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110 candidates' nominations found valid for Maharashtra's 5 seats

According to the Chief Electoral Officer's office in Maharashtra, 110 of the 181 nominations received for the first phase of polling for five Lok Sabha seats were found to be legitimate after vetting. In Nagpur, 26 of 53 nominations were approved, while in Bhandara-Gondiya, 22 of 40 papers passed the criteria. Similarly, all 12 candidates' papers in Gadchiroli-Chimur were confirmed legitimate, as were 15 of 35 in Chandrapur and 35 of 41 in Ramtek, reported PTI.  The report further stated that the candidates have until March 30 to withdraw their nominations. The elections for all five Lok Sabha constituencies in the Vidarbha area are set for April 19. Maharashtra, which has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second biggest after Uttar Pradesh, will vote in five phases beginning April 19, the report further stated.  Another PTI report had previously quoted the State Chief Electoral Officer saying that they had received a total of 229 nominations by 183 candidates for five constituencies in east Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. Rashmi Barve's caste validity cancelled In a setback to the Congress and by extension Maha Vikas Aghadi, the caste validity of its candidate Rashmi Barve was cancelled by the social justice department's caste verification body, stated another mid-day report. Ramtek constituency is reserved for the Scheduled Castes (SC) and thence candidates are necessitated to produce a valid caste certificate with their nomination papers.  The Ramtek constituency's returning officer was undergoing nomination review. The report added that the ruling received late on Thursday night was anticipated. It further stated that Barve's opponents had arrived to file their nomination with the state panel's orders.  Meanwhile, the grand old party has a plan B up its sleeve; the party is mulling fielding Barve's husband against Shiv Sena (Shinde)'s Raju Parve for this constituency.  Meanwhile, State Congress chief Nana Patole claimed that the invalidation of Rashmi Barve's caste certificate was a state-sponsored conspiracy to disqualify her. He was quoted in the report as saying, "The cancellation of Barve's caste validity certificate is an act of political vendetta. It is now evident that the BJP is scared of the opposition and sees its defeat." He further confirmed that the party had an alternative in Ramtek.

29 March,2024 09:36 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Union Minister Ramdas Athawale/ X

BJP neglecting longtime ally RPI(A), says Union Min Ramdas Athawale

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale voiced discontent with the treatment of his party, the Republican Party of India (A), by its ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Athawale stated that despite being a 12-year ally, the RPI(A) was overlooked in the seat-sharing process for Maharashtra's impending Lok Sabha Elections 2024. He claimed that while new partners were given preference, his party's name was nowhere to be found. Athawale raised the concerns of RPI workers who felt mistreated and marginalised inside the alliance, reported PTI.  He was quoted in the report as saying, "But, unfortunately, the name of RPI(A) is nowhere to be seen in the seat-sharing process. New partners are being given preference, while my party, which has been an ally of BJP for 12 years, is neglected." He added, "The Mahayuti (ruling alliance) was formed after RPI supported BJP-Shiv Sena in the 2012 BMC elections. The Mahayuti did not get formed because Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar joined. There is a complaint among RPI workers that the party is not getting respect. They expressed it in today's meeting here." Per the PTI report, Athawale claimed that he had asked for two seats for his party to contest during Lok Sabha Elections 2024, especially Shirdi and Solapur, but to no effect. He emphasised the necessity of resolving RPI workers' concerns and stated that if the BJP did not provide two seats, they should consider what else could be supplied to the RPI(A). Athawale announced intentions to meet with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to communicate his party's thoughts. Athawale also stated a number of demands, including cabinet-rank jobs at the national and state levels, federation chairman roles, MLC positions, and a considerable number of state election seats, reported PTI. He emphasised the RPI's unflinching support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi while lamenting a lack of consultation and inclusion in alliance decision-making processes. "We will demand that RPI should get one cabinet rank position in the Centre. In the state, they should give us one cabinet post, chairman positions in a couple of federations, and other positions. We will demand at least one MLC position and at least 10 seats in the state elections," Athawale said. He further claimed, "The RPI is strongly standing with PM Narendra Modi. However, party workers believe RPI is being insulted and I have been asked to take an appropriate decision. The RPI is not taken into confidence, the party is not being summoned for any meeting, and there is no discussion with the party over seat-sharing." Athawale encouraged the BJP to change its position on Shirdi's Lok Sabha seat, stating that the RPI(A) may win it. He also voiced dissatisfaction with the omission of his photograph on alliance posters with other major leaders. Overall, Athawale's words shed insight into the BJP's fragile relationship with its long-standing ally, the RPI(A).

