Maharashtra
‘We don’t laugh at the same joke again and again’: Fadnavis takes dig at Rahul Gandhi
Nagpur, Feb 7: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday hit back at Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, after he raised concerns over the rise in voter numbers during the Maharashtra Assembly elections.
Taking a swipe at Gandhi, Fadnavis said, “Rahul Gandhi is firing cannonballs in anticipation of his party’s defeat in the Delhi elections. After the Delhi results, Congress will be wiped out. He is simply practicing how to spin a new narrative. But we don’t laugh at the same joke over and over again.”
Dismissing Gandhi’s concerns over voter numbers, Fadnavis added, “The Election Commission has already provided all answers regarding voter lists — where names were added, where they were deleted — so there’s no need for further clarification. Rahul Gandhi knows the Delhi results will be a disaster for Congress, so he’s preparing his script in advance.”
He further criticised the Congress leader, saying, “As long as Rahul Gandhi keeps avoiding real introspection and instead focuses on misleading statements, there is no possibility of a Congress revival.”
Fadnavis’ remarks came after Rahul Gandhi, joined by Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut and NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule, at a press conference in Delhi on Friday questioned the Election Commission of India (ECI) on how 9.7 crore votes were cast when Maharashtra’s adult population stands at 9.4 crore. Gandhi clarified that the opposition was not making accusations but was merely demanding transparency in the voters’ list.
However, his comments drew sharp criticism from the ruling BJP and its allies.
Shiv Sena Parliamentary Party chief Shrikant Shinde demanded a public apology from Rahul Gandhi, stating, “He must apologize not just to Maharashtra but to the entire nation for his reckless remarks. He should accept the will of the voters with humility instead of habitually trying to discredit India’s electoral integrity for short-term political gains.”
Shinde further asserted, “Maharashtra witnessed its highest voter turnout in 30 years, a testament to the strength of our democracy. Full credit goes to the Election Commission and Maharashtra’s Chief Electoral Officer for ensuring a free and fair election.”
Mumbai BJP chief and state IT Minister Ashish Shelar accused Rahul Gandhi of indulging in “public melodrama” instead of reflecting on Congress’ defeat. “Rahul Gandhi and the Congress are still reeling from Maharashtra’s rejection,” he said.
Maharashtra BJP president and state Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule expressed similar sentiments, stating, “The Congress and its allies have not recovered from the shock of their crushing defeat. Instead of accepting the people’s verdict, they are casting doubt on voter turnout. The Election Commission has repeatedly clarified the increase in voters, yet they continue to make misleading allegations, undermining democracy.”
Bawankule also linked Gandhi’s remarks to the upcoming Delhi Assembly election results, saying, “As the inevitable defeat looms, he is trying to shift focus to Maharashtra’s election process. This is nothing but desperation.”
Taking a further jab, he remarked, “Supriya Sule, who sat next to him at the press conference, had previously said, ‘I won on this EVM.’ But Rahul Gandhi, who thrives on political stunts, refuses to acknowledge the truth. Rahulji, believe in democracy — stop defaming it with baseless allegations. The people have already seen through your lies.”
NCP chief spokesperson Anand Paranjape also dismissed Gandhi’s claims, attributing them to Congress’ fear of an impending defeat in Delhi.
“Since the Census has not been conducted yet, some discrepancies between the population and voter lists are expected. Moreover, the increase in voter numbers between Lok Sabha and Assembly elections is natural, as all parties push for new voter registrations. The Election Commission has also increased the number of polling stations, which further explains the rise in voter turnout,” he explained.
Crime
‘Not Siya, Chetan pushed Ketan Agarwal’; police recreate crime scene at Lohagad Fort

