Maha civic polls highlights: BJP, Cong spar over 'alliance' move; Fadnavis shares metro plan

Maharashtra Local Body Election Live Updates: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday accused Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray and NCP (SP) head Sharad Pawar of opposing the Samruddhi Expressway, and said the government finished the project in just four years.

Speaking during a talk show in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar ahead of the January 15 civic polls, he called the tie-up between the BJP and the Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM in the Akot Municipal Council in Akola district an embarrassment. (PTI)

Maharashtra Local Body Election Live Updates: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday said he and his cousin Raj Thackeray, chief of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, who have united ahead of the civic elections, will never part ways. “Till the time we came together, people used to ask us as to why we are not coming together. Now they are asking why we have come together and for how long will we stay together,” Uddhav Thackeray told PTI in an interview. “These things don’t mean a lot. We have come together after much thought and understanding. Now, we will never part ways and stay united,” he said. (PTI)

The BJP, in its manifesto released on Thursday for the Navi Mumbai municipal corporation election, had promised no hike to the water and property taxes for the next 20 years, PTI news agency reported.

The manifesto was released by Maharashtra BJP chief Ravindra Chavan and state minister Ganesh Naik.

Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi spoke on the alleged alliance between BJP and Congress in two municipal councils in Maharashtra. “Their ideologies are different, but where they want power they join hands,” Azmi told PTI news agency.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has called the alleged attack on the party's Maharashtra unit president “cowardly”, while saying it had been carried out by people who can see their defeat.

"The people of this ward will respond by pressing the 'Kite' symbol. We have asked the Administration to unmask those who are behind this..." ANI news agency quoted Owaisi as saying.

Maharashtra Local Body Election Live Updates: The alliance for Ambernath civic body is believed to have been taken by local BJP and Congress leaders, driven by the aims of weakening Shiv Sena in Ambernath and hold the power to run council as per their plans with the majority with their side. However, there is no approval or affirmation of this alliance from Congress leadership. BJP councillor Abhijit Karanjule Patil, appointed the group leader, told the media that the alliance was formed to free Ambernath from “corruption and intimidation”, reported PTI news agency on Wednesday.

Maharashtra Local Body Election Live Updates: An alliance between the Congress and the BJP, who have traditionally been arch rivals, was reportedly announced by local leaders in Maharashtra for the Ambernath municipal body in a post-poll arrangement. The announcement took everyone by surprise. The alliance, however, was said to have been announced by local leaders without having the both parties' top brass being in the know of the development that chief minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis expressed strong displeasure over.

Congress suspended 12 newly elected councillors in Maharashtra’s Ambernath municipal council from party for forming alliance with BJP.

Maharashtra Local Body Election Live Updates: Following the violence at the rally, Imtiaz Jaleel and AIMIM leaders accused Congress candidate Kaleem Qureshi of orchestrating the attack, claiming they had alerted the police in advance about possible trouble but were not provided adequate security. Qureshi called the accusations baseless and alleged that the incident was exaggerated to gain political sympathy ahead of the polls. In the aftermath, police have increased security in sensitive parts of the city to prevent further unrest.

Maharashtra Local Body Election Live Updates: Chaos broke out during AIMIM leader Imtiaz Jaleel's foot march in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Wednesday. According to eyewitnesses, Jaleel was travelling in his campaign vehicle when a group of protestors tried to stop the convoy. Some of them waved black flags. The situation quickly spiralled out of control as members of the crowd attempted to block the vehicle and damage its windscreen, triggering chaos on the road. The video of the incident went viral on social media. The confrontation soon escalated into clashes between AIMIM workers and the crowd. At least one party worker was injured in the scuffle before the police stepped in. To bring the situation under control, the police resorted to crowd-control measures, including a mild lathi charge.

Maharashtra Local Body Election Live Updates: Day after an attack at AIMIM rally in Jinsi area of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Wednesday, police registered a case of rioting and unlawful assembly against nearly 60 individuals, news agency PTI reported. Eggs were also thrown at cops during the chaos during former MP Imtiaz Jaleel's foot march to campaign for his party's nominees for the upcoming civic polls.

Maharashtra Local Body Election Live Updates: Sharing a comprehensive action plan for Thane and Mumbai Metropolitan Region, CM Fadnavis on Wednesday said the government is planning to complete the key metro projects by 2030. Here are the key highlights of his action plan:

• Resolving traffic congestion that plagues the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
• All major Metro works to be completed by 2030
• Plans to link the Coastal Road into a "ring" to divert heavy traffic outside the city limits.
• Development of a "growth hub" at Kolshet-Diva, which will feature water taxi services, to address the bottleneck on Thane's arterial Ghodbunder Road.
• Fadnavis also assured that that water shortage would be a thing of the past within three years.
• He said work on the Poshir and Pelhar dams is slated for completion in the next 36 months.
• The long-stalled Gargai project has cleared environmental hurdles after successful negotiations with five villages regarding their voluntary migration. This will provide an additional 500 MLD of water to the region, he said.