29 March,2024 09:36 AM IST | Pune | mid-day online correspondent
Prakash Ambedkar

Prakash Ambedkar accuses Sanjay Raut of stabbing VBA in the back

Prakash Ambedkar of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi on Thursday accused Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut of stabbing him and his outfit in the back after the seat-sharing talks with the Maha Vikas Aghadi failed without any agreement between the two sides. Ambedkar was in talks with the MVA, which comprises the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) and the Shiv Sena (UBT), for the Lok Sabha polls but recently announced candidates on several seats. Twitter war breaks out In a post on social media platform X, Ambedkar said, “How many lies Sanjay (Raut) is going to spread? If our thoughts are same, then why were we not invited to the MVA meetings? Why have you been holding meetings without inviting any representative of the VBA?" "Despite being a political ally, you have stabbed us in our back. We know what kind of discussions you had held at the silver oak (the residence of opposition stalwart Sharad Pawar), you had even proposed building a candidate against Prakash Ambedkar in Akola Lok Sabha constituency," he further said on X. Raut was talking about an alliance but “on the other hand you conspire against us”, Ambedkar alleged in his social media post. Battlelines drawn Ambedkar will fight from Akola, though VBA has said it will support the MVA in Nagpur, where the Congress’ Vikas Thakre is up against BJP heavyweight and Union minister Nitin Gadkari. Maharashtra Cong forms 4 committees >> The Congress in Maharashtra on Thursday set up four committees tasked with handling various matters related to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, and one of them will be headed by party veteran and former chief minister Sushilkumar Shinde. >> The Shinde, also a former Union minister, will head the 31-member coordination committee of the Congress in the state, the opposition party said here. >> The publicity and publication committee will be headed by Congress group leader in the Legislative Council Satej Patil and it will have 23 members. >> The election management committee, having 26 members, will be led by Nana Gawande, state Congress general secretary (organisation), said the party. >> The 18-strong media and communication panel will be headed by state party spokesperson Atul Londhe. >> The Congress is a constituent of the state-level opposition bloc Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). >> The Maharashtra, which has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second highest after Uttar Pradesh (80), will vote in five phases starting from April 19.

29 March,2024 05:48 AM IST | Mumbai | A Correspondent
The project will be a Make in India initiative

Mumbai Monorail service receives technology-advanced coaches

There are hopes for the revival of Mumbai Monorail services as the first coach of the four-car mono train arrived at its Wadala depot on Wednesday. Ten four-car trains are expected to arrive with the MMRDA commissioning Medha SMH Rail Pvt. Ltd for the new fleet. Being a Make in India initiative, Telangana-based Medha Servo Drives, along with Malaysia-based SMH Rail, had secured a Rs 700 crore contract for 40 cars, which will make ten four-car trains. The earlier Malaysian company Scomi which had manufactured the older Monorail rakes for Mumbai is no longer servicing them. “The new Monorail rakes are technologically better and will have improved riding quality, have a metal body like Metro trains and increased frequency,” an official said. “Once the trains undergo trials from the manufacturers, they will need to be cleared by the Commissioner of Railway Safety for final approval before putting into public use. Once inducted in service, the frequency of service will come down from presently 20-25 minutes to five minutes,” he added. In January 2024, the MMRDA had already merged the Monorail Project Implementation Unit with the Maha Mumbai Metro Operation Corporation to revive the financially struggling Mumbai Monorail. At present, the monorail has been incurring losses, estimated to be  in the region of R529 crore in 2023-24. “The problem with the monorail is its route, which has been selected between Chembur station and Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk (Saat Rasta between Curry Road and Mahalaxmi station), where much crowding is not available. Though services and reliability improve, there will be only a limited maximum number of commuters that will be able to use the service,” commuter activist Jitendra Gupta of the Citizens’ Transport Committee said. 10No of four car trains expected to arrive

29 March,2024 05:46 AM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B. Aklekar
Police impersonation has been increasing with voice cloning being just one type of AI cyber fraud

