Maharashtra
Shiv Sena (UBT) to go solo in local and civic body polls in Maharashtra

Mumbai, Jan 11: Shiv Sena (UBT) has unilaterally announced that the party will go solo in the upcoming nagar panchayat, nagar parishad, zilla parishad and municipal corporation elections. Party MP Sanjay Raut announced this here on Saturday.
”We will fight on our own from Nagpur to Mumbai. We have to see for ourselves, whatever happens, happens. It is our decision. When will the workers be given a chance in Mumbai, Thane and Nagpur? Not giving a chance to the workers will hurt the party’s growth,” Raut said. He also said,
“all parties should contest the local body elections on their own and give a chance to their workers.”
“In the alliance, the workers do not get a chance to fight the Lok Sabha and the Assembly elections. This is affecting the party, in fact, the growth of the party. We should fight in the municipal corporation, district council and Nagar Panchayat on our own and strengthen our party,” said Raut indicating that the party is ready for revival and stay relevant despite drubbing in the state assembly elections.
He told reporters that the party chief Uddhav Thackeray has given his consent for fighting ensuing local and civic body elections independently. Thackeray had recently interacted with the party cadres from across the state and during those meetings the workers had made a strong case for going solo.
Raut’s announcement is being seen in the Maharashtra political circle as a beginning of the disbanding of the Maha Vikas Aghadi which contested together the Lok Sabha and state assembly elections.
Raut on Friday had dared the Congress to announce that the INDIA bloc does not exist any more, especially after its move to take on Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi assembly elections. For Shiv Sena, its supremacy over India’s richest civic body, the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation with a budget of almost Rs 40,000 crore is important to remain in reckoning. Besides, the party sees an opportunity to rejuvenate and revive going solo in the elections to other civic and local bodies.
Raut’s statement comes a day after former chief minister Eknath Shinde hinted that the Shiv Sena, BJP and NCP will together fight the upcoming local and civic body elections in a bid to retain the MahaYuti’s victory march and its dominance.
Reacting to Raut’s announcement, the NCP-SP legislature party leader and former Minister Jitendra Awhad said, “If the Thackeray group has made a decision, who are we to stop it? Raut should have discussed and later taken the decision.”
Shiv Sena UBT’s move is crucial as the party was not comfortable with the Congress party’s arrogance and its successive steps to undermine the regional parties. Raut and state Congress chief Nana Patole had differed over seat sharing that delayed the Maha Vikas Aghadi to seal the seat sharing agreement and jointly decide the poll strategy to take on the MahaYuti.
NCP-SP MP Dr Amol Kolhe on Thursday had targeted the Congress and Shiv Sena UBT over their style of functioning. “The Congress party’s broken back is not ready to straighten out yet, while the Thackeray group is not ready to wake up from its slumber. Shiv Sena and Congress have not yet shaken off their stagnation, so we (NCP-SP) will have to work from now on with new enthusiasm to revive and win the local and civic body elections,” he had told the party workers.
On the other hand, veteran Congress legislator Vijay Wadettiwar had commented, “Had the stalemate over the seat sharing resolved in two days, the MVA partners would have got poll planning and campaigning. We could not plan a joint program for the elections with all three parties. There were many reasons for this. So this is one of the main reasons, the mess in seat allocation and the time spent on it definitely affected the MVA’s poll prospects badly.”
Maharashtra
Maharashtra Legislature Monsoon Session Scheduled in Mumbai from June 30 to July 18

