Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) National Spokesperson Umesh Patil on Wednesday flagged concerns over the merger of NCP and NCP-SP, saying no one speaks about which faction’s candidates be fielded during elections and also the choice of office bearers in case the factions are united.

Speaking to media, Patil acknowledged that circumstances have certainly changed after the passing away of former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister late Ajit Pawar, who was also the NCP Chief.

However, he said that the current NCP Chief Sunetra Pawar is effectively handling the role of the Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and strengthening the organisation.

Noting that the news of NCP’s merger keep resurfacing every now and then, the NCP Spokesperson said: “But if there is to be a merger, how exactly will it happen? In Maharashtra, there are 78 organisational districts. Both factions of NCP have 78 district presidents. If a merger takes place, whose district president will remain in office and who will be removed? How will those removed be accommodated? What formula will be followed?”

Umesh Patil recalled that in the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, both factions of the NCP had contested against each other in almost every constituency, while saying: “Those who won are confident that they will receive the party ticket in 2029. Even those who lost believe they will get another opportunity from their faction. But if the two parties become one, then what will the defeated candidates think?”

“The winning candidate will obviously be given the ticket again, and preparations are already underway. The others may have no other option except to leave the party,” he added.

Expressing concern, the NCP leader said that while everyone talks about a merger, no one explains how it will actually be implemented.

“What will happen to leaders, their workers, and their supporters? In the same constituency, these people have been fighting against each other,” Patil added.

Citing an example, the NCP spokesperson said: “In Islampur, Jayant Patil won from the NCP-SP faction, while our candidate, Nishikant Patil, lost by around 12,000 to 13,000 votes. He is already preparing for the next election. If the parties merge, that seat will naturally go to Jayant Patil. Then what will Nishikant Patil do? How will we ensure justice for him after a merger? What options will remain for him?”

Adding to his concern, Patil said that even if such adjustments can be made in a few places, how can this be managed across in every district, every Assembly constituency, and every Lok Sabha constituency in Maharashtra, where the two factions are essentially each other’s opposition?

He also questioned that who will become the Maharashtra NCP President in case of a merger, while also questioning the future roles of NCP-SP Chief Sharad Pawar and senior leaders like Supriya Sule and Rohit Pawar.

“Will it be someone from the trumpet (NCP-SP) faction or the clock faction (NCP)? What will happen to the position of national president? What role will Pawar ‘Saheb’ (Sharad Pawar) play? What role will Supriya Sule play? What about Rohit Pawar? There are many such issues,” Patil said.

Meanwhile, NCP MP and party’s Maharashtra unit president Sunil Tatkare on Monday clarified that the issue of party merger is completely closed, emphasising that the party’s primary focus is on strengthening its organisation and working collectively under the leadership of party president and Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar.

Mumbai: Addressing a press conference held at the Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh, Abu Asim Azmi—the Maharashtra State President of the Samajwadi Party and a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA)—sharply criticized the central government’s proposed ‘Uniform Civil Code’ (UCC). He alleged that the UCC bill is not, in fact, a ‘Uniform Civil Code,’ but rather a ‘Control Code’ imposed by the government. During the press conference, Azmi questioned the deadline set for submitting objections and suggestions regarding the UCC bill. He argued that the current deadline—November 15—is insufficient and demanded that it be extended. Commenting further on the process, Azmi noted that citizens are being asked about their caste and religion when submitting their suggestions. Moreover, he pointed out that the questions included in the process are framed inappropriately. It is due to these irregularities and flawed methods that committee member Ashish Chauhan has resigned from the committee. Accusing the government of employing double standards regarding civil rights, Azmi stated, “When it comes to civil rights, the government is focusing its actions solely on matters related to religion.”

The Mumbai South Cyber ​​Police have taken significant action regarding a share trading investment fraud case. By arresting three suspects in Nagpur, the police claim to have solved six cases in Mumbai, as well as a total of 73 cases across various jurisdictions.

Between June 10, 2026, and September 8, 2026, a woman named Meera Iyer and her associates defrauded the complainant by enticing them with the promise of high returns through share trading investments. The complainant was persuaded to transfer a total of ₹5,872,410 into various bank accounts. A case has been registered at the Cyber ​​Police Station in Mumbai (Case No. 79/2026) under Sections 318(4), 319(2), 338, 340, and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), as well as Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Act.

During the investigation, it was discovered that ₹2,475,000 of the defrauded amount had been transferred to a current account held at the Central Bank of India (Nagpur branch) in the name of a company called “Green Garden Delights Prali.” Based on technical analysis and data from the National Cyber ​​Crime Portal, the account holder—one of the suspects—was traced to Nagpur. On October 2, three suspects, including the mastermind behind the fraud, were arrested. The accused hatched a conspiracy: Aniruddha Oke and the primary ringleader, Amit Diliprao Kale, established a company named “Green Garden Delights” in the name of another accused, Rithik Shailesh Dhargave, by creating a fraudulent agreement. The ringleader, Amit Diliprao Kale, accessed and used a mobile phone registered to his accomplice, Rithik Dhargave, to facilitate the fraudulent operations; he also shared this mobile number with other associates to enable the online transfer of illicit funds—a fact revealed during the investigation. The following items were seized from the arrested individuals: 1) Checkbooks and passbooks for 11 different bank accounts; 2) SIM cards associated with 25 different companies; 3) Rubber stamps for 11 fictitious companies, along with 3 stamp pads; 4) Debit/ATM cards and QR codes; and 5) Documents and PAN cards belonging to these fictitious companies. The arrested individuals have been identified as: 1) Amit Diliprao Kale (age 34), residing at Plot No. 18, Watoda Road, Chetnishwar Nagar, Watoda, Nagpur; 2) Rithik Shailesh Dhargave (age 25), residing at New Indira Republican Nagar, Line No. 2, Jaripatka, Nagpur; and 3) Aniruddha Satish Oke (age 30), residing at Plot No. 3564 A/1, near Bodh Gaya Buddha Vihar, Saraswati Nagar, Jaripatka, Nagpur. The South Cyber ​​Police Station, Mumbai, has successfully arrested the main ringleader and two of his accomplices in connection with the aforementioned crime. This commendable operation was carried out under the leadership of Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti, Joint Police Commissioner Anil Kumbhare, and DCP Bajrang Bansode.