Mumbai: Quick thinking woman thwarts AI scam attempt

Following this paper’s exposure of scammers using AI tools and voice conversion apps to impersonate police officers and prey on parents, a woman from Mumbai reached out to the mid-day. She recounted an incident where she received a similar call but remained cautious, recognising the potential scam. One major warning sign for her was that law enforcement authorities typically do not communicate via WhatsApp. The woman identified as Neha Boradia, informed mid-day about the concerning trend of scammers exploiting AI and voice conversion technology to deceive parents with fabricated allegations of their children’s involvement in rape cases, subsequently demanding payment for settlements. “I received a similar call from an unknown number with a Pakistani code. The caller contacted me via WhatsApp, displaying a police officer’s profile picture. The first red flag was the WhatsApp call, as genuine officers wouldn’t use it for such notifications. The caller then mentioned my son’s name, asking about our relationship. I remained calm, refusing to disclose any information, and questioned the caller’s identity and purpose. Claiming to be a CBI officer, he insisted on a settlement for my son’s alleged crime.” She continued, “I informed him that the name you mentioned belongs to my niece, not my son. Keep him in your custody and offer him sandwiches, burgers, and other foods he likes.” She emphasised the importance of parents trusting their children and not succumbing to the scammers’ tactics. “I stayed calm and responded accordingly. I didn’t pay a single amount,” she said. “The caller was shocked and disconnected the call. I even managed to capture some pictures of his WhatsApp profile, and the number he called from was traced back to Pakistan.” “I want to emphasise that parents should trust their children and not succumb to panic, avoiding paying these scammers large sums of hard-earned money,” Boradia said. “I will report this crime, but my initial action was to share this story and screen grabs with around a hundred people on my WhatsApp, making them aware of this scam,” she added.

29 March,2024 05:43 AM IST | Mumbai | Faizan Khan
The authority has not announced the date for the implementation of this fare hike. File Pic/Nimesh Dave

Taxi rides from city to Nashik, Shirdi, Pune from Mumbai to get dearer

The fare hike of share taxi services from Mumbai to Nashik, Shirdi and Pune has been approved at a transport authority meeting this week. The implementation of this will likely be in effect from next month. While the revised fare of AC taxis on the Mumbai-Nashik (175 km) and the Mumbai-Shirdi (265 km) routes will be Rs 575 and Rs 825 instead of the current Rs 475 and Rs 625 respectively, the fare of the non-AC taxis on the Mumbai-Pune (155 km) route will be Rs 500 instead of Rs 450, and for the AC taxis it will be Rs 575 instead of Rs 525. Asked if the fare hike could be implemented with the election code of conduct in place, a transport department official said, “The auto/taxi fare hike was already done a year ago but had not been implemented to these routes and was awaiting approval. For the Mumbai-Shirdi sector, the last fare hike was given in 2013. The approval has now been given of Rs 100 only for Mumbai-Nashik and Rs 50 for Mumbai-Pune. So, it’s not a new fare hike.” The fare revision was approved considering the government appointment Khatua panel, set up for revision of taxis fare, and the demands made by the union of cabbies, who are operating on the routes.

29 March,2024 05:37 AM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B. Aklekar
The recently discovered gecko species

Maharashtra: 2 new gecko species discovered, one named after Van Gogh

You must have heard about the famous Starry Night painting by famous Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh. Maharashtra-based researchers have discovered two new species of gecko and one of which is named after the expressionist painter due to its striking resemblance to the aforementioned painting. The research paper by Wildlife Researcher Akshay Khandekar, Tejas Thackeray and Ishan Agarwal was published on Wednesday night in ZooKeys Journal. Scientist Akshay Khandekar from the Thackeray Wildlife Foundation, who is the lead researcher of the paper said, “Our team has discovered two more new stunning dwarf geckos from Srivilliputhur-Megamalai Tiger Reserve (SMTR), Tamil Nadu. One is named after Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh (1853–1890), Cnemaspis vangoghi aka Van Gogh’s starry dwarf gecko as the colouration of the new species is reminiscent of one of the painter’s most iconic works, The Starry Night.” Khandekar told mid-day that the other species is named after Sathuragiri mountain, the type and only known locality of the new species, Cnemaspis sathuragiriensis aka Sathuragiri dwarf gecko. “We also provide a brief note on the Code of Ethics and how it is rarely followed in the Indian context and call for more collaborative research,” added Khandekar.  According to the research paper, the two new species are distributed from low elevation, deciduous forests of Srivilliputhur, and add to the five previously known endemic vertebrates from Srivilliputhur-Megamalai Tiger Reserve.

