Refuting the claims of leaving his party, Congress leader Mohammed Arif "Naseem" Khan thanked All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) for their offer and said that he will stay in Congress, reported news agency ANI. Addressing a press conference today, Khan pointed out that he belongs to the Muslim community, which is asking him why no Muslim candidates have been announced by the party. "Since independence, Congress gave equal opportunities to minorities and every caste. There is no question about me as an individual. I'm a leader of the Muslim community and Muslims are asking me why no seats have been given for Muslim candidates. So what I told them, is a big question for me. I thank AIMIM for their offer but I will not accept that, no contact with AIMIM. I'm with Congress and I will stay in Congress," he said, reported ANI. "I am not saying anything about leadership. I only speak on what my community thinks. My leaders are Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. But those who are on the ground must change their perspective and think about us too," Khan added, reported ANI. Further, speaking on Varsha Gaikwad, whose candidature was announced yesterday from Mumbai North Central, Mohammed Arif said that he considers Varsha as his sister and has no anger for her. "I have responsibilities for my religion, and people are angry with this decision. So I resigned from the star campaigner post," he said. Earlier, in the letter addressed to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Khan thanked him for naming him as one of the star campaigners for the polls but said he wouldn't campaign any further for the party in the Lok Sabha elections. The MVA, which was previously the ruling combine in Maharashtra, comprises the Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar). Meanwhile, on Thursday, the Muslim Voter Council of India also wrote to Kharge, Nationalist Congress Party-Sharad Chandra Pawar (NCP-SCP) chief Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena (UBT) supremo Uddhav Thackeray, expressing their 'disappointment' over the decision of not fielding Muslim candidates in the Lok Sabha elections. (With inputs from ANI)
27 April,2024 01:55 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentA private bus carrying 36 passengers caught fire at the Mumbai-Pune Expressway near Vadgaon on Saturday, an official said, reported news agency ANI. Fire tenders are on the spot and engaged in dousing fire on Mumbai-Pune Expressway, reported ANI. All the passengers were evacuated in time, and no casualties were reported in the fire on Mumbai-Pune Expressway, reported ANI. Further details are awaited. In another incident, a Mumbai cop who was reportedly returning from a relative's funeral died in an accident on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway in the early hours of April 21, an official said, reported the PTI. The cop, identified as a police sub-inspector (PSI) Suraj Chaugule (55) was driving to his Navi Mumbai home in a car after attending the funeral of a relative in Maharashtra's Raigad district when he met with the accident around 3 am, the official said, according to the PTI. Suraj Chaugule, who was attached to the Parksite police station in Mumbai's Vikhroli area, reportedly lost control over the wheel near Panvel and the vehicle crashed into the railing along the first lane of the expressway's Mumbai-bound arm. He was alone in the car, the official said, as per the PTI. After being alerted by the locals, police rushed Suraj Chaugule to a nearby hospital but doctors declared him dead, he said, the news agency reported on Sunday. The car in which he was travelling was badly damaged, the official added. Meanwhile, two persons were killed and six injured, some of them seriously, after a drunk man driving a tempo knocked down pedestrians and two-wheeler riders in Maharashtra's Palghar district, police said on Friday, reported the PTI. The incident took place in the Wada area on Wednesday night, he said. The police have arrested the tempo driver but are yet to share his details. The tempo first hit pedestrians Ashok Kalingada (36) and Ajinkya Berde (35), killing them on the spot. The drunk driver then rammed the vehicle into a few two-wheelers, injuring six persons, a police official said, reported the PTI. The injured individuals have been admitted to a local hospital where some of them are said to be in critical condition, he said, reported the PTI. The station house officer of Wada police station said the tempo driver has been booked under the Indian Penal Code for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and the Motor Vehicles Act. (With inputs from PTI)
