Maharashtra

Mumbai: In the recently concluded Maharashtra Zila Parishad elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) executed a strategic masterstroke that left the opposition alliance, Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), scrambling. By creating confusion within the alliance early on and later engaging in selective “friendly fights” in key constituencies, the BJP and its allies secured a sweeping victory. Election ResultsOut of 288 seats across 29 district councils, the ruling Maha-Unity alliance won an impressive 215 seats, leaving the MVA with only 51. BJP alone clinched 129 seats, expanding its reach from urban strongholds to rural and semi-urban regions. Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) performed strongly, winning 51 councils and outperforming Uddhav Thackeray. Similarly, NCP leader Ajit Pawar captured 35...

Mumbai: The ruling Maha-Unity alliance in Maharashtra, comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena, and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), achieved a strong performance in the recently concluded local body elections. Out of 288 municipal councils and Nagar Panchayats, the alliance secured 207 chairperson positions. While many victories were decisive, a few seats saw razor-thin margins, with candidates winning by just a single vote. Historic One-Vote WinsThe elections produced a rare phenomenon where three candidates won by only one vote, drawing attention across the state. BJP’s Sandeep Bhise and Pramila Panchal, along with NCP’s Sunita Rahul Dhore, made headlines for these narrow victories. Sandeep Bhise’s Stunning WinSandeep Bhise of BJP clinched the Chiploon Municipal Co...

Mumbai/New Delhi: Former Maharashtra Minister and NCP leader Manikrao Kokate has received a major legal relief from the Supreme Court, ensuring that his legislative assembly membership remains intact. The top court stayed the sentence handed down by the Nashik court, which had convicted Kokate in a 30-year-old case, threatening both his ministerial post and his MLA status. Background of the CaseManikrao Kokate, a prominent leader from the Maratha community and a close aide of Ajit Pawar, previously served as the Agriculture Minister in the Fadnavis government. He later handled the Sports Department after a controversy arose in the Assembly for playing Rummy on his mobile phone during proceedings. Kokate, a five-time MLA from Nashik, was sentenced to two years in prison in the 1995 Housi...

Nanded: Despite its broader influence in Maharashtra’s local body elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) suffered a significant setback in the Loha Municipal Council elections in Nanded district, where all six candidates from a single family fielded by the party were defeated. The defeats came at the hands of the Ajit Pawar–led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), a key ally in the ruling Mahayuti alliance. The BJP had nominated six members of the influential Suryavanshi family, a decision that sparked widespread criticism even before polling. Among those defeated was Gajanan Suryavanshi, the BJP’s candidate for the post of Municipal Council President. He was defeated by Sharad Pawar, the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) candidate. Other defeated BJP candidates from the same family included G...

Pune: The BJP is facing a major challenge ahead of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections. While the party needs to allocate seats to its alliance partner, Shiv Sena, it is simultaneously confronted with an overwhelming number of internal aspirants—nearly 2,000 BJP workers have applied for just 165 seats. There are concerns that dissatisfied applicants could rebel if ticket allocations do not meet their expectations. BJP Dominance in PuneVoting for the PMC will take place on 15 January 2026, with results declared on 16 January. The BJP has historically been strong in Pune, giving it a perceived advantage in the municipal elections. In 2017, the party won 98 seats in the PMC for the first time. Last year, it secured all six assembly constituencies in Pune and also controls the Pu...

A shocking case of large-scale cyber fraud has surfaced from Shendurusani village in Maharashtra’s Yavatmal district, where official records show an impossible demographic explosion. Despite having a population of barely 1,500, the village registered an astonishing 27,397 births within just three months, raising serious concerns over the integrity of the civil registration system. How the Scam Came to Light According to official data, between September and November 2025, as many as 27,397 birth certificates were registered under the name of Shendurusani Gram Panchayat, while only five death registrations were recorded during the same period. The anomaly was detected during a routine inspection by the Health Department, triggering alarm bells at multiple administrative levels. Alle...