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Mumbai/Buldhana: Maharashtra’s flagship welfare scheme for women, the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, has landed in controversy in Buldhana district after monthly payments of ₹1,500 were abruptly stopped for nearly 30,000 women over the past two months. The sudden halt has triggered widespread anger, anxiety, and protests among beneficiaries, many of whom depend on the scheme for basic financial support. The scheme, launched to economically empower women aged between 21 and 65 years, provides a monthly assistance of ₹1,500. While over 6.5 lakh women in Buldhana are currently enrolled under the programme, the suspension of payments for a large group of beneficiaries has caused confusion and unrest, especially in rural areas. Why Were Payments Stopped? District officials clar...

Mumbai: The results of the Maharashtra civic body elections have revealed a significant shift in the political behavior of Muslim voters, marking a departure from their long-standing pattern of supporting the strongest anti-BJP गठबंधन. Instead, Muslim voters have shown increasing preference for community-based parties such as Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM and the Indian Secular Largest Assembly of Maharashtra (ISLAM), delivering a major jolt to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Across 29 municipal corporations, the election outcomes largely aligned with expected alliance arithmetic and emerging political equations. However, the altered Muslim voting trend and the मजबूत प्रदर्शन of Muslim-backed parties emerged as the biggest surprise. Until now, Muslim voters in Maharashtra had consistently suppo...