27 April,2024 12:52 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentPolice on Saturday arrested 11 Nigerian nationals in Navi Mumbai for allegedly running a drug racket, and seized from them cocaine and other narcotic substances worth Rs 1.61 crore, an official said, reported news agency PTI. The arrest was made following a raid conducted on Friday, he said. "Acting on a tip-off that some Nigerian nationals residing at Koprigaon in Navi Mumbai's Vashi were operating a drug racket, a team of the police's Anti Human Trafficking Cell (AHTC) conducted a raid at a flat between 3 pm and 7 pm on Friday, and seized drugs from there," the police official said, reported PTI. Eleven Nigerian nationals in Navi Mumbai in the age group of 30 to 50 were nabbed during the operation and were formally placed under arrest in the wee hours of Saturday, the police official said, reported PTI. "The seized drugs comprised mostly cocaine. The stock also included mephedrone and MDMA. The collective value of the drugs is Rs 1,61,00,000," he added, reported PTI. Mobile phones and other equipment worth around Rs 25 lakh was also seized from the accused, he said, reported PTI. A case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act was registered at the APMC police station in Vashi, the official said, adding that investigation was underway. In another case, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Wednesday arrested an African-origin man from Navi Mumbai in a 2023 drug seizure case, an official said, reported PTI. The accused had come to India in 2018 and was staying in the country even after his visa expired, the official said. The exact nationality of the accused was not disclosed. The NCB Mumbai unit had busted an international drug syndicate in October 2023 by seizing 4,970 MDMA pills, sourced from the Netherlands, reported PTI. During the investigation, the accused's role came to light and he was put under surveillance before his arrest on Wednesday from his residence, the official said. Details of multiple international and domestic bank accounts were collected from him and further probe was on. (With inputs from PTI)
27 April,2024 12:36 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentPolice have arrested a 33-year-old man for allegedly extorting builders in Thane district of Maharashtra by posing as a forest department official in Thane, an official said, reported news agency PTI. The Special Task Force (STF) and the Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) of the Thane police's crime branch arrested the accused Prasadkumar Uttam Bhalerao, reported PTI. A builder from Shil Daighar area of Thane lodged a complaint against him in this connection, he said. "Posing as a forest department official in Thane, Bhalerao lodged complaints against the victim and other builders in the region to extort money. On April 23, the accused demanded Rs 7,60,000 from the victim for withdrawing complaints and RTI applications against him," Assistant Commissioner of Police (STF) Shekar Bagde told PTI. After the victim's complaint, the police teams laid a trap and apprehended Bhalerao while accepting the extortion amount of Rs 5.60 lakh at Shil village around 6 pm on Thursday, he said, reported PTI. A case was registered in this connection at the Shil-Daighar police station on April 25 under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 384, 385, 387 (all pertaining to extortion), 170 (personating a public servant), he said. In another case, the police in Maharashtra's Thane district have busted an IPL betting racket by conducting a raid at a hotel in Bhiwandi, and arrested three persons hailing from Chhattisgarh in this connection, an official said, reported PTI. The operation was conducted jointly by the officials of the Special Task Force and the Anti-Extortion Cell of the Thane police's crime branch on April 25, Deputy Commissioner of Police Shivraj Patil said in a press conference on Friday evening. Efforts are on to trace one more accused, who partnered with the arrested trio and operated the racket from Chhattisgarh, he said. "The police had received a tip-off that some persons were inviting people to place their bets on the ongoing IPL cricket matches. Accordingly, a raid was conducted at a hotel in Kongaon village in Bhiwandi between 7.30 pm and 11 pm on Thursday," he said, reported PTI. The accused trio was caught taking bets on the match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad. They were making use of the mobile applications and collected a total of Rs 11,86,811 from people, the official said, reported PTI. The fourth accused, who operated from Chhattisgarh, collected Rs 7,03,000 from people on the bets, he said. "The trio had obtained SIM cards by forging documents. During the raids, the police seized 12 mobiles, one tablet and laptop each collectively valued at Rs 1.97 lakh from them," Patil said, reported PTI. Assistant Commissioner of Police Shekar Bagde said the police have launched an operation to nab the fourth who operated from Korba in Chhattisgarh, reported PTI. The arrested accused were identified as Shannu Lalit Berival (31), Rajat Babula Sharma (30) and Vijay Sitaram Devgan (40), he said, reported PTI. A first information report (FIR) was registered under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 420 (cheating), 465, 467, 468, 471 (all pertaining to forgery) and 34 (common intention) at the Kongaon police station, the official said. (With inputs from PTI)
27 April,2024 12:22 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondent
The season where political content dominates most people's timelines began with the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 phase 1 on April 19. Hilarious memes and edits using film clips are making rounds of the social media platforms with parties finding 'comedic' ways of taking a dig at each other while the supporters join the bandwagon. Clips from Sacha Baron Cohen's black comedy film The Dictator or stills from popular Bollywood films like Welcome, Hera Pheri, Gangs of Wasseypur and others are the meme experts' favourites and they don't seem to be dying down sooner. However, the trend does prompt the thought of whether social media has become a crucial tool for political parties to connect with voters, share their public opinion and influence electoral outcomes. Undoubtedly, social media trends have a significant role in shaping the online landscape affecting what people see, share and discuss. Many entities, including political parties, do keenly follow this and tailor their outreach strategies which could enable these political parties to increase their visibility and reach diverse audiences. To understand the same, mid-day spoke to Aam Aadmi Party leader Preeti Sharma Menon. Sharma Menon says that AAP owes its birth to social media and technology. "AAP started from a movement called India Against Corruption during the gestation of the social media era in India. When technology became accessible, social media became accessible and popular, that's when IAC was born," said the party leader while responding to a question on how important it is for a party to have a social media presence. Also Read: Maharashtra's political landscape braces for seismic shift ahead of Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Preeti added that for AAP use of social media has been as crucial as any other aspect of the party in terms of building an organisation. "We had databases, we urged people to give their opinion to IAC through either missed calls, SMS etc. The party was born out of a social media campaign with the IAC collective asking the public if they should form a political party. It was the public response that created AAP. So I think Aam Aadmi Party owes its birth itself to social media and to technology," she quipped. Utilisation of social media tools Elucidating on the usage of social media as a tool in politics, she said that although the AAP was one of the frontrunners of the movement, it was the Bharatiya Janata Party that capitalised and weaponised it. "BJP has vast resources and they utilised every medium--especially WhatsApp groups. They created content for WhatsApp groups that every person could see on their phones. Back in 2014, it was not a reel, a video or even a meme. They learnt to use WhatsApp optimally and that allowed them to connect amazingly well to the people of India," she said. However, she soon said that in the past few months, the party, despite its small stature, is now neck to neck with them yet again. "We (AAP) are just 10 years old and we are just very young people with very little resources," she opined. Speaking about how AAP utilises the social media tools, Preeti said that the team being relatively small does not have war rooms like Bharatiya Janata Party or others do. She said, "We are not traditional politicians. We don't have traditional manpower or bank reserves to be able to advertise. If and when we could afford, we would use radio advertisements, but we could never afford television advertisements." Preeti Sharma Menon opined that the television channels today do not work independently and that to survive Aam Aadmi Party will have to rely on social media, especially YouTube channels. "It's through YouTube that independent media houses and individuals interested in politics like Akash Banerjee began creating content and their own fanbase. When we realised conventional media would not allow us to air our opinions, we supported YouTube channels. Our leaders did not just back them but also gave interviews, and were regularly involved in their campaigns," she said. Social media campaigns When asked about one of the party's popular campaigns, Sharma Menon said that their 'Muffler Man campaign' ahead of the Delhi Elections in 2015 was one of their successful campaigns. "The muffler man campaign was an idea that came from our volunteers," she said, stating that it was the USP for Arvind Kejriwal as he was being viewed as a man with a muffler tied and broom in hand, ready to take on corruption. She said the campaign was one of the top trends for 25 days straight. "In our party, uh, the social media in charge works on a day-to-day basis with the national leadership. Everything that happens in the political world today is seen on social media and is responded to on social media. So today we are at a stage where I think that our social media campaign is the strongest in the country." "Today we are at a stage in the country where social media is the language of politics; there is no other language. Everything is communicated and done through social media, we speak through social media, we react on social media, we reach out on social media," she said while speaking on communication and transparency. Sharma Menon added that since the party was born out of a people's movement, they did not have to face issues in connecting with the public. Battling misinformation, disinformation It should come as no surprise that social media offers political parties many benefits, but it also comes with risks and obstacles. The speed with which false information circulates, bad press, and cyberbullying can jeopardise political parties' attempts to stay upbeat online and interact positively with voters. Furthermore, social media algorithms' echo chamber effect can make it more difficult for parties to expand outside their current fan base. When asked about it, Preeti Sharma Menon said the party faces a dilemma--to continue with their messaging or to combat misinformation or disinformation about the party. "The biggest challenge that we face today is countering fake news. The flip side is that a lot of false news is generated about us, our leadership and events that take