This is the fifth consecutive day that coronavirus infections have increased by more than 15,000. There has been a surge of 3,38,324 infections from June 1 till date.
Decreasing the height of Shivaji's statue to make Sardar Patel's statue look taller is 'narrow and distorted mindset', the Sena said in an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana.
'Over the years he has been getting a feeling of being sidelined by his uncle.'
Gale-force winds, heavy rainfall and high tidal waves swept the coastal belt of Kerala, Karnataka and Goa as Cyclone Tauktae hurtled northwards towards Gujarat on Sunday, leaving four people dead in Karnataka and two in Goa, damaging hundreds of houses, uprooting electricity poles and trees and forcing evacuation.
'Having fared not too successfully in Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand, the BJP can't afford to disappoint its supporters in Delhi,' says Amulya Ganguli.
Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah on Monday stepped in to try and salvage the alliance with the Shiv Sena for Maharashtra assembly elections as the party scaled down on its demand for 135 seats, saying it is prepared for five less and even accept "the worst possible seats".
Unlike the frenzy and buzz in political circles during the last few days, the meetings on Thursday were held in a discreet manner.
A galaxy of bigwigs from the world of politics, business and Bollywood attended the swearing-in ceremony of the Bharatiya Janata Party government at Wankhede stadium in Mumbai.
However, the Sena's demand for elevation of the existing ministers of state to the Cabinet rank was turned down by the chief minister.
While the Apna Dal said it was 'free to make its own decision', the SBSP went a step ahead asserting that its option to join the SP-BSP alliance.
Shiv Sena said that the party has no intention to change its political line of contesting all future polls independently.
If he doesn't win next year, it will set back the party's prospects in 2024. If he wins, it will be seen as his win as much as the BJP high command's, points out Shekhar Gupta.
UP and Bihar contributed 105 seats to the BJP's tally in 2014. It has now lost 8 Lok Sabha by-polls in the last four years, including three successive losses in UP and two seats in Rajasthan.
'The BJP will get the lion's share of the Opposition vote. I would give the Congress-Left around 15 per cent.'
Reacting to the statements, the Shiv Sena said it was ready to take on whoever challenges it.
Sena MP Sanjay Raut, however, said his party was firm on a written assurance from the senior alliance partner over power sharing, including rotating CM's post for 2.5 years.
It is not a good sign that the brave men were killed in one go on India's own land, an editorial in Sena mouthpiece Saamana said, adding that this happened when a strong and quite patriotic government is in power at the Centre.
The death of the veteran Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor a huge loss for the Indian film industry.
Leaders of 33 NDA constituents also adopted a resolution endorsing Modi's leadership and his government's policies, while resolving to strengthen the alliance by expanding its base.
In Maharashtra, where the 'Mahayuti' alliance of BJP, Shiv Sena and smaller parties is against the 'Maha-agadhi' led by the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party whereas the ruling BJP is locked in a contest with the opposition Congress and the fledgling Jannayak Janata Party for the 90 assembly seats in Haryana.
The BJP took a gamble and won; Uddhav Thackeray is down, but not out; Sharad Pawar accepts Modi's clout... The many meanings of the election results.
There are many life lessons to be learnt from the way Sharad Pawar handled the Maharashtra political crisis.
As India launched the world's largest vaccination drive against the coronavirus pandemic, showing the light at the end of a 10-month tunnel that upended millions of lives and livelihoods, here are some of the quotes from politicians across parties and other people who took the jab:
'I would like to express my anger at the way party affairs have been handled by some people.'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday asked states to make full use of the expanded COVID-19 testing capacity and saving lives a top priority as India recorded the highest ever spike of 2,003 coronavirus deaths after Maharashtra and Delhi added earlier fatalities not attributed to the disease.
By ending the Shiv Sena's political untouchability, the Congress is creating a level playing ground for itself in the political battle of Hindu identity, explains Sheela Bhatt.
Ajit Pawar assured Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he would work hard for people of the state.
Purohit had allegedly said in the sting video that there is no collective leadership in the BJP. Only two people take decisions and others merely implement it.
'Each of them is a setu (bridge) that links the government with the party, but their territories are different.'
Angry over Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray's comments to allegedly "demean" Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party unit on Sunday said its workers do not want any further seat-sharing talks between the two alliance partners for the next month's assembly polls.
In an editorial in its mouthpiece 'Saamana', the Sena, which also saw a drop in its 2014 tally, said the mandate has rejected the notion that elections can be swept by engineering defections and splitting opposition parties.
Following are the possible contenders for the post of Maharashtra chief minister. We request our readers to take the poll at the end of this list.
Speaking after virtually launching COVID-19 testing facilities in Noida, Mumbai and Kolkata, Modi said that in the fight against coronavirus, India has come to a point where it does not lack in awareness, its scientific data is expanding and resources are also increasing.
'If someone is trying to do a vote bank politics under the garb of the CAB then it is not in the interest of the country'
The simmering tension between Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party came to a boil on Sunday as Sena MP Anil Desai failed to take oath as union minister amid talk that Uddhav Thackeray will pull the party out of the government at the Centre and play opposition in Maharashtra.
Taking to Twitter, Modi said, "Congratulations to @Dev_Fadnavis Ji and @AjitPawarSpeaks Ji on taking oath as the CM and Deputy CM of Maharashtra respectively. I am confident they will work diligently for the bright future of Maharashtra."
The Raj Thackeray-led Maharashra Navnirman Sena deteriorated thanks to its own doing and absolute lack of vision. Now it seems it is only a matter of time before the Shiv Sena goes the same way. Both cousins will ensure they finish the 'Sena', says N Suresh.
The video conference, which began at 11 am, comes amid indications that the central government may extend the nationwide lockdown with some possible relaxations even as Punjab and Odisha have already announced extending the lockdown beyond April 14 when the current spell of 21-day shutdown across the country ends on Tuesday.
Both parties claimed they wanted to extend Diwali greetings to the governor and denied that any political discussion took place during the meeting.
In a major security lapse, a man claiming to be a Bharatiya Janata Party activist had managed to gain entry into the swearing-in ceremony of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai without possessing a valid pass and even reached the dais where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was sitting.