Maharashtra Local Body Election Live Updates: Amid reports of BJP-Congress alliance in Ambernath, Congress accused the BJP of double standards saying while it suspended its councillors for a tie-up with the BJP in the Ambernath Municipal Council, the saffron party failed to take action against its own leaders who initiated the alliance, PTI reported.

After the local body polls in Ambernath on December 20, the BJP and the Congress reportedly joined hands under the banner of 'Ambernath Vikas Aghadi' (AVA) to form the Ambernath Municipal Council leadership (in Thane district), sidelining ally Shiv Sena, which emerged as the single largest party. The Aghadi also includes Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Maharashtra Local Body Election Live Updates: CM Fadnavis shared a comprehensive action plan for Thane and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), pledging to ease traffic congestion and complete key Metro projects within five years.

He was speaking at a chat show on Wednesday as part of the BJP's campaign for the Thane Municipal Corporation polls scheduled on January 15. He outlined a future defined by seamless connectivity and sustainable infrastructure, PTI reported. Fadnavis expressed his government's commitment to resolving the traffic congestion that plagues the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). He said the government aims to complete all major Metro works by 2030.

Maharashtra Local Body Election Live Updates: Various prominent candidates in the upcoming Mumbai civic polls have reported a sharp rise in their assets since 2017, PTI reported. This also includes Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate and former city mayor Kishori Pednekar, contesting from Lower Parel (ward 199) in central Mumbai.

Pednekar has declared total assets of ₹5.26 crore, a 226 per cent increase from ₹1.61 crore in 2017. Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) candidate Samadhan Sarvankar has declared assets of ₹46.59 crore, a steep rise of 394 per cent from ₹9.43 crore in 2017.

Maharashtra Local Body Election Live Updates: Violence broke out on Wednesday during a rally led by AIMIM (All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen) leader and former MP Imtiaz Jaleel in the Baijipura–Jinsi area of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.

As per the eyewitnesses, Jaleel was travelling in his vehicle when a group of protestors tried to stop the convoy and waved black flags.

Maharashtra Local Body Election Live Updates: On Wednesday, reports emerged claiming that BJP and the Congress had joined hands for the Ambernath Municipal Corporation election, a development that triggered row in Maharashtra. However, both the parties dismissed the reports with CM Fadnavis saying that the decision was made by local leaders. Congress also dismissed the local leadership in Ambernath following reports that triggered embarrassment for the opposition party amid the larger political row over cross-party civic alliances in Maharashtra.

Maharashtra Local Body Election Live Updates: MNS chief Raj Thackeray made a sharp attack on the BJP and said "Marathi manoos" will be rendered powerless if they get control of municipal corporations. In a joint joint interview with cousin and Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray in Saamana, Raj said he and his cousin have come together not for their existence but for that of "Marathi manoos" in the state. Here are top quotes from his interview:

• “It is an old wound...efforts are on to realise the dream of separating Mumbai from Maharashtra.”
• “Today, the atmosphere is similar to what it was during the Samyukta Maharashtra movement when Gujarat wanted Mumbai to be its part.”
• “Those who want to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra are in power in the Centre as well as the state.”
• “Marathi manoos will not be able to do anything if they (BJP) control the municipal corporations.”
• “It is necessary to control the civic bodies if boundaries have to be set on this, especially in Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Nashik, Mira-Bhayander, Kalyan-Dombivali and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.”
• “Those in power are Marathi or from Maharashtra, but they have nothing to do with the people of Mumbai. They only work for contractors.”

Maharashtra Local Body Election Live Updates: Here is how drama unfolded after reports of Congress-BJP alliance in Ambernath

• On Wednesday, reports emerged claiming that BJP and Congress had joined hands in the Ambernath civic body polls.
• The leadership of both parties reacted strongly to the reports and dismissed the possibility of an alliance.
• In Ambernath, local BJP leaders had reportedly joined hands with Congress, aiming to weaken as well as keep its ally, the Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena, out of power.
• CM Fadnavis has slammed the decision, which he claims was made by local leaders.
• Congress leader Sachin Sawant also dismissed reports of a BJP-Congress alliance, saying that workers from various party affiliations had come together against the “corruption carried out by Shinde Sena at the local level”.
• Congress suspended its local leadership in Ambernath over reports of the alliance which triggered an embarrassment for the opposition party amid the larger political row over cross-party civic alliances in Maharashtra.