place. It starts right from the top, we don't know where to counter it," she said and added, "The biggest challenge our social media team faces--continue with our messaging or is it necessary to refute fake messaging?" Preeti says while there are websites that conduct fact-checking but the party also comes under pressure. While there are sites like, uh, Alt News and, um, you know, others, Boom and, uh, some others which always keep, uh, debunking social media lies. While AAP has decided to take a call to stick to their messaging it is a tightrope all political parties are walking on. Is social media engagement really bringing votes? While it is understood that social media has become an indispensable part of everyone's lives, it is crucial to see whether it yields as much impact as the political parties and the public believe. Political strategist and founder of Niti Tantra Ritwik Mehta, in an earlier conversation had told mid-day that more than other social media platforms, WhatsApp has become the most-utilised tool. "Often, the people have closed groups based on their communities, localities and through tapping into these spaces, do the local leaders gain prominence among the masses," Mehta opined. However, Tushar Panchal, founder of War Room Strategies, had another perspective to share. Panchal pointed out that social media in the last three to four years lost its relevance in the context of political leaders or political parties connecting with the public. Elaborating on the same, Panchal told mid-day, "Social media is quite a powerful tool, however, it has lost its relevance. When it first launched in the early 2010s, there was novelty---of people having access to politicians or they felt that politicians would respond." The political strategist said that politicians would look at something of interest and would share it on their social media. He added that earlier, leaders like Sushma Swaraj, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and others were once responsive and accessible, however today the public receives an automated response at best. "The idea of social media being social has gone down to drills and it has become like any other media outlet wherein it's just one-way communication which will be heard or viewed by people interested in it. One cannot convert anybody by posting something on their social media," he said further. Substantiating the same, he said that the responses under posts made by top parties or politicians like Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Rahul Gandhi are uniform in the sense that supporters find a way to back them and the non-aligning parties counter every word. That is how social media has become, he said. One-way communication not alluring, says Panchal Speaking in depth about the presence of political parties and politicians, he said that these entities only re-emphasise their message to their people which is very similar to airing an advertisement on television or printing one in the newspaper. "The effectiveness is zero. Whoever is looking for Congress is going to vote for Congress irrespective of whether you are there on social media," he said and reiterated, "Social media is a tool, it is a game by people who are in the business of social media to create so much of hype around it so that people invest in that." Panchal further said, "Earlier, there was some engagement, there were people behind social media. Now everything is algorithm-driven, so there is no connection whatsoever. If you, like three weeks of, say Congress for example, on your social media profile, you start seeing all the Congress servers or posts on social media. If you like three, or four posts on BJP sharing, then you will start looking at all the similar posts. It's taken over by machine." He added that social media makes no difference in electoral outcome unless a person is either really a good leader or someone who is already connected to people and then engages with people on social media. He said that people can communicate whatever they like but whether it is getting converted into a vote or not matters. The War Room Strategies' founder further said that social media does not change people, it only ignites them responding to a question about how echo chambers within messaging applications like WhatsApp influence an individual.
27 April,2024 12:03 PM IST | Mumbai | Sanjana Deshpande
With Lok Sabha polls entering phase 2, a ridiculously large number of Gen Z and millennials are refraining from voting. In a bid to decode why, midday.com interviewed Mumbai's youth, who shared insights into their comprehension (or lack thereof) of the 2024 general elections. “We don’t have much knowledge on this subject,” confessed Suruchi Rastogi (21), a pharmacy student, when queried about her voting history. With a lack of education on who to vote for, the voice of Indian youth remains dormant when it comes to choosing their leader. The world’s largest democracy, India is also home to the largest youth population globally. Despite this demographic prowess, youth influence on the elections appears to be stifled: with fewer than 40 per cent of eligible voters aged between 18 and 19 being registered for the 2024 general elections, according to the Election Commission of India. Several young people interviewed by the Midday team also opined that youth representation is missing from the parliament; and that the current agendas of political parties don’t take into consideration their