While Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi greeted him on the occasion, NCP's Praful Patel blamed the Congress party's internal culture for Pawar missing the opportunity to occupy the top post in the 1990s.
The Congress is hopeful of soon finalising the Lok Sabha poll seat-sharing arrangements with the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) allies Aam Aadmi Party and Trinamool Congress, sources said on Friday, days after the principal opposition party arrived at an understanding with the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh.
Ahmed Patel also is learnt to have held telephonic conversation with Pawar over working out modalities with the NCP on government formation.
Two days after being sworn in as Maharashtra Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday took oath as an MLA along with deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi boycotted the ceremony alleging EVM misuse.
Meanwhile, the Sena said that Lord Ram was a matter of faith for his party, and that it will not indulge in any politics over the issue.
Under flak for the 'mishandling' of the bomb scare outside Mukesh Ambani's residence, the Maharashtra government on Wednesday transferred Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh from the post.
As BJP leaders went all out to project the event as a moment of national pride, some leaders were directly critical of the ceremony with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, belonging to the Communist Party of India-Marxist, slamming the state's role in the Ram Temple consecration, saying the line that demarcates religion and state seems to be 'getting thinner and thinner'.
An immigrant to the US from Kashmir, Duggal, 50, has been raised in Cincinnati, Chicago, New York and Boston.
Talking to reporters in Pune, Swami Govind Devgiri Maharaj also said all chief ministers must be invited for the ceremony. "The PM has agreed to come to Ayodhya on August 5 for the 'bhoomi pujan' of Ram temple. He will be there for one-and-a-half hours.
Some have been cherry-picked to assert the BJP's supremacy over its allies or, significantly, its leaders who charted an independent course in the recent past.
Parliament proceedings were adjourned amid ruckus and sloganeering by the Opposition members over the Adani issue.
Renowned social worker Sindhutai Sapkal, fondly known as 'orphan children's mother', died following a heart attack at a private hospital here, doctors said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday claimed that Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had held a 'press conference' on February 15 which contradicted Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar's assertion that he was hospitalised then.
Kumar had also made it clear that he was in the process of uniting the non-BJP leaders.
On Tuesday, when trends indicated she was going to win her election, the four-time National Award winner said, 'Heartfelt gratitude to all the people of Mandi for this love and trust... This victory belongs to all of you, this is the victory of your trust in Prime Minister Modi and the BJP, this is the victory of Sanatan and in the honour of Mandi.'
The ED case comes about after the CBI first carried out a preliminary enquiry, followed by filing a regular case, on the orders of the Bombay High Court that asked it to look into the allegations of bribery made against Deshmukh by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh.
In a major cabinet reshuffle, Arjun Ram Meghwal has replaced Kiren Rijiju as the Union law and justice minister, a communique from the President's Secretariat said on Thursday.
'I came to meet him as a citizen. I have nothing to do with politics'
There was no report of devotees facing any inconvenience even as shops and eateries downed their shutters and vehicles remained off roads.
'Modi gave the slogan of 'Jai Shri Ram' just four days ahead of polling for the Delhi Assembly. Will be happy if (the number) goes up by two-four seats with the help of Shri Ram,' the Shiv Sena said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party's bypoll win in four of the six seats it contested has invigorated the party ahead of assembly polls in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.
After the ED arrested Deshmukh on Monday night under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the agency officials had claimed the senior NCP leader was evasive during questioning.
'UP, Maharashtra, AP (including Telangana), Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, MP, Bihar, Karnataka and Kerala.' 'We chose these nine not only as being among the biggest, but also because in these states radical change is possible,' explains Shekhar Gupta.
Shah, 55, stated on Twitter that he has tested positive for the infection and is getting admitted to a hospital on the advice of doctors.
To mark the day, the BJP has asked its workers to facilitate the COVID-19 vaccination drive as it eyes record-breaking numbers on Friday.
The CBI has arrested former Maharashtra Home minister Anil Deshmukh's lawyer Anand Daga for allegedly trying to subvert the probe against him, officials said.
The central agency Wednesday examined Deshmukh's son-in-law Gaurav Chaturvedi and lawyer Anand Daga in over its probe after which an FIR was registered, they said.
'The BJP is in power at the Centre and in many states. It can easily go for the construction of Ram temple, otherwise it would be considered a liar and get thrown out of power,' the Sena said in an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana.
A provisional order has been issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) attaching a residential flat worth Rs 1.54 crore in Mumbai's Worli, and 25 land parcels valued at Rs 2.67 crore in Dhutum village in Raigad district.
Embattled Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal walked out of the Tihar Jail on Friday evening, hours after the Supreme Court granted him interim bail in a money laundering case to enable him to campaign in the Lok Sabha elections, in a huge relief to his party struggling to gain momentum in the absence of its foremost leader.
While political experts claim that the Modi Magic is missing in the 2024 general election, the common people in the street -- at least those in the crowd on Thursday -- vow that they will vote for Modi and the candidate who contests the election doesn't matter much.
Under fire over the "anti-Muslim" remarks by its leader Ramdas Kadam at the National Democratic Alliance rally in Mumbai ahead of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Prime Minister nominee Narendra Modi's address, the Shiv Sena on Tuesday said those were personal views of Kadam and did not reflect the party position.
Officials said Deshmukh, 71, was arrested under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
She wrote this in reply to an article about the proceedings of Bombay high court during the hearing of the stay order plea by the actor's lawyer against the demolition drive of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation at her property.
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."
Veteran santoor player and music composer Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma died in Mumbai on Tuesday morning following a heart attack, family sources said. He was 84.
Ajit Pawar assured Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he would work hard for people of the state.
The meeting is significant as PM Modi heaped heavy praise for the NCP during a debate on Monday to mark the 250th session of the Rajya Sabha was viewed with interest.
The 10-day-long annual Ganesh Chaturthi festival began on a low-key note on Friday with several state governments prohibiting public celebrations due to the Covid pandemic and devotees taking the virtual route to pay obeisance and join the festivities.
Life in Mumbai was on Wednesday slowly coming back on tracks as rains subsided and hundreds of stranded commuters headed home with the partial resumption of suburban train services.
