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Trinamool-MGP alliance in Goa may emerge as kingmaker

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A day ahead of the counting of votes, the marginal players in the coastal state of Goa may emerge as kingmakers in case of a fractured mandate as predicted by the exit polls.

While the Trinamool Congress is not commenting on the post-poll scenario, Ashok Tanwar, who was in Goa campaigning for the party, said, “The people want change, but the Congress is not able to give that alternative and the results will prove this. Our alliance in Goa will decide the course of action after the results are out.”

The Trinamool Congress is in alliance with the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) in Goa. But the Trinamool leaders are not sure about which way the MGP will move as the party has been more inclined towards the BJP and the Trinamool will not support any BJP move, sources said.

The Congress is reaching out to smaller parties in Goa in case of a hung Assembly as the BJP has already started to strategise its operation. The Congress has sent Karnataka party chief D.K. Shivakumar to Goa to oversee post-poll operations in the state.

The Congress is wary of the BJP overtures to smaller parties and independents. The party has reason to feel apprehensive as in 2017 despite being the single largest party the Congress could not form the government as the party could not decide between Digambar Kamat and Luizinho Falerio to be the Chief Minister. Now Falerio has moved to the Trinamool.

Sources say that the Congress central leadership will reach out to parties like Trinamool, NCP and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) while Shivakumar will talk to MLAs individually and try to manage the Congress flock in the state.

The Trinamool is tight-lipped about any moves and says that only when results are out, the party will decide what to do as it maintains equidistant from both the BJP and the Congress.

Sources in the Congress said that Shivakumar is going to camp in Goa for three days to ensure that the grand old party, which missed a chance to form the government by a whisker in the last Assembly elections, does not commit the same mistakes again. Shivakumar is going to stay put in Goa till the new government is formed, sources added.

Goa is likely to witness a hung Assembly with ruling BJP and Congress going neck-and-neck, as per the ABP C-Voter Exit Poll. The fate of the state will depend on the smaller parties like the Trinamool-MGP combine and Independents, who can emerge as the king maker in the 40-member Assembly.

Crime

Mumbai Crime: RCF And Tilak Nagar Police Bust Illegal Prostitution Racket At Chembur Bar; Manager, Owner And Customer Arrested

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Mumbai: The Mumbai police have uncovered an illegal prostitution racket being run under the guise of a bar and restaurant at Pramila Bar and Restaurant located on RC Marg, Chembur. The RCF police, acting on a tip-off, raided the premises and apprehended the bar manager, bar owner, and a customer during the operation.

According to the complaint filed by Police Constable Amol Khatke,36, attached to the Crime Detection Unit of the RCF police station, the raid was carried out on the evening of October 4 at 6:45 PM by a joint team from RCF and Tilak Nagar police stations.

Police Inspector Mausami Patil of RCF police station had received credible information that prostitution activities were being conducted at the bar. Inspector Manisha Kulkarni from Tilak Nagar Police Station, designated as a Special Police Officer under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act (ITPA) and Government Resolution dated March 14, 2006, participated in the joint operation.

To confirm the illegal activities, police deployed a decoy customer, a 32-year-old man residing near Atop Hill Church, Kokari Agar, Mumbai, to the bar. Upon approaching bar manager Nishikant Sadanand Sahu,43, a resident of Chembur Camp, the decoy was informed that the charge for sexual services was Rs 1,000.

The decoy agreed and was directed to the first floor of the establishment where he ordered a drink. When a female bartender approached and engaged in inappropriate conduct, the police team raided the premises immediately. The woman, aged 41 and a resident of Ambedkar Nagar, Mankhurd, was caught accepting Rs1,000 from the decoy. The money was seized as evidence.

In total, eight adult women were found working at the bar, allegedly involved in prostitution. These women hailed from various localities, including Chembur, Tilak Nagar, Mankhurd and Ulhasnagar in Thane.

During interrogation, the women revealed that their involvement was facilitated through acquaintances engaged in prostitution from their residential areas.

They claimed they were introduced to the bar manager, Nishikant Sahu, who in turn confessed to operating the prostitution racket in collaboration with bar owner Vasant Chandrashekhar Shetty.

Police have registered a case against the accused under Section 144(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and Sections 3, 4, and 5 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act. Further investigation into the racket is currently underway.

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Bombay HC Upholds Dissolution Of Khar Housing Society Panel After Losing Quorum

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Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has held that a housing society’s managing committee ceases to exist in law once it loses quorum, and the Registrar is justified in dissolving such a body to ensure smooth administration.

Justice Amit Bokar dismissed a petition filed by members of the Purshottam Bhagwan Co-operative Housing Society Ltd., Jeevan Jyot, in Khar West and directed that fresh elections be conducted within two weeks to restore “democratic functioning”.

The court upheld the orders passed by the district deputy registrar, divisional joint registrar, and the minister for co-operation under Section 77A of the Maharashtra Co-operative Societies Act, 1960 (MCS Act). The authorities had successively confirmed the dissolution of the society’s managing committee and appointment of an administrator after the committee fell below quorum.

