Firing a fresh salvo at the Bharatiya Janata Party which had accused the Shiv Sena of paying only lip service to the cause of Hindutva, the latter's member of Parliament Sanjay Raut on Tuesday claimed that the Sena was the first party in the country to contest an election on the Hindutva plank.
Once an auto-rickshaw driver in Thane city adjoining Mumbai, Shinde (58) quickly emerged as a key Sena leader in the Thane-Palghar region after joining politics and is known for aggressive approach towards issues of public interest.
Opposition parties in India are demanding a thorough and speedy investigation into a car blast near the Red Fort in Delhi that resulted in multiple fatalities and injuries. They are also raising concerns about the security situation in the national capital and questioning the government's handling of the matter.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray said his party responded to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's call for rapprochement and that seniors from that party should step up to take it forward. Thackeray said his party welcomes whoever is opposed to the anti-Maharashtra BJP. The statement follows speculation about a possible reconciliation between cousins Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray, who had a bitter parting of ways nearly two decades ago.
Nurses at a Mumbai hospital allegedly threw books critical of religion at an official who gifted them, claiming the books hurt their religious sentiments. A video of the incident has gone viral.
Shiv Sena's Kolhapur district president Sanjay Pawar will be its second candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls, party chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut said on Tuesday, in what is a clear snub to Chhatrapati Sambhaji who was seeking support for his candidature.
The Shiv Sena has plans to field 50 to 100 candidates in Uttar Pradesh, including in Ayodhya and Mathura and made it clear that the party will not be part of any alliance.
Confirming the development, Leader of Opposition in the legislative council Ambadas Danve of the Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray said the boycott is a mark of protest against a "dishonest government".
Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday said senior Nationalist Congress Party leader Chhagan Bhujbal would have become the chief minister of Maharashtra had he not quit the Sena.
Sharma, one of the Mumbai police officers who were famous for killing gangsters in encounters, resigned from the police force in July.
Ajit Pawar, who heads the Nationalist Congress Party, which is in an alliance with pro-Hindutva BJP and the Shiv Sena, noted Chief Ministers Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal), Chandrababu Naidu (Andhra Pradesh) and Nitish Kumar (Bihar) -- all secular politicians -- aligned with the BJP for the sake of development of their respective states.
The nearly 13-minute speech, with a booming voice resembling that of Bal Thackeray, began with his trademark opening line Jamlelya majhya tamam Hindu bandhavanu, baghinino ani matano (greetings to my Hindu brothers, sisters and mothers who have gathered here).
Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra has been issued a second notice by Mumbai police to appear for questioning in a defamation case filed against him for allegedly making derogatory remarks against Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The case was filed based on a complaint by Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel, who accused Kamra of making defamatory statements during a recent show. Kamra's show had sparked controversy with his satirical comments about Shinde's political career and the 2022 rebellion that brought down the MVA government. The notice comes after the police had issued a previous notice to Kamra on Tuesday and sought his presence. Following the first notice, sources said Kamra had requested a week's time to appear before the police.
While they have been watching every bit of development on television and through their contacts in the state of Maharashtra, those who have watched them closely say that the rebel Sena MLAs have maintained a reasonable calm so far.
Amid violence against Hindi-speaking people, Maharashtra minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ashish Shelar on Sunday drew parallels between the Pahalgam terror attack and the beating of 'Hindus' in Mumbai, which he said is condoned by some leaders.
Gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli was released from Nagpur Central Jail after the Supreme Court granted him bail in a 2007 murder case. He had been serving a life sentence for the murder of a Mumbai corporator.
Kamra has been asked to appear before the Khar police in Mumbai in connection with the case registered against him, an official said.
'Let's see how this love story shapes up in the run up to the municipal corporation election.'
The ruling Shiv Sena on Wednesday announced the candidature of Sachin Ahir and Aamshya Padvi for the upcoming Maharashtra legislative council polls as it decided against renominating senior leader and state minister Subhash Desai and another party veteran Diwakar Raote for the election to the upper house of the state legislature.
