The Shiv Sena (UBT) of Uddhav Thackeray has denounced in the Supreme Court the "highly improper" meeting between Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and state legislative assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar, barely three days before the deadline set by the apex court for the latter to decide cross-petitions filed by rival Sena factions seeking disqualification of several of each other's MLAs.
As the race for Maharashtra chief minister enters the last lap, Hemant Waje looks at several scenarios which can play out.
Amid indications of COVID-19 cases plateauing in Maharashtra, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday warned there was no room for showing complacency and said the government is preparing to deal with a third wave of the infection.
Uddhav and Raj Thackeray, along with their families, reunited at a Diwali event in Mumbai, fueling speculation about a potential political alliance between Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS ahead of local body polls.
'If all of us (all the 57 Shiv Sena MLAs) stand together we can change the dynamic. We are not afraid of anyone.'
"I am also quitting as member of Legislative Council," Thackeray said in a webcast.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's 'X' handle was hacked, with images of Pakistan and Turkey flags posted. The account was recovered in 45 minutes. Congress leader Nana Patole raised concerns about cyber security.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis praised activist Manoj Jarange for ending his fast regarding the Maratha quota demand, highlighting the government's commitment to the Maratha community's welfare.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday visited the state secretariat 'Mantralaya' for the first time after recovering from a spine surgery which he underwent in November last year, and asked the state administration to focus on paperless governance with increased use of technology.
An amended government order issued on Tuesday said Hindi will "generally" be the third language, instead of being mandatory, but gave an option to opt out if 20 students per grade in a school express the desire to study any Indian language other than Hindi.
There is no confusion or dispute in the 'Mahagathbandhan' over Tejashwi Yadav being the main face for the Bihar chief minister's post, Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar said on Friday while asserting that the CM will be from the Rashtriya Janata Dal if the alliance gets a majority in the upcoming polls.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde addressed questions about advertisements featuring only CM Fadnavis, asserting that there is no race for credit among Mahayuti allies and that they are working as a team. He also commented on the Maratha reservation issue and the government's efforts to address it.
A delegation of Opposition leaders in Maharashtra, including Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, and Raj Thackeray, met with the state's chief electoral officer to raise concerns about alleged irregularities in the poll process, particularly regarding the voters' list, ahead of local body elections.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced the state government's intention to introduce strong provisions to deal with religious conversions done using force or cheating. A panel has submitted recommendations, and the government will study and implement necessary changes. The move comes amid claims of misuse of religious freedom and concerns about conversions through coercion and deceit.
With Nationalist Congress Party leader Chagan Bhujbal floating the idea of rotating the post of chief minister, senior Congress leader Vilasrao Deshmukh said on Thursday there was no doubt about his party getting the Chief Ministership in Maharashtra.
The Madhya Pradesh government will cover the full cost of treatment for children suffering from kidney infections after consuming a contaminated cough syrup in Chhindwara and Betul districts. This decision follows the deaths of fourteen children in Chhindwara due to suspected renal failure linked to the 'toxic' Coldrif cough syrup.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced a cash reward of Rs 11 crore for the Indian cricket team following their T20 World Cup win.
Days after the controversial 40-acre Pune land deal by a firm linked to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's son, a now-suspended tehsildar issued an eviction notice to the Botanical Survey of India (BSI), a long-standing tenant on the property
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis expressed gratitude to Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray for their positive remarks in a coffee table book released on his birthday, emphasizing that they are ideological opponents, not enemies.
Shinde said he had "good and positive" discussions with Amit Shah and J P Nadda.
Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde will be the new chief minister of Maharashtra, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Devendra Fadnavis said on Thursday.
Heavy rains in Maharashtra's Nanded district have left five people missing and several others stranded. Rescue operations are underway with NDRF, military, and police teams coordinating efforts.
Maharashtra Revenue Minister assures investigation into an alleged land deal involving a company linked to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's son, Parth Pawar, after receiving a formal complaint.
Maharashtra government to resume payments for most beneficiaries of the Ladki Bahin scheme after verification process found only a small percentage to be ineligible.
Akshay Kumar shared a disturbing incident where his daughter was asked to send a nude photo while playing an online video game, highlighting the dangers of cybercrime and the need for cyber safety education.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi during rallies in Bihar, accusing him of prioritizing votes over genuine governance and alleging that the BJP is controlling the state government through remote control.
Where there's a will, there's a way. This seems to have proven true by a student in Maharashtra who wanted to interview an influential person for her school project.
Immediately after the meeting, the commissioner went to Ramtek, the official residence of Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis assures implementation of Bombay High Court directives regarding the Maratha quota protest led by Manoj Jarange, while also exploring legal options to resolve the issue. He condemned harassment of journalists and appealed to avoid politicizing the matter.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's allegation that he was not allowed to visit Maharashtra on Thursday and barred from visiting terror attack spots on Friday is politically motivated, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh has said.Reacting strongly to Modi's charge that although he wanted to visit Mumbai on Thursday, he was not allowed to do so, Deshmukh said, "Modi need not be told that there is no point visiting places where police, NSG and the army is engaged."
Union minister Vilasrao Deshmukh on Thursday made his chief ministerial ambitions clear, when he stated during an interview that there was no hard and fast rule in the Congress that only a Member of Legislative Assembly could be elected to the CM's post.Deshmukh added that the party MLAs and the high command should finalise the next CM. Deshmukh was replaced by Ashok Chavan as chief minister last year, in the wake of the terror attack on Mumbai.
Raising doubts on the possibility of foul play in the Narsingh Yadav doping scandal, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis hinted the wrestler may have been 'tricked or framed', while asking the Union Sports Minister to look into the case.
A video has surfaced of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar purportedly chiding a woman IPS officer who was taking action against illegal excavation of 'murrum' soil in Solapur district. NCP claims Pawar didn't intend to stop the action but might have berated the officer to placate party workers.
Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com brings you the latest drama surrounding government formation in Maharashtra.
The Maharashtra government has reversed its decision to make Hindi a mandatory third language in schools after facing widespread opposition. The move comes after the state's language consultation committee urged the Chief Minister to revoke the decision. The government will now issue a revised order making Hindi learning voluntary. The decision had been met with criticism from various quarters, including opposition parties and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, which had called for a protest against the move.
Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday claimed that Uddhav Thackeray planned to make Eknath Shinde the chief minister of Maharashtra after the 2019 polls, but first the Bharatiya Janata Party and later Maha Vikas Aghadi allies including Sharad Pawar played a spoilsport.
The Whatsapp helpline of Mumbai traffic police received a message from a Pakistan number containing a threat to blow up Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' office in Mantralaya, an official said on Friday.
Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office, Prithviraj Chavan, considered close to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, was selected as the new Maharashtra chief minister on Wednesday morning.
From disagreement over guardian minister's post to taking separate review meetings to separate medical cells and 'war rooms' for monitoring projects, the unease between Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his deputy Eknath Shinde seems to be growing.
Shiv Sena leader Ramdas Kadam reiterates his claim that Bal Thackeray's body was kept at his residence for two days before his death was announced, making further allegations against Uddhav Thackeray. Other politicians weigh in, demanding answers and clarifications.