aspirations. Sumit Anand (23), a student of Rizvi College, Bandra said: “Most of the elected members are senior citizens. For example, LK Advani and Amit Shah sir. They are mostly seniors. I don't see much youth representation in Indian politics.” On the other hand, Shivam Khandelwal (29), who completed his MBA at ICFAI Business School, offers a different perspective, arguing that younger members might not have enough experience to become lawmakers. "I suppose, for now, a millennial obviously would be the one who might get into the parliament. Not anyone post that generation. But even a millennial would lack the aptitude to ensure that the government performs its duties satisfactorily." Saima Akhtar (24), from National College in Khar, opines that there are youth members in Indian politics but not enough. In the current Lok Sabha, only 12 per cent of the members are youth leaders, as per a report by ‘Youth in Politics.’ Some of the prominent youth leaders in India are Sachin Pilot, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Agatha Sangma, Lakshika Dagar and Tejasvi Surya. Also Read: Mumbai: ‘Don’t use model code to strip students of rights’ Does Gen Z know who to vote for and why?While the youth remain complacent in learning about their constituencies and representatives, some of them blame it on their parents for not introducing them to Indian politics. Shifali Bhasin (19), a student of Psychology shares: "I've never felt the need to get a voter ID because my parents never had one either.” Conversely, Anand takes a divergent stance thanks to the escalating presence of Indian political discourse on social media platforms. “Although I have not visited Ayodhya, I have seen that Ram Mandir has been built very well. I think due to the internet trend, BJP will win this time.” When asked about how he decides who to vote for, Anand shared that he assesses candidates based on their five-year performance to determine their effectiveness and accomplishments. “My vote is cast accordingly, taking into account their demonstrated excellence over time,” he added. Parallelly, Khandelwal hints at a growing reliance on hate speech and polarisation amongst politicians to garner votes. “As much as we get to see the events in Delhi, it does feel that this is not going the correct way, however, I am not much into the political part.” Coming from a finance background, Khandelwal places heavy weight on factors like India’s inclusion in the JP Morgan Government Bond Index. “I am happy with the fact that the country is better rated on platforms like CRISIL, ICRA, SMERA. I am not much into politics as I don’t understand it.” Khandelwal separates himself from how politics is unfolding by concentrating on financial prosperity. Saima outlines her criteria for voting decisions: She prioritises development, including infrastructure and educational opportunities, particularly for the youth. Additionally, job availability and international engagement factor into her considerations. What the youth wants from the elected partyGen Z and millennials voice their aspirations from the winning government, prioritising initiatives on education and the environment. Khandelwal stresses that green cover needs to expand to mitigate climate change. “While the ruling party promotes electric cars as a step towards environmental sustainability, the extraction of lithium, a crucial component, poses significant harm to nature, contradicting their green initiatives. Furthermore, I find the ongoing construction of roads unsettling, especially when travelling. It often leaves me questioning: are we living in a concrete jungle?” Driving the focus back to rising unemployment in the country, Anand appeals that the winning party needs to prioritise employment opportunities and invest in infrastructure, particularly in sectors like hospitality, healthcare and education. Given the soaring costs of schooling, steps should be taken to reduce fees, ensuring that more parents can afford quality education for their children. While Bhasin is not voting this year, she highlights 4 issues she wants to be resolved by the party that wins Lok Sabha elections: Academics, Schools, Cleanliness and Mumbai traffic. Saima expands on local issues by emphasising the current condition of road infrastructure in Mumbai. “Give us good roads within the city. Yes, the coastal road project is great but what about internal roads that remain unattended, dug and ruined for years?” She continues, “Moreover, the issue of excessive street hawkers needs to be addressed, along with better regulation of traffic violations such as unauthorised parking and restricted entry areas for vehicles.” Also Read: Explained: Weinstein rape verdict Bringing back the focus on safety, Khandelwal shares that crime rates need to be reduced, especially considering recent incidents where perpetrators easily evade capture. For instance, the shooter at Salman Khan's residence appeared to carry out the act effortlessly, raising questions about law enforcement efficacy. Additionally, reports suggest he was the primary suspect in the Sidhu Moosewala case and managed to flee to Azerbaijan, despite being connected to a jailed relative, prompting concerns about the effectiveness of the justice system. Harsh Singhal (19), pursuing Bachelor of Management Studies appeals to the government to improve the education curriculum, reduce the burden on students, and equip them with practical life skills beyond mere syllabus completion. Additionally, addressing poverty by allocating more funds towards poverty alleviation programs is imperative. Lastly, he remarks that there is a pressing need for global food security initiatives to ensure sustainable access to nutrition for all. Singhal concludes by saying that “rather than having strict rules, I believe there should be more supervision on how these rules are followed in certain states and certain cities.” Also Read: Lok Sabha elections 2024 Phase 2: Scorching heatwave casts shadow on turnout