'Shinde, via Jarange Patil, is making his moves to become the sole leader of the oppressed, poor, backward Marathas in Maharashtra.'
The Election Commission is learnt to have given the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena 15 more days to submit documents in support of its claim on the party's election symbol.
Raut, however, didn't specify the number of seats the Sena will contest in Bengal.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction on Tuesday claimed the Bharatiya Jantea Party candidate Murji Patel withdrew from the Andheri East Assembly bypoll contest after realising that his defeat was imminent.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has dismissed reports of a rift within the ruling Mahayuti alliance, stating that "everything is hunky-dory." He attributed any issues to differences that will be resolved through discussions. Shinde's comments come after reports of him complaining to Union Home Minister Amit Shah about Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who heads the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). However, Pawar and BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar have denied the allegations, claiming Shinde would have directly approached them if there were any issues. The ruling alliance comprises the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP, which retained power after the state assembly polls last year. The alliance has also faced challenges with the appointment of guardian ministers in Raigad and Nashik, with the Shiv Sena opposing the appointments of Aditi Tatkare (NCP) and Girish Mahajan (BJP).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said he was proud of the manner in which the multi-party delegations presented India's views in various countries on the need to eradicate the menace of terrorism following the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor.
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.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray urged party workers to end internal disputes, citing his reunion with Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray as an example. He emphasized strengthening the party ahead of local body elections.
Matondkar, 46, who quit the Congress in September 2019 after five months in that party, joined the Shiv Sena in presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray at his residence Matoshri in suburban Bandra.
A Shiv Sena 'shakha' (area office) in Dombivali in Thane district, Maharashtra, which was at the centre of a dispute between the Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde factions of the party, has been taken over by functionaries of the latter after payment of pending dues to the landowner.
'Whatever happens, we have decided to go alone.' 'This is the Shiv Sena's word and we will never go back on it.'
If he doesn't apologise, we will speak to him in our own style. Shiv Sena won't leave him. We won't tolerate this insult
'We have not decided yet if we will be joining hands with the BJP and, if so, what kind of ministries will be distributed among the rebel MLAs'
The incident took place outside a temple in the city where Suri and some other leaders of the party were holding a protest, they said.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde displayed irritation when a reporter sought his reaction on the speculation of reconciliation between estranged cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray. The speculation of reconciliation between the two Thackeray cousins, Uddhav and Raj, has been fueled by recent statements from both leaders suggesting they could put aside past differences and work together for the benefit of Maharashtra. The question of whether this reconciliation will translate into a political alliance remains to be seen, but the possibility has generated significant buzz in the state's political landscape.
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.
The Mumbai police have registered an FIR against stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra for allegedly making defamatory remarks against Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde during a show. The police also registered a case against nearly 40 Shiv Sena workers for allegedly vandalizing the studio where Kamra's show was filmed. The incident took place after a video went viral showing Kamra allegedly using defamatory words against Shinde. Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel lodged a police complaint, leading to the FIR against Kamra under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including for statements conducing to public mischief and defamation. Meanwhile, the Khar police registered an FIR against 19 Shiv Sena functionaries, including Rahul Kanal (Yuva Sena), Vibhag Pramukh Kunal Sarmarkar and Akshay Panvelkar, for vandalizing the studio and the hotel premises. The incident has sparked controversy, with Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray condemning the vandalism and questioning the state's law and order situation.
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.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde visited MNS president Raj Thackeray's residence during the Ganesh festival, following a similar visit by Uddhav Thackeray. Shinde subtly criticized Uddhav and emphasized the non-political nature of his visit.
Syed Firdaus Ashraf hopes that Nishaanchi will be a blockbuster like its trailer.
"It is high time India traded dynasty for meritocracy. This would require fundamental reforms, from imposing legally mandated term limits to requiring meaningful internal party elections, together with a concerted effort to educate and empower the electorate to choose leaders based on merit," Tharoor said.