Maharashtra Local Body Election Live Updates: Assets of several prominent candidates in fray in the upcoming Mumbai civic polls have seen a sharp rise since 2017, PTI reported, quoting documents uploaded by the State Election Commission. These candidates include former mayor Kishori Pednekar, who served as Mumbai mayor from 2019 to 2022. He has declared immovable and movable assets of ₹4.69 crore and ₹57 lakh, respectively. He has declared total assets of ₹5.26 crore, a 226 per cent increase from ₹1.61 crore in 2017.

Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) candidate Samadhan Sarvankar, son of former MLA Sada Sarvankar and seeking a second term, has declared assets of ₹46.59 crore, a steep rise of 394 per cent from ₹9.43 crore in 2017.

Former MLA Yamini Jadhav (Shiv Sena candidate from Mazagaon area ward 209), wife of former corporator and ex-chairman of BMC's standing committee, Yashwant Jadhav, has ₹14.57 crore of assets, including immovable properties of ₹11.28 crore and movable properties of ₹3.28 crore.

Gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawali's daughter, Geeta Gawali, who is contesting from the Byculla-Agripada area (ward 212) and seeking another term, has declared assets of ₹7.26 crore, including ₹4.70 crore in immovable properties, compared to ₹3.38 crore during the 2019 assembly polls.

Maharashtra Local Body Election Live Updates: MNS chief Raj Thackeray launched a scathing attack on BJP, alleging that those seeking to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra are in power at the Centre and in the state, and warned that if they control the municipal corporations, "Marathi manoos" will be rendered powerless. "Marathi manoos will not be able to do anything if they (BJP) control the municipal corporations," he said in an interview with the Saamana, mouthpiece of Shiv Sena (UBT).

Maharashtra Local Body Election Live Updates: As Maharashtra braces for civic body polls next week, incidents of attacks on leaders of parties such as Shiv Sena and AIMIM have been reported. Here is a list of some of these incidents:

• Shiv Sena leader Haji Salim Qureshi was allegedly attacked with a knife while campaigning in Mumbai's Bandra on Wednesday evening and suffered "some cut injuries" on his stomach but is stable, police was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. Qureshi is a Shiv Sena candidate, contesting the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections from Ward No. 92 in Bandra.
• Another Shiv Sena leader Pramod Nana Bhangire alleged that stones were hurled at his car during an election campaign in a society near Shreeram Chowk in Maharashtra's Pune. "While I was holding a public meeting for election campaigning in a society near Shreeram Chowk, some people pelted stones at my car and also targeted our candidate, Sarika Pawar. The police have gone to the spot. The police are checking the CCTV footage there," Bhangire was quoted as saying by ANI.
• Maharashtra AIMIM Chief Imtiaz Jaleel on Wednesday alleged that his party's rally in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar was attacked by unidentified individuals, leaving several supporters injured. He claimed that despite having official permission and police presence at the rally, 20-25 armed individuals arrived and vandalised vehicles while attacking party workers.

Maharashtra Local Body Election Live Updates: Amid reports of an alliance with the BJP in Ambernath, Congress on Wednesday suspended its local leadership in Ambernath on account of the alliance that caused embarrassment for the opposition party amid the larger political row over cross-party civic alliances in Maharashtra. Vice president of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) Ganesh Patil has written to Ambernath Congress block president Pradeep Patil, informing him of his suspension from the party for entering into an alliance with the BJP without the knowledge or approval of the state leadership.

Maharashtra Local Body Election Live Updates: Dismissing reports of the alliance, , Congress leader Sachin Sawant said that workers from various party affiliations had come together against the “corruption carried out by Shinde Sena at the local level”. “In Ambernath, setting aside party affiliations and symbols, various party workers have formed the Ambernath Development Front against the corruption carried out by Shinde Sena at the local level. Independents are also included in this. Therefore, news reports claiming that Congress and BJP have come together are incorrect,” he said.

Maharashtra Local Body Election Live Updates: In Ambernath, local BJP leaders had reportedly joined hands with Congress, aiming to weaken as well as keep its ally, the Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena, out of power. CM Fadnavis has slammed the decision, which he claims was made by local leaders. “The BJP can never form an alliance with the Congress or the AIMIM. Such alliances are unacceptable and will not be tolerated. If any local BJP leaders have entered into alliances with these parties without approval, it is a serious breach of party discipline and strict action will be taken,” he told reporters on Wednesday.