Amid political turmoil in Maharashtra following a revolt by Shiv Sena minister Eknath Shinde, six members of legislative assembly (MLAs) and a member of legislative council (MLC) from the neighbouring state arrived in Gujarat's Surat city on Thursday and were later flown to Guwahati in Assam, where party rebels are camping, in two chartered flights, sources said.
The CM-elect would have to strive to regain the state's past glory, as its earlier eminence has been challenged by Gujarat, Karnataka, and many other states. Besides, the burgeoning debt burden, which has already crossed Rs 1,70,000 crore, rising fiscal and revenue deficits had put increasing pressure on the administration to avoid overdrafts.
"Outsiders who want to form the government in the state and are restless after losing power may try but the alliance will continue. People may try to break the Shiv Sena, the Congress and the NCP but they would not succeed," he said.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi has accepted Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan's resignation in the wake of the Adarsh Housing Society scam.Chavan had earlier offered to resign over the scam that has erupted about the construction of a high-rise building in a posh area of Mumbai. The Congress high command is reportedly upset with Chavan, whose mother-in-law and two other relatives are among the 103 members of the controversial Adarsh Housing Society.
He added that all efforts would be made to nab the culprits.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected the suggestion of the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena to decide the disqualification proceedings pending against Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and MLAs belonging to his camp, saying it cannot assume the role of the speaker as doing so will have "serious ramifications".
Making a statement in the legislative assembly, Fadnavis said, "Enough is enough. If the doctors fail to resume work today, government will not sit quietly. We cannot leave the patients to die. I am making a final attempt to break the deadlock today by meeting the doctors' representatives. If no solution is found and doctors don't resume work, they should be prepared to face legal action."
Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh Friday gave a clean chit to the two ministers whose names have figured in the taped conversation between criminals.
'Shows of PK will continue all over Maharashtra and we will provide necessary protection to ensure smooth screening of the film,' Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said.
Shiv Sena leader Anil Desai, in a recent communication to the poll panel, has urged it to give Shiv Sena a hearing in case of claims to the party's election symbol -- bow and arrow.
Honour court order or face FIR: activist Trupti Desai to Maharashtra CM over Bombay high court's order facilitating entry of females to places of worship.
With anger against Maharashtra sweeping across Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan has cancelled his visit to Sri Satya Sai Baba's Ashram in Puttaparthi slated for Wednesday.
The SC agreed to hear on July 11 the plea of Shiv Sena's Sunil Prabhu seeking suspension from Assembly of CM Shinde and 15 rebel MLAs against whom disqualification pleas are pending.
The development comes as a major setback to the Thackeray faction comprising 16 MLAs who will be bound by the whip to be issued by Gogawale for the trust vote.
Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party Legislature Party will meet on Tuesday to elect their leader, paving the way for him to meet Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao and stake claim to form the government.
Chavan was reacting to Sena MP Sanjay Raut's statement earlier in the day that the Sena was 'ready to consider' the demand of the MLAs led by Eknath Shinde that it should end the MVA alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress.
A meeting of the newly elected Congress Members of Legislative Assembly in Maharashtra on Saturday authorised party president Sonia Gandhi to nominate their new leader, who will be the next chief minister. A one-line resolution, authorising Sonia Gandhi to name the new leader, was passed at the first meeting of the Congress Legislature Party, convened in Mumbai to elect the leader, two days after the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party combine stormed back to power.
The Delhi high court on Monday stayed the Election Commission's show cause notice to ex-Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan asking him why he should not be disqualified for failing to give his true and correct expenses incurred in 2009 assembly polls.
It will be the first major electoral contest in the state after Shinde's rebellion brought down the previous Maharashtra government led by Uddhav Thackeray in June this year.
Two persons were killed and 45 policemen injured in the violence that erupted after a rally organised by city-based Raza Academy in the afternoon at Azad Maidan in South Mumbai turned unruly, with the mob damaging buses, hurling stones and setting vehicles on fire
The BJP had criticised the MVA government saying that it was "unethical" on its part to issue so many orders in a short span.
In an apparent reference to Mumbai's Adarsh housing society scam, Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Monday said the case should be disposed of speedily and the guilty should be brought to justice.
The sanction of Rs 8 lakh from Maharashtra Chief Minister's Relief Fund for a dance troupe's visit to Thailand has sparked a row with the opposition questioning the BJP-led government's "priorities" at a time when the state is reeling under severe drought.
The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its verdict on a batch of cross-petitions of Uddhav Thackeray and CM Eknath Shinde factions pertaining to the Maharashtra political crisis.
Saamna said Fadnavis' remarks on his return were funny and cautioned that he "should not forget that Eknath Shinde is the Chief Minister".
On instructions from the central leadership, Maharashtra BJP leaders have retreated behind a veil of silence, the senior leader said.
High drama continued till late Thursday over electing the new Maharashtra chief minister even as Ashok Chavan, the state industry minister and Congress MLA from Nanded, emerged as the clear favourite for the top post.
Fadnavis, currently on a visit to the US, invited American investments in the infrastructure, agro-processing and manufacturing sectors of his state.
Following an invitation from Thackeray, Rao arrived at 'Varsha', the official residence of Maharashtra CM.
"Such trips are cleared at the level of home minister. I wasn't briefed about it," Chavan, who was the chief minister last year said.
Now, the 65-year-old leader completes a year in office. It's another matter, which he has yet to settle several administrative and political problems.
Vilasrao Deshmukh's biggest enemy is not the BJP-Shiv Sena combine. It is not the NCP, however much he may grumble about them. The enemy is his own party.
Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan will be contesting the bye-election for a legislative council seat in Maharashtra on May 4. Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday approved his candidature for the seat, paving the way for him to get elected to the legislature as per constitutional requirements. At present, he is not a member of either of the two Houses of the state legislature. The seat fell vacant after Congress leader Sanjay Dutt resigned on March 11.
The PIL, filed by Subhash Jadhav, questions the concession granted by Rane in a land-sale transaction.
When there is a state government committed to development, it is important that Mumbai has a civic body that, too, shares that goal, Modi said.
Parents of celebrity manager Disha Salian have written to President Ram Nath Kovind seeking action against Union Minister Narayan Rane, his MLA-son Nitesh and others for allegedly spreading fake news about their daughter's death and defaming the family.
The approval by Maharashtra assembly Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal to appoint Ajay Choudhary as the Shiv Sena's group leader in the House in place of rebel leader Eknath Shinde may expedite the need for the ruling coalition to prove its majority through a floor test, feels a constitutional expert.
Stressing for an alliance, the MPs have conveyed to Thackeray that the BJP was a "natural ally" of the Shiv Sena unlike the "unnatural alliance" of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, Sena MP Hemant Godse said.
Tension within the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance over seat sharing for upcoming Maharashtra assembly polls became perceptible with BJP on Sunday disapproving Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray's statement that in the event of a saffron victory, the top post would go to Shiv Sena and that he was not averse to assuming it.