'The Maharashtrian Congressmen's decision to break away from their reluctant leaders in Delhi to side with the Shiv Sena is seemingly the first sign that the 'high command' is not as powerful as is believed,' says Amulya Ganguli.
The Congress party will have an elected president by June 2021, with the party's working committee on Friday approving holding the internal election after the assembly polls.
Unlike the frenzy and buzz in political circles during the last few days, the meetings on Thursday were held in a discreet manner.
Congress MPs Sanjay Nirupam and Priya Dutt on Monday led a protest morcha outside the Reliance Energy office in suburban Kandivli, seeking reduction in power tariffs in the metropolis.
Launching a blistering attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party over the "India Shining" campaign, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Friday said the balloon of Gujarat's development model will burst.
Even if the Congress is unable to defeat the political appeal of Narendra Modi, the resources and talent of the BJP and its managers, it is relying on issues like the Citizenship Amendment Act and the perceived threat to Assamese identity, along with the future threat of the National People's Register to ensure it continues to be a force in the state. Aditi Phadnis reports.
Gujarat Chief Minister and BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Friday wrote letters to fellow chief ministers, urging them to oppose the Communal Violence Bill saying it was a blatant intrusion upon the powers of the state governments.
Facing eviction notices by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, residents of Campa Cola Housing Society, who are set to lose their flats in demolition, on Friday received no concrete assurance of help from Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan.
Sulking Maharashtra Industries Minister Narayan Rane on Thursday said he will quit the Prithviraj Chavan ministry on Monday but has decided to remain in the Congress.
In the second such exercise in four days, the Prithviraj Chavan led Congress-Nationalist Congress Party ministry in Maharashtra was expanded on Monday with the induction of two Congress ministers.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, who spearheaded Congress' Lok Sabha election campaign in the state, attributed the party's rout to some policies of the central government.
Discussions on other issues are in progress, Pawar said after the meeting, held at the Nehru Centre in Worli.
Thackeray held talks with Thorat, former chief minister Ashok Chavan and another senior Congress leader, Manikrao Thakare, at a suburban hotel.
The first of it was in February 1980 when the Indira Gandhi government dismissed the Progressive Democratic Front government headed by Sharad Pawar.
'They want to keep the BJP out, but how to make it happen is the issue that the Congress high command will resolve.'
Prasanna D Zore reports on the backroom drama accompanying the efforts to cobble together the next government in Maharashtra. 'While the Congress is insisting upon equal power sharing structure among all the three parties, the NCP is of the opinion that ministries should be distributed based on the number of MLAs belonging to each of the three parties.' Prasanna D Zore reports on the backroom room accompanying the efforts to cobble together the next government in Maharashtra.
Only 19 out of 41 ministers in the erstwhile Congress-Nationalist Congress Party government in Maharashtra have vacated their official bungalows so far, whereas names of NCP stalwart Ajit Pawar and senior Congress leader Narayan Rane figure in the list of squatters, an RTI query has revealed.
The government-controlled City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) has kicked off the tendering process for the over Rs 14,500 crore (Rs 145 billion) international airport project in neighbouring Navi Mumbai.
"We want to see Aaditya Thackeray as the next chief minister. But Uddhav ji will take the final decision," said Pratap Sarnaik, MLA from neighbouring Thane city.
'The voters of Maharashtra have taught a lesson to Modi's arrogance.'
The assembly election results are likely to put a lid on the impending battle the old guard and young Turks, strengthen the hands of the veterans, and force the younger leaders to negotiate a truce. Archis Mohan reports.
Here's how the heavyweights are faring.
Maharashtra and Haryana voted in assembly elections on Monday. Several prominent personalities also exercised their franchise.
The Metro line 3 project envisages an Rs 23,136 crore (Rs 231.36 billion).
Soon after the Supreme Court stayed the demolition of Campa Cola Compound in Mumbai till May 31, 2014, Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said his government's "sympathy" is with its residents and it will consider legal options available.
Maharashtra government on Monday offered to provide 22.5 per cent of the developed land to those whose lands would be acquired for the Navi Mumbai International Airport project.
In a vitriolic attack on Sharad Pawar for equating the Shiv Sena to "ants that will be stuck to jaggery of power," the ruling alliance partner on Friday described the Nationalist Congress Party as "blood sucking leech" waiting to join hands with the BJP to be a part of Maharashtra government.
Going on the offensive, the Nationalist Congress Party on Saturday gave Congress a day to revert on the issue of seat-sharing for the October 15 assembly polls in Maharashtra, saying it will "wait a day longer".
Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Friday said that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is spreading lies and rumours through the social media and Congress workers should wake up to its thread and respond to it.
The death toll in Friday's building collapse in Mazgaon area here has climbed to 61, according to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. Asked if the rescue operation has been called off, the BMC said though no formal announcement to this effect has been made so far, "it is as good as being called off".
A worker of right-wing organistaion Sanatan Sanstha picked up from Goa by Pune police, as part of their probe into the murder of anti-superstition activist Narendra Dabholkar.
'Who else will solve these issues if not the chief minister?' 'Who else shall we take our complaints to?'
"I received about 40 anonymous calls since Thursday evening. Some threatened to kill me while others wanted me to apologise to Pankaja," Sawant claimed.
Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria on Monday submitted a report containing information on his meeting with the former Indian Premier League boss Lalit Modi to the Maharashtra government.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Wednesday defended the extension of the parole of actor Sanjay Dutt, who was convicted in the 1993 Bombay serial blasts case, saying the action was taken as per law and no rules were violated.
Yet to come to terms with the poll drubbing, knives are out in the Congress state units against Prithviraj Chavan, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Tarun Gogoi and Partap Singh Bajwa as there's a gradual crescendo seeking their resignations. Anita Katyal reports.
Reacting to Patole's suggestion that he was under watch, the NCP, which handles the home department, on Monday said his claim was based on incomplete information, while the Shiv Sena asserted that all was well in the ruling alliance.
Pressure is mounting on Reliance Infrastructure to change the name of metro rail project, with a senior minister in the Congress-NCP led Maharashtra government joining the chorus of Opposition leaders making similar demand.
The Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party leaders met on Tuesday morning to decide on seat sharing for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections but the talks were "inconclusive." With only four days left, to file nominations for the October 15 polls, time's running out for the 15-year-old alliance.
Maharashtra Minister and Congress leader Narayan Rane's son Nitesh was arrested on Tuesday along with eight others by the Goa police for allegedly vandalising a tollbooth near Panaji and attacking its staffers.
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