Maharashtra
SC verdict: Maharashtra to conduct local bodies polls with OBC quotas
With the Supreme Court’s nod to the J.K. Banthia Commission Report on political reservations for Other Backward Class, Maharashtra has set the ball rolling to conduct the delayed elections to various local bodies in the state.
In what will be a sort of ‘mini-general election’, the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) sources said it will go ahead with the programme for the polls in 367 local bodies wherever due.
There are a total of 23 Municipal Corporations, 220 Municipal Councils and Nagar Panchayats, 25 Zilla Parishads and 284 Panchayat Samitis across the state.
The development came after Supreme Court accepted the J.K. Banthia Commission Report recommending 27 per cent reservations overall, with the SEC likely to declare the local bodies election schedule within two weeks, as directed by the apex court on Wednesday.
The panel headed by a former state chief secretary, was set up by the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in March 2022, to collate the empirical data of the OBC communities scattered around the state, with plans to hold a caste-based Census before the government collapsed on June 29.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar, Nationalist Congress Party leaders like Jayant Patil, Chhagan Bhujbal, Dhananjay Munde, Congress’ Nana Patole, Vijay Wadettivar and Atul Londhe, Bharatiya Janata Party’s Chandrakant Patil and Pankaja Munde, among many others from different parties and OBC leaders have welcomed the Supreme Court verdict.
The Banthia Commission had submitted its report to the state government on July 7, recommending reservations for OBC peoples’ representatives to work in major positions in Panchayat Samitis, Zilla Parishads, Nagar Panchayats, Municipal Councils and Municipal Corporations in the state.
The state government moved an application in the Supreme Court seeking for directions to hold the local bodies elections under the relevant laws and notifying a reservation pattern as per the Banthia Commission report of July 7.
As per the last Maharashtra Economic Survey (2021-2022), the state has 27,831 Gram Panchayats, 351 Panchayat Samitis, 34 Zilla Parishads, 128 Nagar Panchayats, 241 Municipal Councils and 27 Municipal Corporations as the local bodies.
With the implementation of the 27 per cent OBC political quotas, the top posts like Mayor in Municipal Corporations, heads in municipal councils, chairpersons in Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samitis will be given to peoples’ representatives from the OBCs.
There are 295 OBCs including various tribals and special backward category communities who are likely to get the fruits of the new political reservations, though it will not apply to certain districts where the SC/ST population is already 50 per cent.
In Maharashtra, based on the Census data and the voters lists, an estimated 37 per cent of the population falls under the OBCs, as per the Banthia Commission Report, though its percentage varies from one region to another.
Maharashtra
Mumbai: Fraudster targeting senior citizens at ATM centers arrested; 25 ATM cards and cash recovered.

Mumbai: Police has exposed the accused who came to Mumbai from Odisha and cheated the elderly from the ATM machine on the pretext of withdrawing money from the ATM machine. He was wanted for the last four years. Dandoshi police have also claimed to arrest him. According to the details, the complainant Vishwas Sadanand, 51, filed a complaint that when he went to withdraw money from the ATM center in Malad, a suspect withdrew Rs 40,000 from the ATM against his will. In this case, the police registered a case on the complaint of the complainant. The police examined 60 to 70 CCTV footage in this case and then on the basis of this footage and the information of the informant, the police took Krishna Chandra Acharya into custody from Naigaon and during his search, 25 ATM cards and cash were recovered from his possession. The police arrested the accused and presented him in the court. The court has ordered his remand. In this case, after his arrest, four more cases were revealed against him, according to the police. A total of four cases have been registered against him in Dandoshi and Kasturba Marg and he is wanted in these too. This action was taken on the instructions of Mumbai Police Commissioner Devin Bharti and DCP Mahesh Chamte had issued orders to arrest this accused. This accused used to commit such crimes in Mumbai, Thane, and Odisha. The police is investigating this matter further.
Maharashtra
Mumbai Metro 2B Inauguration On April 3: Know Route & How Corridor Will Help Ease Congestion & Improve Connectivity Between Chembur & Mankhurd

Mumbai: In a major relief for residents of Mankhurd and Chembur, the first phase of Mumbai Metro Line 2B is set to be inaugurated on April 3. The residents have long demanded the opening of the 5.4-km stretch, which is set to ease congestion and improve connectivity.
The Phase I section of the corridor covers a 5.4-km stretch between Diamond Garden in Chembur and Mandale in Mankhurd, comprising five stations: Diamond Garden, Shivaji Chowk, BSNL Metro, Mankhurd and Mandale.
The entire 23.6-km elevated Metro Line 2B corridor, with 20 stations, will connect several major transport systems, including the Western and Eastern Express Highways, suburban railway networks, the Monorail and other metro corridors such as Mumbai Metro Line 2A, Mumbai Metro Line 3 and Mumbai Metro Line 4. Once the corridor is fully operational, it is expected to reduce travel time along the route by up to 75 per cent.
The route between Chembur and Mankhurd has witnessed severe traffic jams, especially during peak hours. The evening rush between Chembur and Mankhurd is expected to ease, bringing relief to office-goers, students, and senior citizens alike. In Chembur, with the opening of the stretch, connectivity to popular locations such as Diamond Garden, K Star Mall, St. Anthony’s High School, RCF Colony, the Fine Arts Society, and Chembur Railway Station will become easier.
Earlier in the day, Metropolitan Commissioner Dr Sanjay Mukherjee, IAS, also conducted an on-ground inspection of the corridor infrastructure, reviewing safety measures and operational preparedness. Talking to X, Mukhejee added that the corridor with 5 modern stations is set to transform mobility in Mumbai’s eastern suburbs — faster, greener, and smarter connectivity for lakhs of Mumbaikars.
Maharashtra
Mumbai Local Train Tragedy: Fatal Accident Reported At Bhayandar Station’s Platform No 1 – Disturbing Video Surfaces

Mira-Bhayandar: In a tragic incident, an individual was hit by a suburban train at Bhayandar Station’s Platform No. 1 on Tuesday morning. The incident took place at 10:40 am when the deceased was reportedly crossing the tracks to catch the train during peak-hour travel. The victim was hit by the local train, following which he fell under the train and died.
Visuals shared by Gems of MBMC showed the Railway staff rushed to the scene and conducted a rescue operation. Currently, there is no information on the identity of the individual.
Just a few days back, a 39-year-old man allegedly died after being run over by a local train at Ghatkopar railway station. According to GRP, the incident occurred at around 12:35 pm on March 27 on platform number 4, on the Kalyan-bound fast track. The victim was hit by a fast local train (S-24), following which he fell under the train and sustained severe injuries.
The on-duty station master immediately informed police constable Chavan and arranged for the injured man to be rushed to Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar East for treatment. However, doctors at the hospital examined him and declared him dead before admission at around 1:26 pm.
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