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Prajatantra 2024: Building Blocks of Democracy

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Prajatantra 2024: Building Blocks of Democracy

Mumbai : Prajatantra 2024: National Youth Festival was inaugurated today, marking the sixth edition of this annual celebration of democracy. Prajatantra offers Indian youth a distinctive platform to gain first-hand experience and understand how city governments operate. Participants take on the roles of fictional city government officials, such as Mayors, Chairpersons of Municipal Committees, and Councillors, to present their ideas, visions, and policies for effective governance.

This year, Prajatantra highlights the importance of Active Citizenship through the theme, ‘Citizen Participation: Building Blocks of Democracy’. Under this theme, participants are encouraged to envision how city governments can meaningfully involve citizens in local decision-making. They will propose policies on topics such as creating participatory budgets, integrating technology to make citizen engagement more accessible, developing civic engagement infrastructure, and actively involving marginalised communities, among other sub-themes.

Prajatantra 2024, is proud to host 418 teams, representing over 100 cities from 28 states and seven union territories, have registered for this event. These participants come from diverse educational and socio-economic backgrounds. Today, they gathered virtually for the Opening Ceremony. The event featured addresses by Ms Debolina Kundu, Director (Additional Charge) at the National Institute of Urban Affairs, Ms Parul Agarwala, Country Manager at UN Habitat, and Mr Nitai Mehta, Founder and Managing Trustee of Praja Foundation. They spoke on topics of governance and youth engagement.

“It is crucial for today’s youth to collaborate and engage with decision-makers like us to shape their future,” said Ms Agarwala in her opening remarks. “I am deeply committed to empowering young people, and through the mandate of UN-Habitat and all UN Agencies, we are dedicated to providing platforms and forums that amplify your voices on the global stage.” Ms Agarwala also praised the significant growth of Prajatantra over the years at the national level.

Mr Mehta shared, “Praja was established in 1997 with the mission to reform urban governance. It is vital that the three key stakeholders—elected representatives, the administration, and citizens—actively participate in dialogue to create solutions at the local level. Prajatantra brings young people together to develop these solutions. Every year, we witness remarkable ideas from youth across the country on urban governance.”

In her concluding remarks, Ms Kundu underscored the significance of urbanisation and the role of youth in this process. “Urbanisation is an inevitable trend, with an increasing number of citizens living in urban areas. The youth represent the largest demographic, and it is imperative that we harness their potential. How we can leverage this demographic dividend through employment and skill development is a key focus area for NIUA.”

Following the Opening Ceremony, Prajatantra participants will engage in competitive events throughout the weekend. The Qualifying Rounds will be followed by the Semi-Finals in September 2024. Finalists will convene in Lucknow in November for anin-person Grand Finale.

Maharashtra

‘This Is Landslide Victory. I Thank My Ladli Behnas And Kisans…’: CM Shinde On Mahayuti’s Massive Win In Maharashtra 

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In a statement to the media, Shinde said, “I thank the voters of Maharashtra. This is a landslide victory. I had said before that Mahayuti will get a thumping victory. I thank all sections of the society. I thank my ladali behnas and kisans. I also thank all the workers of the Mahayuti parties. “

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party is likely to hold the Maharashtra Legislative Party meeting on November 25 and the oath-taking ceremony on 26,

A larger meeting of the Yuti alliance is also likely to be held around the same time. 

This comes after the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra crossed the crucial majority mark, as per the Election Commission data around 11 am. It is securing a lead in 220 seats and is likely heading towards a landslide victory. Celebrations have already begun at the BJP’s Mumbai office.

Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde said, “As we had expected, we have got very good numbers. I thank all the voters who stood behind Mahayuti and gave this landslide victory…”

Shiv Sena leader Naresh Mhaske said, “Maharashtra of government has expressed its faith in Mahayuti. The public is seeing what is happening to Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena today. The people have stated that Eknath Shinde is the one who is capable of leading Balasaheb Thackeray’s Shiv Sena…By way of their votes, the public has slapped a slipper on the face of Sanjay Raut. I am a Shiv Sena worker and I think that Eknath Shinde should be the chief minister…”

Early trends as per ECI

As per the initial results, the Mahayuti alliance is leading in 220 seats, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leading in 128 seats, driving the charge in Maharashtra. The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena (SHS) follows closely with 55 seats. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, is leading in 35 seats, while the Rashtriya Yuva Swabhiman Party (RSHYVSWBHM) is leading in 2 seats.