27 April,2024 10:30 AM IST | Mumbai | Ainie RizviA voter turnout of 56.42 per cent was recorded in eight constituencies of Maharashtra in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024 on Friday, officials said, reported news agency PTI. Voting was held between 7 am and 6 pm in Akola, Amravati, Buldhana, Wardha and Yavatmal-Washim seats in Vidarbha (eastern Maharashtra) and Hingoli, Nanded and Parbhani constituencies in the central Marathwada region. Election officials said Wardha recorded 62.65 per cent turnout, Amravati 57.46, Yavatmal-Washim 56.77, Parbhani 53.79, Akola 54.12, Nanded 59.57, Buldhana 55.88 and Hingoli 52.03, reported PTI. Final figures are likely to be updated by Saturday, they added. No untoward incident was reported during polling in these constituencies and the process went off largely in a peaceful manner, they said, reported PTI. At Rampuri in Nanded Lok Sabha constituency, a 26-year-old man allegedly damaged an electronic voting machine (EVM) by hitting it with an iron object when he came to cast his vote around 4 pm, a police official said. He was detained and during his questioning, he told the police he wanted a pro-farmer and pro-labourer government, he said. In Hingoli, 39 EVMs were found to be faulty during the mock drill carried out by authorities ahead of voting and these were replaced, the official said. According to officials, there were a total of 204 candidates in the fray -- 21 in Buldhana, 15 in Akola, 37 in Amravati, 24 in Wardha, 17 in Yavatmal-Washim, 33 in Hingoli, 23 in Nanded and 34 in Parbhani. As many as 1.49 crore voters (77,21,374 men, 72,04,106 women and 432 persons from third gender category) were eligible to cast ballots across 16,589 polling centres. Former chief minister Ashok Chavan, who recently switched over from the Congress to the BJP, voted along with his family members in the initial hours in Nanded. On April 19, five seats in eastern Vidarbha ¿ Nagpur, Ramtek, Chandrapur, Bhandara-Gondia and Gadchiroli-Chimur ¿ went to polls, registering a voter turnout of 63.70 per cent. Buldhana, Yavatmal-Washim and Hingoli are seeing a direct contest between the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT). The undivided Shiv Sena contested the last general elections in the state in alliance with the BJP. It split in 2022 after Shinde led a rebellion, toppled the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government and joined hands with the BJP to become the CM. In Buldhana, sitting Shiv Sena MP Prataprao Jadhav is pitted against Narendra Khedekar of Sena (UBT). The Shiv Sena has nominated Rajashri Patil in Yavatmal-Washim, dropping sitting MP Bhavana Gawli. Patil is pitted against Sanjay Deshmukh of the Thackeray-led party. In Hingoli, Rajashtri Patil's husband and sitting MP Hemant Patil was replaced by the Shiv Sena, which gave the ticket to Baburao Kohalikar. The Sena nominee is contesting against Nagesh Patil Ashtikar of Sena (UBT). In Parbhani, Mahadev Jankar of Rashtriya Samaj Paksha is contesting against MP Sanjay Jadhav, nominated by the Shiv Sena (UBT). Jankar has been backed by the ruling Mahayuti alliance, comprising BJP, Shiv Shinde Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP. Dr B R Ambedkar's grandson Prakash Ambedkar, who heads the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), has fielded candidates in seven seats, including himself from Akola. His brother Anandraj Ambedkar is in the fray in Amravati as a Republican Sena nominee. In Akola, the contest is between Anup Dhotre of BJP and Abhay Patil of Congress, with Prakash Ambedkar as the third candidate. Amravati is seeing a battle between MP Navneet Rana, now contesting as a BJP nominee, against Balwant Wankhede of Congress. Dinesh Bub is the Prahar Janshakti Party candidate. The Prahar party, which has two legislators in the assembly, is an ally of the ruling coalition. In Wardha, the fight is between former Congress MLA Amar Kale, contesting the Lok Sabha elections 2024 on the symbol of the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) - "a man blowing turha" (a traditional trumpet) - against BJP MP Ramdas Tadas. In Nanded, BJP MP Pratap Chikhalikar is pitted against Congress nominee Vasant Chavan. Maharashtra, which has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second highest after Uttar Pradesh's 80, will vote in three more phases between May 7 and May 20. (With inputs from PTI)
