in a rash and negligent manner. According to BEST, the fatal mishap occurred around 11.30 pm near the Dadar Plaza bus stop, when a tempo traveller, heading towards Shivaji Park, lost control. It collided with the front right side of a BEST bus that was en route to Pratiksha Nagar from the Worli depot.

After crashing into the bus, the tempo traveller also struck a taxi and another tourist vehicle, damaging both. “The impact caused the bus to veer left, hitting pedestrians and passengers waiting at the stop. Shahabuddin, a pedestrian, died on the spot,” said an official.

Those injured were identified as brothers Rahul Padale, 30, Rohit Padale, 33, and Akshay Padale, 25. The remaining three are Vidya Mote, 30, Abhishek Rautkar, 24, and Abdul Nadir, 23. While Nadir is from Wadala, the rest are from Sion. They were immediately rushed to Sion Hospital with the help of the bus conductor and local police personnel. The police have registered a case of accidental death against Kumbhar.

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Crime

Mumbai Hit-And-Run Case: 21-Year-Old Ruia College Student Dies After Being Abandoned On Road Following Accident At Sion

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Mumbai: A 21-year-old college student, Mayur Kishor Rai, pursuing his undergraduate studies at Ruia College in Matunga, tragically died in a hit-and-run accident on the evening of October 4. The incident occurred near the Sion Bridge incline on Dr. B.A. Road, Sion East. The Sion Police have registered a case and are investigating the matter.

According to the FIR, Mayur, a resident of Lallubhai Compound in Mankhurd, lived with his family and used to commute to college on a KTM Duke 250 motorcycle (MH-03-EJ-5365) registered in his sister Deepa’s name. On the day of the incident, Mayur left for college on the bike and informed his mother, Sunita Rai,45, a social worker, around 6:30 PM that he was on his way home.

However, at around 8:15 PM, Sunita received a call from an unknown person using Mayur’s mobile, informing her that his bike had met with an accident near Sion Bridge.

The family rushed to the location by taxi but could not find Mayur at the spot. While on their way to Sion Hospital, they spotted his motorcycle near the zebra crossing on Dr. B.A. Road, where police were already present. Upon getting down from the taxi, the family found Mayur lying unconscious beside a small tempo.

An ambulance called by the police arrived shortly, and Mayur was rushed to Sion Hospital. Unfortunately, the doctors declared him dead on arrival.

According to traffic police patrolling the area, some bystanders had informed them about the accident and mentioned that an injured person was being taken to the hospital in a tempo. The tempo in question bore the registration number MH-48-CB-3469.

Investigations revealed that after the accident, local bystanders had placed the injured Mayur in the tempo for transportation. However, when no one accompanied him to the hospital, the frightened tempo driver allegedly offloaded Mayur near the zebra crossing and left him there unattended.

Police have filed a case against the unknown vehicle driver for causing death by negligent and rash driving, under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Motor Vehicles Act. Efforts are ongoing to identify the vehicle involved in the hit-and-run.

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Business

Sensex, Nifty extend gains on buying in heavyweights

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Mumbai, Oct 7: Indian stock markets continued their upward trend on Tuesday, supported by buying in major stocks such as ICICI Bank, ITC and more.

However, profit booking in select banking stocks limited the overall gains during the early trading hours.

The Sensex, which rose more than 100 points in early trade, was trading at 81,843, up 52 points or 0.06 per cent.

The Nifty also gained 34 points or 0.14 per cent to reach 25,112 after hitting an intra-day high of 25,140.

Among the top gainers on the Sensex were Power Grid, Bajaj Finance, HCL Tech, Bharti Airtel, ICICI Bank, Ultratech Cement, NTPC, Hindustan Unilever, Bajaj Finserv, and BEL, which rose between 0.3 per cent and 1.6 per cent.

On the other hand, Trent, Axis Bank, Tata Motors, TCS, SBI, Kotak Bank, Tech Mahindra, HDFC Bank, and Infosys were among the major losers, slipping up to 2.7 per cent.

In the broader market, the Nifty MidCap index gained 0.08 per cent, while the Nifty SmallCap index rose 0.41 per cent — showing continued interest from investors in smaller companies.

Among sectoral indices, Nifty Metal and Nifty IT were the top performers, each gaining 0.4 per cent.

The Nifty PSU Bank index was the worst hit, falling 0.3 per cent due to profit booking in public sector lenders.

Analysts said that overall market sentiment remains positive, though some volatility may persist due to profit-taking at higher levels.

“The ongoing mild rally in the market has the potential to gain momentum. The FII selling in India is slowly declining since the sharp appreciation in other markets has pushed up their valuations and the valuation differential between India and other markets has come down,” analysts said.

“Since there is huge short position in the market any positive news can trigger short-covering, further aiding the rally,” they added.

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