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Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
What Maha wishes will happen: Uddhav on tie-up with Raj
Mumbai: (UBT) chief on Friday said whatever the people of Maharashtra wish will happen, comments coming amid speculation over the possibility of an alliance between his party and the led by his cousin Raj. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Talking to reporters, the former CM said there was no confusion in the minds of workers of both parties about an alliance. Speculation about the alliance has picked up pace ahead of civic body polls and the poor show by MNS and UBT Sena in the 2024 assembly elections. Uddhav, however, parried questions on whether there were any kind of tie-up talks taking place currently between his party and MNS, a party floated by Raj Thackeray in 2006. UBT Sena MP Sanjay Raut suggested there may have been phone calls between the two cousins. He did not elaborate further. MNS spokesperson and Mumbai unit president Sandeep Deshpande said Sena (UBT) should first send a formal proposal to Raj Thackeray or at least make a phone call to break the ice. He cited instances of the 2014 assembly polls and 2017 Mumbai civic body elections when MNS had made an attempt to form an alliance with the undivided Shiv Sena. Asked about the developments, CM Devendra Fadnavis said there was nothing to react to the buzz about Uddhav and Raj reuniting politically. "It is for Raj Thackeray to react to Uddhav Thackeray's comments that what people want will happen. How am I concerned? They will decide whether to have an alliance or not," Fadnavis told reporters during a visit to Gadchiroli. Deputy CM Eknath Shinde declined to respond to a question on the matter but said Mahayuti comprising BJP and its allies will win local body polls. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Deputy CM Ajit Pawar said it was up to Raj and Uddhav to take a call. "What is the point in you and me discussing it?" he asked. The Congress said it will welcome such an alliance. State Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe said, "There have been talks from both the Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS that they will join hands to protect Maharashtra's interests and keep a communal BJP away. If the two parties come together for this, we will welcome the move." The Thackeray cousins have recently indicated they could ignore "trivial issues" and join hands. While Raj has said uniting in the interest of the Marathi 'manoos' was not difficult, Uddhav has insisted he was ready to put aside trivial fights, provided those working against Maharashtra's interests were not entertained. On Thursday, MNS' Amit Thackeray said alliances do not happen by making statements in the media, and added Uddhav and Raj should talk. PTI
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
BMC being run by CM office, says Aaditya; Shinde defends civic performance
Mumbai: With BMC polls looming, the Opposition attacked the BJP and deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde for the chaos in the city after Monday's heavy downpour. SS (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray pointed out that the civic corporation was being run by an administrator who was directly under the control of the CM and deputy CM as local body polls had not been held. "The BMC is being run by the chief minister's office and the urban development department (led by Shinde) because no polls have been held. The rains have revealed the BJP's corruption. The city cannot trust the BJP because then the state of the Gokhale bridge will be repeated across the city," he alleged. "Shinde lied when he said Mumbai would be pot-hole free in two years. He only filled the holes in his own pockets," Thackeray said. "This is not the first spell of rain this season. We have been saying for the last two months that nullah safai has not been done properly," he said. Meanwhile, Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad said on X, "After the first rain, Mumbai has come to a standstill. It has been held to ransom by this corrupt regime and its contractor friends." NCP-SP MLA Jitendra Awhad said, "When his (Uddhav) party was in power, some of the leaders who are now in the ruling party used to cry hoarse questioning Thackeray's absence during water logging in Mumbai. Why have they gone silent now?" State culture minister Ashish Shelar from the BJP, hit back at the SS (UBT) saying the Thackeray-led Sena had been in power in the BMC for decades and established a nexus with corrupt contractors. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo Shelar said Thackeray was angry because the Mahayuti govt had cracked down on fixers and the contractor cartel. Aaditya Thackeray was "enjoying in a foreign country" when members of the government were checking nullahs, he added. "For 25 years, UBT Sena and BMC contractors looted Mumbai. They looted Rs 3 lakh crores spent by the BMC on Mumbai roads. The UBT Sena did not complete BRIMSTOWAD work to prevent Mumbai from flooding," Shelar said on X. Meanwhile, Shinde and state disaster management minister Girish Mahajan visited the BMC headquarters to assess the situation. Defending BMC's performance, Shinde said the monsoon usually sets in after June 10 in the city. The early onset brought over 250 mm of rainfall in a single day—five times the expected daily average—resembling a cloudburst. "This led to major disruptions across the city. Although suburban rail services have resumed, BEST buses must be deployed at key railway stations in case of further interruptions. Water logging in low-lying areas has been addressed and the BMC has been instructed to keep these pumps fully operational," he said.
Time of India
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
UBT test in bastions; Mahayuti aims to cement 2024 win
The Supreme Court has directed the Maharashtra Election Commission to conduct local body polls within four months, a crucial test for parties like the UBT Sena, which traditionally holds power in key civic bodies such as Mumbai and Thane. These elections are also vital for the Mahayuti alliance to validate their 2024 assembly win. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Decks have been cleared for holding the local body polls in Maharashtra, with the Supreme Court on Tuesday asking the Maharashtra Election Commission to notify and hold the elections within four months. The local body polls, dubbed as the mini assembly polls in Maharashtra, are being looked at with keen interest this time as they would determine the fate of parties like the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) municipal corporations are being run with an administrator since 2022 after the SC had issued a stay due to legal challenges over providing reservation for OBCs in local body polls. However, now civic bodies like those in Mumbai, Thane and Pune, Nagpur, Kalyan Dombivali and others could soon have Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan Dombivali civic elections would be significant because these have been the traditional strongholds of the Thackerays. The UBT Sena has been relevant in Maharashtra in spite of coming to power only twice because it has been in power in these civic bodies for several the same time, the local body polls are also crucial for the Mahayuti alliance as it came to power largely on the back of the Ladli Bahin scheme under which the government has now cut down the beneficiaries. The Mahayuti would be keen to prove that winning the 2024 assembly polls was not a the UBT Sena is not able to maintain its hold in civic bodies, its prospects for the 2029 assembly polls would get CM Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said that the Mahayuti would contest the local body polls in alliance with its are, however, doubts on whether the Maharashtra ECI could hold the polls within four months and there are already talks that the state ECI would approach the Supreme Court to conduct the polls in phases as the four-month deadline would mean holding the polls during the monsoons in September which would not be feasible. Earlier today, the SC said that the poll commission could approach the court to seek an extension in appropriate (Sharadchandra Pawar) faction's Maharashtra president Jayant Patil sounded a note of caution over the deadline, saying, "Although it took three years, we are happy with the Supreme Court decision as this would keep the grassroots democracy alive."
Time of India
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Min Uday Samant: 5 years time to increase Ladki Bahin dole
Nagpur: Cabinet minister Uday Samant has clarified that the Mahayuti government has a five-year window to fulfil its electoral commitments. He was addressing queries about the pending increase in Ladki Bahin allowance from Rs1,500 to Rs2,100 monthly. During his Nagpur visit for an official function, Samant dismissed UBT Sena as irrelevant, stating that responding to their criticism was pointless. Samant said, "The Ladki Bahin scheme is something which is part of Mahayuti's agenda. Whatever needs to be done to that scheme, can be done as we have five more years. Whenever an agenda is decided, its time frame is spread over five years. The right decision will be taken at the appropriate time." Addressing UBT Shiv Sena's remarks about deputy CM Eknath Shinde's Kashmir visit, Samant remarked, "UBT is finished, so their jibes don't matter. But we show grace in how we respond. They (UBT) make comments if Shinde goes to Kashmir to help people, while we don't say anything even if they go to London." Regarding the recent controversy involving Shiv Sena (Shinde) MLA Sanjay Gaikwad's inappropriate remarks about the police force, which prompted CM Devendra Fadnavis to issue a reprimand, Samant confirmed that 'Gaikwad has apologized already for those statements'.
Time of India
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Saamna all for Thackeray reunion talks, attacks BJP
Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece Saamna on Monday endorsed discussions related to a potential reconciliation between Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray and criticised the BJP leadership , including CM Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde, accusing them of causing damage to the state. While the editorial mentioned Uddhav's statement that MNS should maintain a distance from the BJP and the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, MNS insiders called Uddhav's 'rider' odd. An MNS insider voiced concerns about the UBT Sena's "conditions" and cited previous unsuccessful reconciliation attempts while underlining that there may be problems for its cadre to get tickets for the upcoming civic polls in Marathi-dominated areas. On Sunday, MNS Mumbai chief Sandeep Deshpande had stated, "We were betrayed twice by them (UBT Sena), first in 2014 and then in 2017, when we were in discussions for a possible election tie-up, at the last minute." With Mumbai's civic polls approaching, political organisations are seeking alliances to bolster their electoral prospects. Saamna's Monday editorial alleged that "Shah-Modi, Fadnavis and Shinde along with others attacked Shiv Sena of Balasaheb Thackeray to make Maharashtra weak." In an apparent reference to Shinde, UBT Sena MP and Saamna editor Sanjay Raut posted a video on X suggesting discussions about his leader's potential alliance with Raj had unsettled certain groups. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo Sena minister Uday Samant said, "Raj takes his own decision and will not bend if anyone sets 'conditions.'" Sena's Thane MP Naresh Mhaske called Uddhav a modern-day Duryodhan and said Uddhav's efforts to reconcile with his cousin were driven by desperation ahead of BMC elections. He accused Uddhav of denying Raj his rightful place in the party. Raj left for abroad before his interview, recorded a few weeks ago, in which he showed openness to patch up, was put out on Friday, with Uddhav responding positively but with conditions. Raj's party indicated any directions about a future dialogue would be clarified on his return. Meanwhile, MNS city chief Deshpande has extended invitations to UBT Sena's Aaditya Thackeray, BJP's Ashish Shelar, the Shinde-led Sena and Congress and NCP to attend its 'shadow corporation house' near CSMT on April 26 to address public issues. In the absence of a functioning corporation house (as corporator terms ended in 2022), Deshpande has organised this shadow house. The attendance of the invitees remains uncertain. -Inputs by Manoj Badgeri
