BJP-Shiv Sena eye gains as Cong-NCP aim to hold fort in Western Maharashtra

Agencies
April 15, 2019

Mumbai, Apr 15: The prosperous, politically-dominant region of Western Maharashtra, which has seen a huge turmoil in recent weeks, is all set for edge-of-seat contest in its nine Lok Sabha constituencies here.

These are: Pune, Baramati, Madha, Sangli, Satara, Kolhapur and Hathkanangale that will vote in Phase III on April 23, and Maval and Shirur, where polling is in Phase IV on April 29.

Unawed by the `Modi wave` of 2014, the region conceded only two seats to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), two to its ally Shiv Sena but gave four to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and one to the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (SSS).

The elections will decide the political fate of some of the biggest political clans like the Pawars, the Mohite-Patils and the late Vasantrao `Dada` Patil`s family clawing to retain their stronghold as the ruling BJP attempts to bulldoze their supremacy.

For starters, the third generation Parth Pawar, son of former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and grand-nephew of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, is contesting from Maval, while his cousin-aunt Supriya Sule (Sharad Pawar`s daughter) is nominated from Baramati.

Parth is pitted against Shiv Sena`s sitting MP Shrirang C. Barne with the ally BJP Minister Chandrakant Patil vowing to chase away Parth from the battlefield.

In Baramati, the seat represented by Sharad Pawar for seven terms and Ajit Pawar for one term, Supriya Sule is making her third attempt amidst a loud chorus by the BJP that the "Pawars would be politically erased" from the region.

The BJP has pitted Kanchan Kul, making it only one of the two seats in the state - besides Mumbai North-Central - which will have a direct woman-to-woman contest, even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders launched a scathing attack on the Pawar clan.

In fact, Modi was scheduled to address a rally here on April 10, but it was cancelled at the last minute and now he`s expected to come next week to give a final push to Pawars` prospects.

In Shirur, there`s a dash of glamour in the form of television actor Amol Kolhe - famed for the roles of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj - contesting on an NCP ticket.

Interestingly, Kolhe had left the Shiv Sena to join the NCP two months ago and is now hoping to wrest the Shirur seat from the three-timer sitting Sena MP Shivajirao A. Patil.

Sangli has another tough contest coming up with the late Vasantrao Patil`s grandson, Vishal Prakashbapu Patil, entering the fray on an SSS ticket, as part of the Congress-NCP led 56-party Mahagathbandhan, pitted against the BJP`s sitting MP Sanjay `Kaka` Patil.

Vishal Prakashbapu Patil`s nomination sparked a family fued with his elder brother and former Union Minister Pratik Prakashbapu Patil qutting the Congress and politics.

The Satara seat has an interesting contest with the NCP`s two-time MP Udayanraje P. Bhosale, a direct descendent of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, locking horns with the BJP`s Narendra Annasaheb Patil, a former Shiv Sainik.

In Madha, the NCP dropped sitting MP Vijaysinh Mohite-Patil and denied a ticket to his son Ranjitsinh, who walked over to the BJP, but it has given the ticket to a royal descendent, Ranjitsinh Naik-Nimbalkar, who recently quit the Congress. He will lock horns with NCP nominee Sanjay Shinde, a bitter rival of the Mohite-Patils.

Pune will see state minister Girish Bapat contesting as a BJP candidate after the party dropped its sitting MP Anil Shirole. He will be challenged by Congress state General Secretary Mohan Joshi.

Hathkanangale will see two-time SSS MP Raju Shetti take on the Shiv Sena`s Dhairyasheel Mane, son of former NCP MP Nivedita Mane.

Western Maharashtra has several major sugar mills, Pune is regarded as the state`s cultural capital and the `Oxford of the East`, Solapur is famed for its textiles industries while Sangli is India`s turmeric capital.

Satara and Kolhapur are home to two of the biggest royal families in western India who are direct descendents of the Chhatrapatis.

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News Network
December 19,2025

Mangaluru: The Mangaluru CEN police have arrested a 23-year-old man for allegedly posting provocative and misleading content on an Instagram page named “mr_a_titude”, targeting the Bajpe police.

Mangaluru Commissioner of Police Sudheer Kumar Reddy C H identified the arrested as Abhishek M, a resident of Katipalla in Mangaluru.