29 March,2024 05:34 AM IST | Mumbai | Ranjeet Jadhav
The gang of thieves, including Ashfaq Sayyed Abdul Rashid, in police custody

Mumbai: Shooter affiliated with Ravi Pujari turns thief, arrested

A shooter affiliated with gangster Ravi Pujari, who had fired at two Bollywood personalities in 2014, was arrested along with three others on March 20 after attempting to plunder a jewellery shop in Versova. The individual, Ashfaq Sayyed Abdul Rashid, 33, was recently released from Arthur Road jail, where he joined the gang of thieves while serving a seven-year sentence. Pujari, who was wanted in extortion cases in Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan, Ulhasnagar and Dombivli near Mumbai, was arrested and extradited from the Philippines in December 2021. He is currently in jail. While in jail, Ashfaq received the information about Pujari’s prosecution. Realising that he would be jobless in the world of crime with his patron behind bars, he decided to become a thief, according to the police. “Being a shooter, this was completely a new ball game for him. He needed expertise and hence he began to look for an opportunity to learn the tricks of the trade,” said a Crime Branch officer. Joining the gang While serving his sentence, Ashfaq learnt that a highway robbery mastermind, Vinod Vaishnav, 38, was also in Arthur Road jail.  He also found out that Vaishnav was friendly with Worli resident Pintu Kamlesh Chaudhary, 32, and Sewri resident Chand Ibrahim Shaikh, 28, who were involved in a series of housebreaking and murder cases. These individuals formed the gang in jail and planned to execute thefts in Juhu, Santacruz, Versova, Lokhandwala and Bandra. The four accused planned to target the jewellery shop at Versova on March 20. Under the guidance of DCP Rajtilak Roshan and Senior PI Ganesh Pawar of Versova police station, a team comprising API Amit Jadhav, PSI Dhaneshwar Jadhav and Constables Pawar, Bhosale, Inamdar, Sable, Pathan and Khairnar nabbed the gang before the theft could take place. One accused, Shankar Chaurasia, however, managed to evade arrest. The captured accused spilt the beans during their interrogation. The Versova police recovered a pistol, three live bullets, a knife, black gloves and masks, three mobile phones and two bikes from the accused. How Ashfaq landed behind bars Ashfaq had fired at a Bollywood film producer in Juhu in 2014. While one bullet pierced the latter’s car, another hit a tree and others hit the producer’s bungalow, injuring no one. In another case, that same year, Ashfaq and other people waited outside a producer’s house in Khar with the intention to kill him. Ashfaq was allegedly working under Obed Radiowala, an alleged aide of Pujari. March 20Day gang was busted

29 March,2024 05:29 AM IST | Mumbai | Shirish Vaktania
Dhruv Goyal

Forced attendance notice politically motivated: sources on Dhruv Goyal talk row

A day after Mumbai University issued a notice to Thakur College, sources dubbed it as an attempt to tarnish the image of BJP’s Mumbai-North Lok Sabha candidate Piyush Goyal. The controversy stems from an event that happened in Kandivali’s Thakur College on Saturday, where sources said Goyal’s son Dhruv merely encouraged young first-time voters to come out and exercise their franchise and said nothing political in nature. Sources said the notice was issued at the behest of the opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) which had lodged a complaint with the University, claiming that attendance for the event was mandatory. Addressing the issue, Goyal had told the media that the sequence of events in the video had been doctored mischievously. “A frustrated and dejected party which is no longer loved by the people, and has no public acceptance is now resorting to false accusations and doctored videos,” he was reported as saying. Sources further claimed that the question was posted first in the allegedly doctored video, after which Dhruv’s speech follows, which is not the order in which real events happened. They said Dhruv spoke first and the question was asked in the end. In his speech, Dhruv said that once Dakshin Mumbai (South Mumbai) used to be the epicentre of the city, after which the action slowly moved to BKC. In the future, he said, it will shift further to North Mumbai. Concluding his interactive session, Dhruv urged the assembled students, who will all be first time voters, to consider and check the educational qualifications, background, deliverables and commitment of the candidate towards the society before deciding who to cast their vote for. It was after this event that the video went viral, fuelling controversy that students were forced to attend a political event. Goyal pointed out to the media that even in his reply to the student who raised the issue, Dhruv categorically stated that he was not aware of such a compulsion made on the students. “I do not endorse such a thing. I was not aware of any such thing. I will speak to the principal. It should have not happened. If only 10 people come to listen, I would have the same energy,” he is seen as saying in the clip. Goyal was reported as lauding Dhruv for having the courage to apologise to the student if what he said was true and that he would take it up with the college management. He said this was way more commendable than some scions “who need to be tutored on what to speak”, or worse, other youth leaders “who are all talk and no work.”