Mumbai, June 26, 2025 — The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and Council will hold their Monsoon session from June 30 to July 18, as announced at the meeting of the Legislative Work Advisory Committee. The session is set to take place at the Vidhana Bhavan in Mumbai.
The upcoming session is expected to see important discussions on various state issues, legislative amendments, and government policies. Leaders and members of the legislative assembly expressed their readiness to engage in deliberations aimed at addressing the concerns of citizens and advancing development initiatives.
The announcement has been welcomed by political parties across the spectrum, with expectations of productive debates and decision-making during this period. The committee emphasized the importance of the session in facilitating smooth governance and providing a platform for legislative deliberations.
Details regarding the agenda and schedule of the sessions will be shared soon, with the authorities urging all members to adhere to the protocols and ensure a collaborative environment throughout the period.
Maharashtra
Maharashtra Govt Forms Committee To Review Shakti Criminal Law Bill Amid Centre’s Objections

Mumbai: The state government has announced a committee under the Director General of Police (DGP) to review the Shakti Criminal Laws (Maharashtra Amendment) Bill pending in the state legislature.
The committee will compare the provisions made in the Bill with the new legal framework of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). The formation of the committee follows a statement made by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis a few months ago.
The statement came after objections raised by the Union Home Ministry over some provisions that were in conflict with a few judgments of the Supreme Court. The CM had said the state would review the Bill and reintroduce it, if required.
On Wednesday, the state government issued orders to form a six-member committee under the DGP, with the following members – Principal Secretary to the Law and Judiciary Department, Secretary of the Women and Child Development Department, Additional DG (Law and Order), Deputy Secretary in the Law Department and the Additional DG (prevention of crimes against Women and Children) as member secretary.
The committee will work on two points – a comparative study of the state bill with the BNS and BNSS – and will recommend if more specific legal provisions are needed compared to the Central Act. The report of the committee is expected in two months.
Maharashtra
Will BMC Wake Up? Eastern Freeway Becomes Mumbai’s Most Dangerous Road At Night Due To Defunct Street Lights

Mumbai: Motorists on the Eastern Freeway, which connects south Mumbai to Ghatkopar, are yet again suffering from blackouts as the street lights at several stretches of the road are defunct. The 16.8 km signal-free road connects south Mumbai from P D’mello Road to the Ghatkopar-Mankhurd link road and is preferred by lakhs of motorists to reach the eastern suburbs.
However, instead of providing basic facilities like street lights, the BMC departments concerned are busy passing the buck. “The speed limit is 80 kmph and the absence of streetlight makes the road very dangerous. Accidents can happen any time,” said Hemant Vichare, a daily user.
“It has been at least six months since the road lights have been non-functional, especially from the Wadala to Chembur section. I have never seen all the lights working in the tunnel as well. During the rains, the water accumulates on the roadside and without lights, it becomes very risky to drive,” said D Pinto, a daily user of the Freeway and resident of Chembur.
“The least BMC could have done is install working street lamps. Earlier, it was only the Wadala section that was dark; now even the flyover towards Ghatkopar (after Chembur exit) has gone dark. The freeway has heavy vehicular flow with cars running at high speeds. It is very unsafe,” said another commuter.
The flyover was built by the MMRDA and fully handed over to the BMC for operations and maintenance in 2015. When the FPJ contacted BMC’s Chief Engineer (Bridges), Uttam Shrote said that he reminds his staff regularly to follow up. “I am aware the lights at certain sections of the freeway are not working. The tender and quotations to install or repair lights is in process by the Mechanical & Electrical department.”
However, Chief Engineer (Mechanical & Electrical) Krishna Perekar said that his department has neither floated any tender nor is in the process of installing new lights or repairing he existing ones.
“It is not possible that stretches of freeway are without road lights. However, the lights are always purchased in bulk and not for a particular section in the city. The ward offices in the concerned stretch need to look at the issue. The BEST and Adani Electricity supply power to the road,” he said.
When contacted to the spokesperson of Adani Electricity, he said that there is no interruption of power supply in the area, including the freeway from their side.
Notably, this is not the first time that stretches of the Eastern Freeway have gone dark. In July 2023, the media had highlighted the issue of non-functional street lights on the eastern freeway and how it is fast emerging as the most dangerous road in Mumbai, especially at night, primarily because of gross laxity on the part of the civic body.
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