27 April,2024 08:45 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe sessions court in Pune has directed the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Maharashtra Police to investigate allegations against IT major Cognizant Technologies that it paid a bribe through a contractor to local government officials to secure necessary permits and environmental clearances for its campus at Hinjawadi on the city's outskirts, reported news agency PTI. The bribe was allegedly paid between 2013 and 2014. The order was passed on April 19, on a complaint filed by Delhi-based environmental activist and retired police officer Prit Pal Singh through his lawyer Pratik Rajopadhye. The complaint relied on proceedings of the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) of the USA against Cognizant Technology Private Ltd's parent firm Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation, USA regarding alleged bribing and violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Singh had requested the Pune court to direct the ACB to register an offence under the Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act against Cognizant, its Indian construction contractor, and Manikandan Rammurthy, former vice president (administration and real estate officer, Cognizant, India), reported PTI. Additional Sessions Judge S B Hedaoo stated in the order that as the reference to the alleged transaction was found in the US SEC order, there was sufficient material to forward the complaint to the ACB Pune. Unless an offence was registered against the unknown government officers involved the alleged bribery, "this matter would not move even inch further", the court observed, adding that without an urgent investigation, evidence in the company's computers may vanish. "Complaint is forwarded to Anti Corruption Bureau, Pune under section 156(3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure for investigation. Anti- Corruption Bureau, Pune is directed to investigate these allegations and submit a report," the order said, reported PTI. As per the complaint, the contractor firm which constructed the software firm's Hinjawadi and Chennai offices informed it that bribes were required to be paid to government officials at both places to obtain necessary permits and environmental clearances. Cognizant, USA and its Indian subsidiary allegedly agreed to this, the complaint said. In 2013-2014, USD 7,70,000 were reimbursed by the Indian subsidiary company to the contractor firm (which had allegedly paid the bribe of the same amount on its behalf) with regard to the Pune campus, the complaint claimed, citing the US SEC order, reported PTI. "Some time in 2016, in the internal audit of parent company at U.S.A. this fraud was detected and as against this bribe amount so pumped up to India, some fake vouchers and bills of non-existing work were raised to cover up the bribe transaction. The parent company in U.S.A. conveyed this fact to Securities Exchange Commission, U.S.A. Before this statutory authority, the Department of Justice of U.S.A. prosecuted the parent company and parent company admitted its offence and undertook to pay the penalty of 25 million dollars to U. S. government by entering into a settlement of deferment of prosecution as per U.S.A. law. The order to that effect was passed by SEC, USA on 15/02/2019," the Pune court's order stated. When contacted, Cognizant said in a statement that it does not comment on sub-judice matters and it was "committed to complying with the law", reported PTI. (With inputs from PTI)
27 April,2024 08:40 AM IST | Pune | PTIAfter resigning from the campaign committee of the Congress party as the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition in Maharashtra didn't field a single Muslim candidate in the Lok Sabha elections 2024, the party senior leader Muhammed Arif 'Naseem' Khan said that the people and organisations of minority communities are upset and angry with the party's decision, reported news agency ANI. Talking to ANI, Khan said that it has been Congress's ideology from the old days to take everyone along, irrespective of their community. "In Maharashtra, there is a lot of anger in people and organisations of minority communities, because there is not a single candidate from minority communities in 48 Lok Sabha seats. I am also angry because it has been Congress's ideology from the old days to take everyone along, irrespective of whether they're from the minority community, OBC, Maratha community, SC or ST," the party leader said. He further said that the people of minority communities expect their voices to be represented in the Lok Sabha but this time it's not happening and thus they are upset, reported ANI. "There has been a tradition of giving representatives for every community. Maharashtra has always remained a programming state. Abdul Rahman Antula was a Member of Parliament from Maharashtra. People of minority communities expect their voices to be represented in the Lok Sabha which is not happening this time and thus they are upset," Khan said. "What is the reason there is no candidate from minority communities? If I go to people for campaigning they will ask questions and I don't have answers so I have decided I won't campaign for the third, fourth and fifth phases of elections," he added. Earlier, in the letter referred to Congress President, Khan thanked Mallikarjun Kharge for naming him as one of the star campaigners for the polls and said that he won't be campaigning for the party in the Lok Sabha elections 2024. MVA is the coalition of three parties in Maharashtra -- Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar). "From a total of 48 seats in Maharashtra, MVA has not nominated a single Muslim candidate in Maharashtra," he stated in the letter. The senior leader said that many Muslim organizations, leaders, and party workers in the state were expecting Congress to field at least 1 candidate but "unfortunately" the party hasn't nominated a single Muslim candidate, reported