Thackeray on Sunday called a meeting of party MPs. Of the nine Lok Sabha members, only four --- Arvind Sawant, Anil Desai, Rajabhau Waze and Sanjay Patil --- attended the meeting in person, while Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar, Bhausaheb Wakchaure, Nagesh Bapurao Patil Ashtikar and Sanjay Deshmukh attended online.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) is facing a potential crisis as speculation mounts that 'six to seven' of its nine Lok Sabha MPs are considering switching allegiance to the Eknath Shinde-led ruling Shiv Sena, with some reportedly camping in New Delhi.
Maharashtra Police has provided 'Y-Plus' security cover to six 'rebel' Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs who skipped a crucial party meeting, indicating a potential breach. This move comes amidst strong warnings from party workers against switching loyalties.
Amid intense speculation that some Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray MPs might switch sides, party chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday held a meeting of his faction's Lok Sabha MPs, which all nine lawmakers attended either virtually or in person.
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has demanded the immediate disqualification of six party MPs who defected to the Eknath Shinde-led camp, alleging a larger political conspiracy. He accused the BJP of exploiting the Ram Mandir issue and systematically sidelining its own state leaders, while also questioning the rebel MPs' motives and wealth.
Shiv Sena (UBT) workers in Dharashiv have issued strong warnings, including threats of public humiliation, against any party members, particularly MP Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar, who might defect. This comes amidst reports of six of the party's nine MPs potentially forming a separate group, posing a significant challenge to the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction.
Speculation is rife about a potential rebellion among MPs of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), with ruling Sena leader Pratap Sarnaik hinting at welcoming dissidents. Despite a Sena (UBT) MP meeting a rival minister and several skipping a party meeting, senior leaders Sanjay Raut and Anil Desai have dismissed the defection rumours, asserting the unity of their parliamentarians.
The Shiv Sena-UBT is holding a crucial parliamentary party meeting in New Delhi to address a potential split by dissident MPs. A whip has been issued, making attendance mandatory, as the party aims to prevent a breakaway faction from merging with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and initiating disqualification proceedings.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut has alleged that rebel MPs from his party received an additional Rs 10 crore each and were moved to a safe location in Rajasthan. This comes as six of the nine Sena (UBT) Lok Sabha MPs skipped a crucial parliamentary party meeting, indicating a potential split and crossover to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. Raut also warned of 'Operation Tudwa' against the dissidents and demanded their resignation.
The Shiv Sena-UBT is facing a significant internal crisis, with reports suggesting that 'six to seven' of its nine Lok Sabha MPs are preparing to form a separate group. MP Arvind Sawant has formally requested Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla not to recognise any such breakaway faction, emphasising the primacy of the political party over its legislative wing.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) remains optimistic that Osmanabad (Dharashiv) MP Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar, one of six dissident parliamentarians, will not abandon the Uddhav Thackeray-led party, despite his recent statement about deciding his political future after consulting his constituents.
Six of the nine Shiv Sena-UBT Lok Sabha MPs skipped a crucial parliamentary meeting, signalling a likely split and potential merger with the Eknath Shinde-led faction, which could trigger disqualification proceedings under the anti-defection law.
Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray Lok Sabha MP Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar, one of the six dissidents, on Sunday said he will decide his political course only after consulting the people of his constituency, even as the Uddhav Thackeray-led party hopes he will not defect.
Police in Thane have arrested three individuals, including a history-sheeter, in connection with the kidnapping and murder of a 23-year-old man in 2014, stemming from a land development dispute.
The BJP and its Mahayuti allies have won 68 seats unopposed in the Maharashtra civic polls scheduled for January 15, even as the Opposition parties alleged the ruling combine used threats and money to force candidates to withdraw from the fray.
Sawant asserted that none of the Shiv Sena-UBT MPs had received any phone calls and condemned the attempts to "spread rumours" about mass desertions from the Thackeray-led party.
Civil aviation ministry has also reached a consensus to give a five-year term to the next CMD of the ailing state-owned airline.
