Mumbai: The lottery for reservation of wards for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes, Backward Classes of Citizens (OBC) and Women, for the upcoming BMC elections was drawn on Tuesday.

The draw has decided the fate of hundreds of aspirants and shaping the poll campaign for all political parties. Mumbai has total 227 electoral wards, of which 50% are reserved for women candidates including SC, ST, OBC and General.

A total of 15 wards are reserved for SC, out of which 8 wards are reserved for SC women candidates. While two wards are reserved for ST, out of one is reservation for ST woman candidate. Total 61 wards in Mumbai are reserved for OBCs, including 31 women OBC candidates. While 149 wards are reserved for general category candidates, including 74 women candidates from general category.

For the upcoming BMC elections, the wards reserved for ST, including the women candidates are 53 and 121.

The wards reserved for SC candidates, including the women are 23, 93, 151, 186, 143, 152, 155, 147, 189, 118, 183, 215, 141, 133 and 140.

1, 6, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 27, 32, 33, 46, 49, 52, 72, 80, 82, 100, 105, 108, 117, 128, 129, 150, 153, 158, 167, 170, 176, 191, 198, 216, 4, 10, 41, 45, 50, 63, 69, 70, 76, 85, 87, 91, 95, 111, 113, 130, 135, 136, 137, 138, 171, 182, 187, 193, 195, 208, 219, 222, 223 and 226.

The draw was drawn by the hands of school children, in presence of BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani and other officials from BMC elections department. “This is the first election under the new reservation rotation framework announced by the state government and as instructed by the state election commission,” Gagrani said before starting the lottery procedures.

On October 9, the UDD had issued BMC- Manner of Allotment and Rotation of Reservation of Seats of Councillors in Wards) Rules, 2025. As per the fresh rules, the wards with the highest population of SC, ST, OBC and Women will be prioritised for reservation. 

The draft will be published on November 14, after which citizens’ suggestions/objections will be called.

The Mumbai Customs Department has seized 14 crore rupees worth of hydro ganja and smuggled gold in five separate operations at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport between November 6 and 9. Officials from Zone 3 of the Customs Department carried out the operations, which led to the arrest of multiple passengers arriving from Bangkok, Phuket, and Nairobi.

The first seizure took place on November 6, when a passenger arriving from Bangkok was found carrying 2.87 kilograms of hydroponic cannabis valued at Rs 2.87 crore. The next day, two more passengers flying in from Phuket were caught with nearly 4 kilograms of hydro cannabis, worth approximately Rs 4.2 crore.

On November 8, Customs officials intercepted more passengers arriving from Bangkok and Nairobi, recovering additional hydro cannabis and smuggled 22-carat gold bars weighing 358 grams. The estimated value of the gold is Rs 3.7 lakh.

In total, 13 kilograms and 84 grams of hydro ganja and 358 grams of gold were confiscated over three days. Customs officials stated that strict surveillance measures are being maintained at the airport, and all attempts to smuggle narcotics or gold will be firmly dealt with.

Hydroponic cannabis, often called hydro cannabis, is grown without soil using a nutrient-rich water solution. Common in Thailand, this method enables cultivators to precisely control growing conditions, resulting in faster growth and higher yields. These plants are usually grown indoors under LED or HPS lights, with regulated temperature, humidity, and nutrients. The increasing production of hydro cannabis in Thailand has led to rising smuggling attempts into India.

New Delhi, Nov 11: A day after the terror attack near Delhi’s Red Fort, the BJP on Tuesday hit out at the “shameless” Congress for “working against national interest”, deprecating the Opposition parties’ bid to “politicise” the tragedy in which eight people were killed.

“If being shameless and working against national interest had a face, it would look exactly like the Congress,” said BJP leader Amit Malviya.

“The problem with our Opposition and the loony far-Left ecosystem is that they simply do not know how to stand with the country in times of need,” said Malviya, incharge of BJP’s National Information and Technology Department, on X.

“Soon after Pahalgam, they whined endlessly, demanding retribution. But the moment Operation Sindoor crushed terror networks, they began croaking for ‘peace’ – some even discovering newfound ancestral ties to Pakistan,” said the BJP leader.

“And now, instead of standing with India, they’re busy politicising the Delhi blast, questioning the government even as evidence points to a massive crackdown that has busted several terror modules, averted major strikes, and led to the arrest of dreaded operatives. Our intelligence agencies are hot on their heels,” he said.

Malviya said, “While top government functionaries are monitoring the situation closely and reassuring the nation, the Leader of Opposition and his sister, the second-in-command in Congress, are reportedly on yet another foreign leisure trip.”

The BJP leader’s stinging criticism of the Congress and its allies coincided with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who, while speaking in Bhutan, assured action against the conspirators behind the blast.

He stated that Indian agencies will get to the bottom of the conspiracy and assured that those behind the blast “will not be spared”.

In his remarks at Changlimethang Ground in Thimphu, PM Modi said that India and Bhutan have shared a deep spiritual and cultural bond for centuries.

He said, “Today is a very important day for Bhutan, for the Bhutanese royal family, and for all who believe in world peace. India and Bhutan have shared a deep spiritual and cultural bond for centuries. And therefore, it was India’s and my commitment to participate in this important occasion.”

“Today, I come here with a very heavy heart. The horrific incident that took place in Delhi yesterday evening has deeply saddened everyone. I understand the grief of the affected families. Today, the entire nation stands with them. I was in touch with all the agencies investigating this incident throughout last night… Our agencies will get to the bottom of this conspiracy. The conspirators behind this will not be spared. All those responsible will be brought to justice,” he added.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah also chaired a meeting at his residence with top officials regarding the car blast near Red Fort Metro Station.