Maharashtra Election 2024 Updates: BJP and its allies indulging in corruption, propagating 'distorted' history, says Supriya Sule

NCP-SCP candidate from Karjat-Jamkhed Assembly seat, Rohit Pawar said, "There's no such competition between Mahayuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi. But if you look at Mahayuti, there's a pretty tough competition between BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP Ajit Pawar faction.The infighting would create problems for Mahayuti.We'll come around 167-170 according to our idea. We were going to people and talking to them. The environment here is the same as in the times of Lok Sabha polls. It is tilting towards NCP-SCP.If you look at the development, not much development has happened in Maharashtra. If you compare Gujarat and Maharashtra, Maharashtra has been always one number as far as development is concerned. In the last 10 years, we have gone to the 10th number, which is not good."

Mumbai: Senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot said, "These are important elections...Toppling a government through horsetrading - I have suffered through this for 40 days in Rajasthan. We stayed in hotels for 40 days. We know how we faced them. If the senior leaders of Government of India get to it, to topple the government, then it becomes very easy for them. I would like to thank the common public...Everyone supported us and we were able to save our Government. But this tradition is not good."

The static surveillance team (SST) of the Election Commission seized 1.95 kg of gold worth Rs 1.43 crore in the western suburb of Dahisar here, police said on Monday.

During a routine inspection on Sunday night, the SST team found two persons carrying a bag and walking in the area suspiciously, an official said.

The duo were intercepted, and gold bangles were found in the bag. The men claimed they worked in a jewellery polishing unit but failed to produce necessary documents for the valuables, he said.

The Maratha-OBC quota issue and trends in onion prices are among the campaign themes likely to impact the poll outcome in Maharashtra's Yevla assembly constituency from where NCP minister Chhagan Bhujbal is seeking a re-election.

Located in Nashik district, Yevla is home to one of the biggest onion wholesale markets in the country.

NCP heavyweight Bhujbal's aggressive stance against Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange has endeared him to the OBC communities, but may put off a section of Marathas in his first electoral battle since the split in the party.

NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule on Monday claimed the ruling BJP and its allies were steeped in corruption and accused them of insulting Maharashtra's icons and propagating "distorted" history.

Speaking to reporters here ahead of the November 20 Maharashtra assembly polls, Sule said the BJP and its partners have nothing today to talk about the opposition.

"In the last elections, issues like corruption were raised by them. Today they are not doing anything because they themselves are completely engulfed in corruption and the BJP and its allies do not have anything to talk against us," the Lok Sabha member from Baramati said.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal said, "Our Sankalp Patra has been presented before everyone. If we have to describe it in a single line - this is the Sankalp Patra of Maharashtra: Big vision, bigger action by 2029. PM guides us again and again that our government has to think big. Our government should be willing to simplify and brighten up everyone's life without any bias. For that, we will have to work big. That is why, under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi in the third term, Central Govt is working at thrice the speed with thrice the hard work and presenting thrice the result before people..."

The campaign for the assembly elections in Maharashtra is in full swing. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who has been winning from the Nagpur South West assembly constituency for five terms, claimed at a public meeting in Nagpur that he is the only former Chief Minister who does not have a house in Mumbai.

“There have been 20 Chief Ministers in the state till date. But among them I am the only former Chief Minister who does not have a house in Mumbai,” he said.

As per the survey projections, the Mahayuti may secure between 145-165 seats in Maharashtra's 288-member Assembly while the Maha Vikas Aghadi of the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP is predicted to win around 106-126 seats.

The ruling alliance is also shown to have an edge over the Opposition in terms of vote share. As per the survey projections, the Mahayuti is likely to garner 47 percent of the vote share as compared to 41 percent for the MVA. Others are likely to garner 12 percent of the votes.

Details here.

Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday dared Uddhav Thackeray, the chief of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) faction to make Congress leader and leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi say ‘something good’ about Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray and freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (aka Veer Savarkar).