Maharashtra Minister Uday Samant on Friday claimed that many leaders from the opposition Shiv Sena-UBT were in touch with his party and would be inducted in phases.
Even though air passenger traffic picked up last month, the overall long-term sentiment for airlines is poor, Air India chief Arvind Jadhav said on Friday.
The CBI has closed a case against former Air India CMD Arvind Jadhav and others over alleged corruption in the appointments of general managers after the central government refused to grant its sanction to prosecute him, officials said. The agency had booked Jadhav, then general manager L P Nakhwa (now retired), and then additional general managers A Kathpalia, Amitabh Singh and Rohit Bhasin after a year-long preliminary enquiry, they said. It was alleged that Jadhav had constituted illegal/irregular promotion panel to recommend suitable candidates for promotion to the post of general manager (operations), they said.
Arvind Jadhav, a senior IAS officer and the current CMD of Air India, was sent back to parent Karnataka cadre.
On the issue of unionism, he said that problems at hand were not being duly dealt with.
While the responses of the candidates were predictable, depending on which side they belonged to, an interesting point slipped through when Rahul Shewale cited the Dharavi Redevelopment Project as a scheme that would add to Mumbai's importance. No big infrastructural project in Mumbai, he said, could be successful without the Centre's nod.
In an open letter to the employees, Air India Chairman and Managing Director Arvind Jadhav said, "Our issues are complex and can only be resolved through sustained dialogue. Any ad hoc decision would only complicate the matter further. You should understand that at this juncture, demands of one category of employees cannot be addressed in isolation."
In the 18 months that Arvind Jadhav has been the chairman of state-owned Air India, he has faced more than one crisis.
These views were expressed by Air India chairman and managing director Arvind Jadhav at his meetings with leaders of 14 unions, where he is understood to have articulated various scenarios which could arise if costs were not managed well.
The government has not taken any decision on the communications ministry's proposal for appointing the next chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.
Activist Subhash Chandra Agarwal had appealed to the CIC saying that the government had not provided "any information on the ground that the desired records constituted Cabinet papers and therefore could not be disclosed."
Air India Chairman and Managing Director Arvind Jadhav, has finally looked towards his employees for suggestions after trying many consultants in the past for reviving the debt-ridden state-run carrier.
Rohit Nandan, an Indian Administrative Service officer, and currently a joint secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation is set to become the new chairman and managing director of Air India. He will be replacing Arvind Jadhav, who is being shown the door for poor management and the galloping losses the national carrier has suffered.
The exercise, which will come into effect from July 15, would also see shuffling of eight general manager level and three deputy general manager level officers, airline sources said.
The plan for 2010-14 envisages revenue enhancement and expenditure reduction over different phases, airline sources said.
Air India on Tuesday announced the launch of daily international flights from Melbourne to Delhi from first November this year.
With Arvind Jadhav, principal secretary, in the department of infrastructure development of the Karnataka government, emerging as the frontrunner in the race to replace Raghu Menon as the chairman and managing director of the state-owned National Aviation Company of India Ltd (Nacil), which runs Air India, informed sources said Menon lost the coveted job because of his opposition to the airline's proposed joint venture with Singapore Airport Terminal Services (SATS).
In early-December, Air India had appointed global consultancy firm Deloitte to vet the SBI Caps-prepared financial restructuring plan.
Kochi will be the new headquarters of Air India Express, while Thiruvananthapuram will be the main engineering centre of the airline.
The employees, holding Air India CMD Arvind Jadhav responsible for the present condition of the airline, also demanded his removal and regularisation of the payment of their due salary and productivity linked incentive.
Even as the Air India Board meets on Wednesday to discuss productivity-linked incentives (PLI) and other issues, the Joint Action Committee of various trade unions has warned against imposing any decision on the employees unilaterally.
The months of April and May are favourable for airlines, a good time to recover their losses.
The hangar will be capable of accommodating two A320 family aircraft simultaneously or one B777/B747 aircraft. The facility will cost Air India Rs 80 crore (Rs 800 million). Air India already has major engineering units in Mumbai and Delhi for maintenance of aircraft and engines.