Pune, June 28: As the investigation into the alleged murder of Ketan Agarwal proceeds, police on Sunday morning took the accused, the victim’s fiancee Siya Goyal, to the Lohagad Fort near Pune, Maharashtra, to recreate the exact sequence of events that took place on the day of the purported crime.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) (Lonavala division) Gajanan Tompe said, “Today, according to Siya’s description, we recreated the crime scene at the Lohagad fort. Superintendent of Police (SP) and other senior officials were also present (during the recreation).”
“Siya is currently an accused in this case, and the investigation is ongoing accordingly,” he told media.
The police reportedly carried a fibre-made dummy to reconstruct the crime scene.
Officials said that during the reconstruction process, Siya revealed the entire conspiracy to the police.
According to information shared by a senior police officer, the victim’s fiancée admitted during questioning and the reconstruction that she, along with her associate Chetan, had planned to eliminate Ketan.
As per the plan, Siya was supposed to walk to a higher point at Lohagad Fort and pretend to tie her shoelaces. As soon as she bent down under the pretext of tying them, Chetan was to approach Ketan from behind and attack him.
According to police sources, the reconstruction of events revealed that Chetan allegedly came from behind and suddenly pushed Ketan, causing him to lose his balance and fall approximately 300 feet into a deep gorge. The victim reportedly died on the spot.
The police have video-recorded Siya’s alleged confession during the crime scene reconstruction as well as the entire reenactment. Further investigation will proceed accordingly.
Meanwhile, the probe has revealed that both the accused, Siya and Chetan, had googled ways to kill Ketan Agarwal.
According to reports, Siya and Chetan went to the fort alone before committing the crime to “rehearse” the murder. The two had also prepared and practised their answers, in case they were caught by the police.
Investigation further revealed that the two murder accused had planned to disguise themselves during the murder to avoid suspicion.
Earlier, it was reported that Siya and Chetan had systematically wiped their entire phone chat history and recycle bins before and after the crime. Their mobile phones have been sent to a forensic laboratory to retrieve the logs of deleted chats, officials said.
Maharashtra
Mumbai: Crime Branch action against self-styled police officer arrested on charges of extortion

Mumbai: The Mumbai Crime Branch has claimed to have arrested a self-styled fake police officer who used to commit fraud by pasting fake police identity cards and several government stickers on his car. He used to use a car with police stickers to gain people’s trust in the name of getting loans from banks and defraud them by collecting money from them. A 54-year-old man involved in these crimes has been arrested. He claimed to be a senior police officer. The police have arrested him with his fake documents. Cases have been registered against him in Kasturba Marg, Sakinaka, and Kherwadi police stations in Mumbai, this was informed by DCP Raj Tilak Roshan in a press conference. Further investigation into the matter is underway.
Maharashtra
The race to save his son’s political career has begun, Uddhav Thackeray should start an ‘apology tour’, Shiv Sena Secretary Kiran Pawaskar attacks Uddhav

Mumbai: Shiv Sena Secretary and Spokesperson Kiran Pavaskar has strongly attacked Uddhav Thackeray’s visit to Vidarbha and Marathwada. He claimed that the visit of the MPs who joined Shiv Sena to the Lok Sabha constituencies is not to apologize to the voters, but to save Aaditya Thackeray’s political career. At a press conference in Mumbai, Pavaskar said that if Uddhav Thackeray really cared about the people and workers, he would have fought the local body elections as well. He alleged that during this time, the workers and candidates were left to save their lives, while now the MLAs are being visited after they left the party. Pavskar said that this is not an apology to the people, but an attempt to save his son’s political base. He also claimed that many MPs joined the Shiv Sena due to dissatisfaction with the work of the Uddhav Thackeray group. Pavskar said that while Uddhav Thackeray and Aaditya Thackeray are currently touring Vidarbha, during the municipal, town council, and district council elections, the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray’s faction did not even plan to go out of Bandra. They left their workers and candidates to their own safety. He said that many members joined the Shiv Sena due to dissatisfaction with the work of the Uddhav Thackeray faction. Now an attempt is being made to apologize to the voters by visiting the Lok Sabha constituencies of these same MPs. But the question is, if the people and workers were so concerned, why was this visit not made earlier? Pawaskar said that the workers, office bearers, taluka heads, and district chiefs of Vidarbha and Marathwada will ask the same question to the Uddhav Thackeray faction. He alleged that the visit is not being made to apologize to the voters but to save Aaditya Thackeray’s political career.
Pawaskar further said that to ensure his son’s victory in a reserved constituency like Worli, the Uddhav Thackeray faction had to cancel the tickets of two MLAs. MLAs Sunil Shinde and Sachin Ahir had to be reinstated as Legislative Council candidates. He alleged that even today, the Uddhav Thackeray faction is visiting Vidarbha only to save its son’s political career.
Pawaskar said that 65 corporators have joined the Shiv Sena, expressing confidence in the leadership of core Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde. Similarly, 40 MLAs from Uddhav Thackeray’s faction joined the Shiv Sena, taking the party’s MLA strength to 60. He claimed that six MLAs have joined the Shiv Sena today, and in future this number will increase to 12.
Pavaskar said that the allegations of breaking up MLAs, MPs and corporators no longer make sense. He said that the Uddhav Thackeray faction should examine itself as to why all these public representatives are joining the Shiv Sena to work under the leadership of Shiv Sena’s central leader and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. He said that even today, MLAs, MPs and other public representatives from every corner of the state are eager to join the Shiv Sena. The main reason for this is that Eknath Shinde’s leadership works at the grassroots level and not from home. He also criticized Uddhav Thackeray’s faction on the issue. Pavskar claimed that important news regarding new additions to the party will be released soon in the coming days.
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