Addressing a rally in Jalgaon, Shah on Sunday that Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray was siding with Congress, whose leaders have insulted Balasaheb Thackeray and Veer Savarkar.

“I want to ask Uddhav Thackeray if he can request Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to say two good words for Veer Savarkar,” Shah said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Anand Dubey said, "Amit Shah is a very big leader, we know that now that the elections have come, he will come and make false promises, but I want to ask that if we deposit Rs 3000 in the accounts of mothers and sisters 'Khata-Khat', do they feel it is a fraud? If we waive off the loans of our farmer brothers and sisters up to Rs 3 lakh, do they feel it is a fraud? ... We are giving written guarantees..."

With the Maharashtra assembly polls just around the corner, residents of Pune have drafted their own set of demands as part of "citizens' manifestos" to highlight basic issues, and have urged candidates to address them in their manifestos.

Key concerns dominating these charter of demands include lack of proper water supply, poor road infrastructure, encroachments, traffic snarls, improper sewage systems, noise pollution, frequent power outages, and the need for the implementation of development plans (DPs).

The state assembly polls will be held on November 20 and votes will be counted on November 23.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has targeted Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis over his "vote jihad" remarks, claiming the BJP leader's (ideological) ancestors wrote "love letters" to Britishers instead of fighting against them.

During a public meeting here on Sunday, Owaisi also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Ek Hai to Safe Hai" slogan goes against the diversity ethos.

Fadnavis on Saturday claimed "vote jihad" had begun in poll-bound Maharashtra, which should be countered by "Dharma yuddha" of vote. He had mentioned the BJP's narrow loss in Dhule Lok Sabha constituency.

Countering him, Owaisi said, "Our ancestors did jihad against Britishers and Fadnavis is now teaching us about jihad. (PM) Narendra Modi, (Union minister) Amit Shah, and Devendra Fadnavis together cannot defeat me in a debate." Owaisi claimed the "dharmayuddha-jihad" remarks amounted to poll code violation.

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday lashed out at Maharashtra minister Dhananjay Munde, an aide of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, and said those behind the split in the NCP must be defeated.

Speaking in Parli in Beed district, Pawar said people were being "bullied" and this had to stop.

"I gave whatever I could to Dhananjay Munde. Some people played a key role in splitting our party. They must be defeated," the NCP (SP) supremo said while addressing a poll rally for colleague Rajesaheb Deshmukh.

"Once, Pandit Munde had come to me with his son Dhananjay and sought help. They got help from my side when they were in trouble. I made him (Dhananjay Munde) MLC, LoP in the Council, state minister. I wanted to give him leadership position in Beed. But people are being troubled here and that has to stop," Pawar said.

Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Sunday rejected Union Home Minister Amit Shah's assertion that the principal opposition party has agreed to the Ulema Council's demand for 10 per cent quota for Muslims in jobs and education.

Speaking at a rally in Malkapur in Buldhana in the afternoon, Shah, the BJP's main strategist, said Patole had agreed to the Ulema Council's demand for Muslim reservations.

"Patole has agreed to end reservations for SCs. STs and OBCs and give it to Muslims as demanded by the Ulema Council," Shah said.

The ruling alliance in Maharashtra must be removed from power as it is not concerned about the suffering of farmers due to drop in prices for crops, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar said on Sunday.

He also claimed that the BJP was aiming for 400 seats in the Lok Sabha polls to change the Constitution but ended up being dependent on Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) and N Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP to form the government.

Maharashtra Congress on Sunday suspended 28 rebel candidates for six years for "anti-party" activity.

These candidates from 22 assembly constituencies are in the fray for the November 20 elections against the official nominees of the Maha Vikas Aghadi.

Prominent leaders who faced action include former minister Rajendra Mulak (Ramtek constituency), Yagnyavalk Jichkar (Katol), Kamal Vyawhare (Kasba), Manoj Shinde (Kopri Pachpakhadi), and Aaba Bagul (Parvati).