Today in Politics: Home Minister Amit Shah in Chhattisgarh to review anti-Naxal operations

Indian Express

22-06-2025

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is set to visit a security camp and chair a meeting to review ongoing anti-Naxal operations in Chhattisgarh during his two-day trip to the state starting from Sunday, said Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma of the BJP-led state government.
Shah will also lay foundation stones for a National Forensic Science University (NFSU) and a state forensic lab in Nava Raipur Atal Nagar on Sunday. The state government has allotted 40 acres of land for NFSU, which will be built by the Centre at a cost of around Rs 400 crore.
Later in the evening, he will chair a high-level security review meeting with Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, where senior state and top security officials will be in attendance. The meeting will focus on the current internal security scenario in the state, with a special emphasis on anti-Naxal operations.
The CM described the upcoming visit of Shah as a 'symbol of renewed energy and confidence for Chhattisgarh', underscoring the importance of coordinated efforts between the Centre and the state to combat extremism and promote inclusive growth.
Notably, anti-Naxalite operations have been intensified in Chhattisgarh since the BJP was elected to power in the 2023 Assembly polls and more than 400 Maoist cadres, including senior functionaries, gunned down by security forces in separate encounters since January 2024.
Maharashtra's Baramati, the bastion of the Pawar political family, is abuzz about the elections to the Malegaon Cooperative Sugar Mill on Sunday, as reported by Partha Sarathi Biswas.
While Ajit has fielded his panel for the 21 posts of the Malegaon Cooperative Sugar Mill, he is himself running for the chairman position. Adding further spice to the contest, after Ajit's entry, Sharad Pawar announced he was putting up own panel too, with the uncle and nephew rivalry now playing out in the mill, located on the family turf of Baramati and long a Pawar fiefdom.
Before the NCP split in 2023, Ajit 'managed' the running and politics of almost all cooperative bodies in the region, including the Malegaon mill. In 2019, its outgoing board pledged their support to Ajit in both the general and state Assembly elections; now their loyalties are seen as divided between him and Pawar Senior.
The Malegaon mill's functional area is about 37 villages, and the electorate for the June 22 polls are the 20,000 farmer members of the mill, who are also shareholders in the cooperative. Pawar Senior and Ajit are among the members. The mill's VIP status is reinforced by its reputation of compensating its member farmers well.
Besides these two panels, the 'Sahakar Bachao Shetkari Panel' led by known Pawar baiter Chandrarao Taware, is in the race, along with a panel of Independents. The Tawares, who have for long been the only ones standing between the Pawars and their total dominance of Baramati, joined the BJP in 2019.
Elections will be held on Sunday for more than 3,894 gram panchayats across Gujarat to elect sarpanchs and panchayat members in the first such exercise after the state government announced 27% OBC reservation in local body polls in 2023. Earlier, OBC reservation in local bodies was capped at 10%.
Of 8,326 gram panchayats for which elections were declared on May 25, general and mid-term polls will be held for 3,541 gram panchayats. More than a thousand gram panchayats have been declared uncontested or vacant with no candidate filing their nomination, the State Election Commission (SEC) said.
The SEC said gram panchayat elections in six talukas under Kadi and Visavadar Assembly seats have been cancelled due to by-elections held there on Thursday.
Elections to the lowest level of local government administration are usually not contested on a party basis. Candidates do not fight on party tickets, though they may be affiliated with political parties.
– With PTI inputs