29 March,2024 05:21 AM IST | Mumbai | A Correspondent
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose airport, Kolkata

Mumbai: DGCA initiates probe into taxiing incident

The DGCA has de-rostered two IndiGo pilots after the wingtip of an IndiGo aircraft grazed a wingtip of a stationary Air India Express plane at Kolkata Airport on Wednesday while the former was taxiing. Both aircraft had passengers on board but there were no reports of any injuries. The wings of both the planes were damaged. “Given the damage to the planes’ wingtips, both aircraft have been grounded for detailed inspections,” said a senior DGCA air safety official. A detailed investigation into the incident is underway. The incident took place at around 11 am on Wednesday when the IndiGo aircraft was proceeding towards the runway to operate a flight to Darbhanga, while the Air India Express plane was awaiting clearance to taxi to the runway for a flight to Chennai. In a statement, Air India Express said, “The wingtip of a taxiing aircraft of another airline grazed one of our aircraft, which was stationary and awaiting clearance to enter the runway at Kolkata for a scheduled operation to Chennai. The aircraft has since returned to the bay and further investigation is underway, for which we are coordinating with the regulator and airport authorities. We apologise for the inconvenience caused to guests due to external circumstances.” IndiGo, in an official statement, said that an incident of a minor graze had been reported from the Kolkata airport, and the airline followed the necessary protocol immediately after the incident. No passengers or crew were injured due to this incident.

29 March,2024 05:18 AM IST | Mumbai | Prasun Choudhari
Saudia flight took off at 3.57 am, it encountered a medical emergency en route from Dhaka to Riyadh. Representation pic

Mumbai airport denies Pak media reports that plane was denied landing

The Pakistani media alleged that Mumbai airport denied an emergency landing to Saudia flight SA805 on February 20 from Dhaka to Riyadh, citing a medical emergency. Mumbai ATC, AAI, and sources from Mumbai airport clarified that the flight was given permission to land but chose to go around, eventually landing at Karachi airport due to the passenger’s deteriorating condition. Industry veteran Captain Skahti Lumba criticised the incident on X, saying, “Saudi plane makes emergency landing in Karachi after India ‘refuses’ to offload ailing Muslim passenger. What a Shame refusing an emergency landing due to the nationality of the passenger.” Saudia flight SA 805 took off at 3.57 am, it encountered a medical emergency en route from Dhaka to Riyadh. The passenger, Abu Tahir, faced a medical crisis, leading to the aircraft landing at Jinnah International Airport, Karachi at 7.28 am. Captain Shakti Lumba As per Pakistan media reports, the flight initially requested an emergency landing at Mumbai airport, but the request was denied.  As per the sources, the pilot diverted to Karachi airport due to the deteriorating condition of the passenger. Mumbai airport personnel were prepared to assist, but the aircraft chose not to land. Western Regional Office of Airport Authority of India said, “Saudia flight SA805 had a medical emergency on board which was cleared to land at Mumbai airport. There was no denial of emergency landing at Mumbai airport from the Air Traffic Controllers.” According to sources at Mumbai airport, “All personnel, including medical teams, were reportedly ready to provide necessary assistance to the ailing passenger. Despite this, the aircraft chose not to land in Mumbai.” An official from the Mumbai ATC, said, “The aircraft had started dumping fuel to reduce weight after being cleared for landing at Mumbai. We had informed the medical teams to be ready as well. Despite this, the Prasun Choudhariaircraft chose not to land in Mumbai, citing company policies.” An official from AAI said, “Under no circumstances is an aircraft denied landing permission in case of a medical emergency at any airport in India.” A source from MoCA said, “If the air traffic controller had denied an emergency landing, an official inquiry would have been set up for the same.” A senior official from DGCA revealed, “There is no official complaint from the airlines regarding a denied emergency landing at Mumbai airport.” “Upon landing at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport, Tahir received primary medical treatment. After receiving treatment, Tahir was able to continue his journey as the plane departed from Karachi to Riyadh,” disclosed sources from Saudia Airlines, but they refused to comment on the fact check of denied landing permission at Mumbai airport. Saudia Airlines did not respond to this reporter’s emails for an official comment. Feb 20Day the incident occurred

29 March,2024 05:12 AM IST | Mumbai | Prasun Choudhari
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