ANI. "Now they are asking...Congress ko Muslim vote chahiye...candidate kyu nahi (Congress wants Muslim votes, but why not candidates)?" Khan stated. Stating that he is "upset' with the party's "unfair decision", the Congress leader said that he fulfilled his election responsibilities in several states -- Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Telangana, Gujarat, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Karnataka, Maharashtra and others -- whenever the party asked him to. "Due to all these reasons, I will not be able to face and I have no answers to the Muslims and other Muslim organizations in Maharashtra who always raise this issue...Therefore, I have decided not to campaign for the party during the Lok Sabha elections 2024 and also resign from the campaign committee of the Maharashtra Lok Sabha election 2024," the letter further added. Meanwhile, on Thursday, the Muslim Voter Council of India wrote a letter to Mallikarjun Kharge, Nationalist Congress Party-Sharad Chandra Pawar (NCP-SCP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and expressed their "disappointment" over not fielding Muslim candidates in the Lok Sabha elections. Adbul Bari Khan, Chief Convenor, of the Muslim Voter Council of India, said that the polling for the first phase has been completed and we are looking for the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh phases. The MVA recently announced its seat-sharing arrangement for Maharashtra's 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second-largest contributor to the lower house of Parliament, after Uttar Pradesh with 80 seats. Under the arrangement, Shiv Sena (UBT) will contest 21 seats, Congress will fight on 17 seats and Nationalist Congress Party (SP) will put up candidates in 10 seats. The elections in the state will be held in the state in five phases from April 19 to May 20. Votes will be counted on June 4. (With inputs from ANI)
27 April,2024 08:30 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentA voter turnout of 53.51 per cent was recorded till 5 pm in eight constituencies of Maharashtra in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections on Friday, officials said.Voting was held between 7 am and 6 pm in Akola, Amravati, Buldhana, Wardha and Yavatmal-Washim seats in Vidarbha (eastern Maharashtra) and Hingoli, Nanded and Parbhani constituencies in the central Marathwada region. Till 5 pm, Wardha recorded 56.66 per cent turnout, Amravati 54.50, Yavatmal-Washim 54.04, Parbhani 53.79, Akola 52.49, Nanded 52.47, Buldhana 52.24 and Hingoli 52.03, election officials said. No untoward incident was reported during polling in these constituencies and the process went off largely in a peaceful manner, they said. At Rampuri in Nanded Lok Sabha constituency, a 26-year-old man allegedly damaged an electronic voting machine (EVM) by hitting it with an iron object when he came to cast his vote around 4 pm, a police officer said. The man has been identified as Bhayasaheb Yedke. Yedke was detained and during his questioning, he told the police that he wanted a pro-farmer and pro-labourer government in power, he said. According to officials, there were a total of 204 candidates in the fray—21 in Buldhana, 15 in Akola, 37 in Amravati, 24 in Wardha, 17 in Yavatmal-Washim, 33 in Hingoli, 23 in Nanded and 34 in Parbhani. As many as 1.49 crore voters (77,21,374 men, 72,04,106 women and 432 persons from third gender category) were eligible to cast ballots across 16,589 polling centres. Maharashtra, which has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second highest after Uttar Pradesh, will vote in three more phases between May 7 and May 20. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
27 April,2024 07:28 AM IST | Mumbai | AgenciesThere is dismay and anger among BJP workers in Mumbai North about fake news circulating in certain sections of the media that Piyush Goyal, the party's candidate for the constituency, visited a fish market with a cloth on his nose. They are angry at what they say are attempts by the Opposition to spread a malicious defamatory campaign against Goyal about an incident, which, ironically, never even happened. The party believes that this concocted piece has been planted and is being spread with a vicious agenda of maligning the motives and intent of Goyal. Incidentally, the news report neither mentions the date of his alleged visit nor its time. Insiders say that Goyal’s campaign agenda is marked on a minute-to-minute basis and every movement is mapped according to a plan, photographed and recorded. They are 100 per cent sure that the report is fake and planted by vested interestsWhile the issue of deepfakes of actors Aamir Khan and Ranveer Singh has barely died down, this malicious fake news, they say, is clearly intended to sow seeds of ill feeling in the minds of sections of voters against the BJP candidate. Those in the know of local politics think that at a time when the party and the candidate have been making rounds of fishing villages and interacting with the local community to share information about scores of schemes being launched for the benefit of fishing communities and the fisheries sector, this kind of fake news is an attempt to create some kind of misunderstanding among the local population. They say the ‘news’ is concocted, fictitious and blatantly insulting to the being of Goyal.
27 April,2024 07:25 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentADVERTISEMENT
