Latest news with #UddhavThackeray-led
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Cong to go solo in BMC elections, decision taken at meeting in New Delhi
MUMBAI: In a major move, the Congress has decided to contest the crucial upcoming BMC elections on its own. The party leadership is of the view that going solo is necessary to safeguard the party's organisational interests, given that its position is getting weaker with every passing year. A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting held in New Delhi on May 13 where all the senior leaders from Mumbai were present, Congress insiders revealed. The decision has come at a time when the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), another Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) ally, has expressed willingness to join hands with Thackeray's estranged cousin and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray in the interest of Maharashtra and Marathi people. 'All the party leaders in Mumbai were determined that the Congress should not think of contesting the BMC polls as part of the MVA,' revealed a senior leader privy to the development. Another senior leader is believed to have told the party bosses in the New Delhi meeting that the Congress had already started losing its voter base to its alliance partners. 'If we contest the BMC elections in alliance, we will completely lose our ground in the city,' he reportedly said. Some leaders also expressed their unhappiness at the lower number of seats given to the Congress in Mumbai in the Lok Sabha and assembly elections last year. The party got two seats—Mumbai North and Mumbai North Central—in the Lok Sabha elections while in the assembly polls it had to be content with only 11 seats. A Congress MLA present at the meeting confirmed the development. 'The BMC election is directly related to the roots of the organisation,' he said. 'It helps create new leadership. To strengthen the party organisation, it is vital to contest the polls on our own.' Another leader said that the party's voter base was on the decline, for which it was necessary to go alone. 'The option for a post-poll alliance with the MVA partners is always open,' he said. The Congress' Maharashtra in-charge Ramesh Chennithala too said that the local leadership was keen on contesting the BMC polls, and a discussion had taken place in this regard. 'But first of all, I want to make it clear that the Congress will remain part of the MVA coalition though we may contest on our own,' he told Hindustan Times. 'The MVA will continue to exist.' Chennithala admitted that the predominant feeling in the party was that it should go alone. 'This is because in the Lok Sabha elections we were given only two seats in Mumbai, of which we could win only one,' he elaborated. 'In the assembly elections too, we again got only 11 seats. It is a fact that the party leaders are very unhappy. For local elections, the views of the local leadership and local issues are always considered.' The performance of the Congress, in the city where it was formed, has been in decline since 2007. In 2007, the party won 75 seats, which reduced to 56 in 2012 and even further to 31 in the last elections held in 2017. Of these, several former corporators have left the party and joined the ruling Shiv Sena and BJP. Those present at the meeting were Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of the opposition Rahul Gandhi, general secretary KC Venugopal, Chennithala, CWC members Chandrakant Handore, Arif Naseem Khan, city chief Varsha Gaikwad, former city president Ashok Jagtap, MLAs Amin Patel and Aslam Shaikh, former ministers Suresh Shetty and Madhu Chavan and treasurer Amarjit Singh Manhas.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Recreating Bal Thackeray's voice and making Saamana anchor, Sena (UBT) banks big time on AI
From recreating Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray's voice to developing an Artificial Intelligence anchor for its mouthpiece Saamana , the Shiv Sena (UBT) is betting big on AI ahead of the coming civic polls in Maharashtra. The opposition party is likely to use this new-age technology to reach out to a wider section of people, specially youngsters who are tech-savvy. Elections to various civic bodies, including the cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, are likely to be held later this year. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Semua yang Perlu Anda Ketahui Tentang Limfoma Limfoma Pelajari Undo Banking on AI by the Uddhav Thackeray-led party comes at a time when he is facing challenges in his political career, in view of the split in the Shiv Sena and collapse of his Maha Vikas Aghadi government in 2022 as well as poor show in the state polls last year. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Anil Desai told PTI that he uses AI as much as possible, specially for data analysis. Live Events In April, the Shiv Sena (UBT) used AI to recreate a voice resembling Bal Thackeray, in his trademark style, to address party workers at an event in Nashik, in a bid to shore up the Uddhav Thackeray-led outfit's prospects after the state assembly polls debacle last year. The speech tried to create, according to the Shiv Sena (UBT), what Bal Thackeray would have said had he been alive. The AI speech saw attacks primarily aimed at the ruling BJP and the rival Shiv Sena led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde . It also tried to have the mannerisms, tone which Bal Thackeray used during his speeches. On Friday, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP and party mouthpiece's executive editor Sanjay Raut unveiled 'Tejasvi AI', claimed to be the first Artificial Intelligence anchor in Marathi media. The AI anchor will read out news on Saamana's YouTube channel, he said. Dressed in a black suit, AI anchor appears to be a man in his late twenties or early thirties with a sharp nose and jawline. Some Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders, including its Lok Sabha member Anil Desai, are even using AI for their day-to-day use. Desai credited Uddhav Thackeray 's son and Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray behind using AI in functioning. The Mumbai South-Central MP said he has been using AI for data analysis wherever possible to understand statistics better. "I try to use the AI as much as possible. But it is not the only tool or source I use," Desai said. Last month, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) digitally recreated the voice of its founder N T Rama Rao (NTR) using AI for an invitation video for its annual conclave in Kadapa district.
Deccan Herald
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
ED arrested me as I stopped BJP from coming to power in 2019, was protective wall of MVA govt: Sanjay Raut
In his book, 'Narkartala Swarg' (Heaven in Hell), Raut also claimed action was taken against him as he was the 'protective wall' of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government which came to power that year.
India Today
13-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Another blow to Uddhav Sena as ex-Mumbai corporator resigns ahead of civic polls
In another blow to the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, Tejasvee Ghosalkar, the party's Vibhag Pramukh from Dahishar in Mumbai, resigned from her post, citing difference with the local Ghosalkar's resignation comes months after the murder of her husband and Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator Abhishek Ghosalkar, who was shot dead during a Facebook Live broadcast in February an ex-corporator, reportedly sent her resignation via WhatsApp to the block in-charge. Sources told India Today TV that she is now weighing her political options, with the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction emerging as possible destinations. Her departure has triggered concern within the Shiv Sena (UBT), especially with the high-stakes civic body polls an effort to placate her, Tejasvee was summoned to Matoshree, the Thackeray residence in suburban Bandra, and senior party leaders attempted to persuade her to reconsider her Ghosalkar, 41, son of former Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator Vinod Ghosalkar, was shot dead in Borivali on February 8, 2022. The attack — in which he sustained four gunshot wounds to the abdomen and shoulder — was captured on video and quickly went viral, sending shockwaves across Maharashtra. His attacker, 47-year-old Mauris Noronha, died by suicide shortly
Hindustan Times
05-05-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
54 leopards well and thriving in national park: Census
MUMBAI: The state forest department and Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) authorities have released the latest census figures of leopards, and revealed that there are a minimum of 54 leopards in the premises and surrounding landscapes. SGNP is one of the rare national parks that is surrounded by a metropolis and has survived despite high human interference. The large-scale camera-trap survey was led by the Wildlife Conservation Society–India, and the Maharashtra forest department, aided by WeWork India Management Limited. 'This reaffirms the city's extraordinary story of coexistence between humans and big cats,' said a forest officer. The survey, conducted between February and June 2024, spanned SGNP, Aarey Milk Colony, and the Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary (TWLS). Teams deployed camera traps at 57 locations in SGNP and 33 locations in TWLS. Over 50 forest department staffers were closely involved throughout, with specialised training sessions conducted to build their capacity in wildlife monitoring. In SGNP and Aarey Milk Colony, 54 individual leopards were identified, including 36 females and 16 males. In the case of two leopards, the gender could not be identified. Four leopard cubs were documented during the survey. A large part of Aarey Milk Colony was declared a protected forest during the tenure of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government. Three adult male leopards were identified in TWLS. Three female leopards first photo-captured in 2015 were re-captured again in 2024, showing nine years of survival within SGNP. The camera traps also recorded a rich diversity of mammals, including deer, sambars, jungle cats, palm civets, mouse deer and rusty-spotted cats. During the exercise, a significant incident highlighted the challenges faced by Mumbai's leopards in navigating an increasingly urbanised landscape. A male leopard, initially photographed inside TWLS, travelled approximately nine kilometres across dense human settlements, major highways and railway lines to reach Vasai Fort—a testament to the adaptability and resilience of the big cats. 'The continued presence of these magnificent leopards in such a densely populated urban region speaks volumes about Nature's resilience—and the importance of conserving the green spaces they depend on,' said SGNP's field director Anita Patil. 'Scientific monitoring exercises like this one are vital for understanding the status of our wildlife and planning informed conservation actions.' SGNP had conducted a leopard census after COVID-19 but the reports were not published.