The society’s eight-member committee, elected in January 2022 for a five-year term, lost four members following resignations tendered between April and June 2023. The registrar, noting that the strength had fallen below the required quorum of five, dissolved the committee in November 2024 and appointed an administrator. The petitioners’ appeal and revision were dismissed in March and July 2025, respectively, leading to the present writ petition.

Senior advocate Girish Godbole, appearing for the petitioners, contended that the registrar acted without issuing a mandatory notice inviting objections and that no urgency was shown to justify dispensing with this requirement. He argued that the remaining members had co-opted two replacements.

They relied on a government resolution (GR) issued on January 3, 2024 which reduced the number of committee members to five and quorum to three for small societies. They urged that the GR should be applied retroactively to validate their actions.

Opposing the plea, Anil Sakhare, counsel for the respondents society members (some of whom had resigned from MC), argued that the 2024 GR was prospective and did not apply to committees formed earlier. He submitted that once four members resigned, the committee was reduced to four, below the quorum of five, and could not legally function or co-opt new members.

The court accepted this reasoning, observing that quorum “is not a technicality but a legal minimum ensuring collective decision-making.” It ruled that the 2024 GR brought a substantive change and could not operate retrospectively. “Accepting the petitioners’ plea would amount to rewriting history and validating what was invalid under the law then in force,” the court said.

While finding no fault in the registrar’s decision to appoint an administrator without notice in view of the management vacuum, Justice Borkar said preference should ordinarily be given to appointing members from within the society rather than outsiders.

The court dismissed the petition but directed the authorised officer currently managing the society to initiate the election process within two weeks and complete it “at the earliest” to ensure early restoration of elected governance.

“In my opinion, therefore, the proper course in the present facts is not to unsettle the appointment already made, but to ensure that elections are held without any further delay,” it said in a detailed 47-page order.

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Thane, South Mumbai & Eastern Suburbs To Face 10% Water Cut From October 7 To 9 | Check If Your Area Is Affected

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Mumbai, Thane: Residents across Thane and several parts of Mumbai are set to experience a 10 per cent reduction in water supply as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) undertakes the upgradation of electricity meters at the Pise and Panjrapur power stations. The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) confirmed that the cut will be in effect from Tuesday, 7 October to Thursday, 9 October 2025.

Out of Thane’s total water supply, 85 million litres per day (MLD) comes from BMC’s sources. The ongoing electrical work is expected to impact multiple areas across Thane and Mumbai during the three-day maintenance period.

According to the Thane Municipal Corporation, the areas that will face reduced water supply include Kopri Dhobighat, Kopri Kanhaiya Nagar, Gandhi Nagar, Anand Nagar, Indiranagar, Bhatwadi, Tekdi Bangla Water Tank, Gavdevi (Luiswadi) Water Tank, Balkum Pada No.1, Ambedkar Nagar, Laxmi Nagar, Kajuwadi, Jijamata Nagar, Jai Bhavani Nagar, Dnyaneshwar Nagar, Ambika Nagar, Karwalo Nagar, Shivshakti Nagar, Janata Slum, Padval Nagar, Shivaji Nagar, Kisan Nagar No.1, Kisan Nagar No.2, Ramchandra Nagar 1, Sainath Nagar, Namdev Wadi, Raghunath Nagar, Luiswadi, Hajuri, Pachpakhadi, and Naupada.

The civic body has appealed to residents to store enough water beforehand and use it judiciously throughout the period to avoid inconvenience. Authorities have also urged the public to cooperate while the upgrade work is completed.

The BMC announced that parts of South Mumbai and the eastern suburbs will also experience a 10 per cent water cut between October 7 and 9. The work includes upgrading 100 kilowatt (KW) electrical meters at the Pise and Panjrapur water treatment facilities in Thane. Maintenance activity will take place daily from 12.30 pm to 3 pm, which is expected to affect supply in several zones temporarily.

A Ward: Fort, Colaba, Marine Drive, Nariman Point

B Ward: Masjid Bunder, Mohd. Ali Road, Dongri, Bhendi Bazar

E Ward: Byculla, Agripada, Nagpada, Dockyard Road, Reay Road

F-South Ward: Parel, Lalbaug, Hindmata, Lower Parel

F-North Ward: Matunga, Sion

M-East Ward: Chembur East, Govandi, Mankhurd, Trombay, Cheeta Camp, Deonar Municipal Colony, Anushakti Nagar

M-West Ward: Chembur West

L Ward: Kurla East

N Ward: Vikhroli, Ghatkopar

S Ward: Bhandup, Nahur, Kanjurmarg, Vikhroli East

T Ward: Mulund

Both civic bodies have requested residents to plan their water usage carefully and avoid wastage during the maintenance period. Supply is expected to return to normal from Friday, 10 October 2025.

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