A case has been registered at the Bajpe Police Station under Sections 353(1)(c), 353(2), 56, and 57 read with Section 189 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in connection with the post.

According to police, the accused uploaded a photograph of a hotel on the Instagram page and alleged that accused persons in a murder case under the Bajpe police jurisdiction were being given “royal treatment” by the police, including being served beef meals daily from the hotel.

The post further accused the police of supporting criminals, misusing their authority, and betraying public trust. Police said the content was provocative in nature and aimed at inciting public outrage against the police.

Following the post, a case was registered at the Bajpe police station, and further investigation was transferred to the CEN police station.

Police records indicate that the accused has a criminal history, with multiple cases registered against him, including murder, attempt to murder, assault, and robbery at the Surathkal Police Station, and one case at the Kaup Police Station.

The Commissioner said the accused was traced and arrested using technical evidence.

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News Network
December 6,2025

pilot.jpg

New Delhi: IndiGo, India’s largest airline, faced major operational turbulence this week after failing to prepare for new pilot-fatigue regulations issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The stricter rules—designed to improve flight safety—took effect in phases through 2024, with the latest implementation on November 1. IndiGo has acknowledged that inadequate roster planning led to widespread cancellations and delays.

Below are the key DGCA rules that affected IndiGo’s operations:

1. Longer Mandatory Weekly Rest

Weekly rest for pilots has been increased from 36 hours to 48 hours.

The government says the extended break is essential to curb cumulative fatigue. This rule remains in force despite the current crisis.

2. Cap on Night Landings

Pilots can now perform only two night landings per week—a steep reduction from the earlier limit of six.

Night hours, defined as midnight to early morning, are considered the least alert period for pilots.

Given the disruptions, this rule has been temporarily relaxed for IndiGo until February 10.

3. Reduced Maximum Night Flight Duty

Flight duty that stretches into the night is now capped at 10 hours.

This measure has also been kept on hold for IndiGo until February 10 to stabilize operations.

4. Weekly Rest Cannot Be Replaced With Personal Leave

Airlines can no longer count a pilot’s personal leave as part of the mandatory 48-hour rest.

Pilots say this closes a loophole that previously reduced actual rest time.

Currently, all airlines are exempt from this rule to normalise travel.

5. Mandatory Fatigue Monitoring

Airlines must submit quarterly fatigue reports along with corrective actions to DGCA.

This system aims to create a transparent fatigue-tracking framework across the industry.

The DGCA has stressed that these rules were crafted to strengthen flight safety and align India with global fatigue-management standards. The temporary relaxations are expected to remain until February 2025, giving IndiGo time to stabilise its schedules and restore normal air travel.

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News Network
December 16,2025

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held talks with Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Amman, during which the two leaders discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral relations, with the Prime Minister outlining an eight-point vision covering key areas of cooperation.

Describing the meeting as “productive”, PM Modi said he shared a roadmap focused on trade and economy, fertilisers and agriculture, information technology, healthcare, infrastructure, critical and strategic minerals, civil nuclear cooperation, and people-to-people ties.

In a post on social media platform X, the Prime Minister praised King Abdullah II’s personal commitment to advancing India–Jordan relations, particularly as both countries mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties this year.

“Held productive discussions with His Majesty King Abdullah II in Amman. His personal commitment towards vibrant India-Jordan relations is noteworthy. This year, we are celebrating the 75th anniversary of our bilateral diplomatic relations,” PM Modi said.

The meeting took place at the Al Husseiniya Palace, where the two leaders also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), both sides agreed to further deepen cooperation in areas including trade and investment, defence and security, counter-terrorism and de-radicalisation, fertilisers and agriculture, infrastructure, renewable energy, tourism, and heritage.

The MEA said both leaders reaffirmed their united stand against terrorism.

PM Modi arrived in Amman earlier on Monday and was received by Jordanian Prime Minister Jafar Hassan, who accorded him a formal welcome. Following the talks, King Abdullah II hosted a banquet dinner in honour of the Prime Minister, reflecting the warmth of bilateral ties.

Jordan is the first leg of PM Modi’s three-nation tour. From Amman, the Prime Minister will travel to Ethiopia at the invitation of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, marking his first official visit to the African nation. The tour will conclude with a visit to Oman.

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