Meanwhile, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is trailing, with a lead in 51 seats. The Indian National Congress (INC), part of the MVA, is leading in 20 seats. The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leading in 16 seats, and the Nationalist Congress Party – Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SP) is leading in 13 seats. The Samajwadi Party (SP) too is in the lead at 2 seats.

In addition, the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), Jan Surajya Shakti (JSS), and Peasants And Workers Party of India (PWPI) are all leading in 2 seats each.

Other minor parties, including Swatantra Bharat Paksha (STBP), Indian Secular Largest Assembly of Maharashtra (DISECL), CPI(M), Bahujan Vikas Aaghadi (BVA), and Rajarshi Shahu Vikas Aghadi (RSVA) are leading in 1 seat each. Additionally, 5 independent candidates (IND) are leading in their respective constituencies.

As the Sena-BJP-NCP celebrate all eyes will now be on who will assume the post of CM of the state.

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Maharashtra

Maharashtra Election Results 2024: UBT’s Sanjay Raut Cries Conspiracy, Says ‘This Can’t Be Decision Of People Of State’

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Maharashtra Election Results 2024: UBT's Sanjay Raut Cries Conspiracy, Says 'This Can't Be Decision Of People Of State'

The early trends as of 10:30 AM indicate a landslide victory for the BJP-led Mahayuti government in the Maharashtra Assembly elections. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut has responded to the early trends showing Maha Vikas Aghadi’s (MVA) massive defeat in Maharashtra.

Speaking to the media amid ongoing counting, Raut said, ‘This cannot be the decision of the people of Maharashtra. We know what the people of Maharashtra want.’

‘From what we are seeing, it seems that something is wrong. This was not the decision of the public. Everyone will understand what is wrong here. What did they (Mahayuti) do that they are getting more than 120 seats? How is it that MVA is not even getting 75 seats in Maharashtra?’ Raut said.

Rejecting the trends, Raut said that his party has faith in the people of Maharashtra. “They have done some ‘gadbad,’ they have stolen some of our seats…This cannot be the public’s decision. Even the public does not agree with these results. Once the results are out, we will talk more. In every election seat, money-counting machines were installed. Is it possible that Shinde gets 60 seats, Ajit Pawar gets 40 seats, and BJP gets 125 seats? The people of this state are not dishonest. We have faith in the people of Maharashtra,” he said.

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Maharashtra

Byculla, Maharashtra Assembly Elections Results 2024: Can Yamini Jadhav Defend Her Turf In Sena vs Sena Battle Against Manoj Jamsutkar?

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Mumbai: As the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Elections Results 2024 are set to be revealed on Saturday, November 23, all eyes are on key constituencies like Byculla, a key seat in Mumbai. The constituency is part of the Mumbai South Lok Sabha constituency and has been a focal point of intense political competition.

Byculla is one of the 288 seats in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and is designated as constituency number 184. The seat falls under the general category and is located in Mumbai City District. Currently, Byculla is represented by Yamini Jadhav of Shiv Sena (Shinde faction).

In the 2024 elections, Yamini Jadhav will face a tough fight from the Shiv Sena UBT candidate Manoj Jamsutkar, making it a key battle to watch. Jadhav secured her victory in 2019 by defeating AIMIM’s Waris Pathan with a sizeable margin of over 20,023 votes, but this time, the political dynamics have shifted.

Byculla has a total of 2,58,856 registered voters, as per the Election Commission’s latest figures. With a diverse demographic composition, the seat often witnesses polarized voting patterns.

Current Political Scenario in Maharashtra

The ruling coalition, Mahayuti, led by Eknath Shinde (Shiv Sena-Shinde), Devendra Fadnavis (BJP), and Ajit Pawar (NCP-Ajit Pawar), currently holds 202 seats in the assembly. Of these, BJP accounts for 102 seats, NCP (Ajit) has 40, Shiv Sena (Shinde) has 38, and smaller parties hold the remaining 22 seats.

On the other hand, the opposition alliance, Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), led by Sharad Pawar (NCP-Sharad Pawar), Uddhav Thackeray (Shiv Sena-UBT) and Nana Patole (Congress) holds 69 seats. Congress leads the MVA with 37 seats, followed by Shiv Sena (UBT) with 16 and NCP (Sharad Pawar) with 12.

Byculla is considered crucial for both alliances. For the ruling Mahayuti, retaining the seat will showcase its strength in Mumbai, while a win for MVA could indicate a shift in urban voting preferences.

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