Rajendra Joshi

Kolhapur: The elections to 29 municipal corporations had been stalled for more than three years, leaving these bodies under prolonged administrative rule. The declaration of results for municipal corporations on Friday has effectively signalled the end of this phase. Expectations are now high that stalled development works across these urban local bodies will finally gather pace. With newly elected representatives now in place, citizens once again have direct access to their chosen...

Municipal elections expose the identity crisis within both factions of the Nationalist Congress Party Pune:  Local elections are often treated as administrative skirmishes. But in Pune, they have become something akin to a philosophical debate about loyalty and legitimacy, ideology and expediency, and whether political parties can survive repeated acts of self-contradiction. The week-long turmoil surrounding the city’s municipal polls has laid bare the Nationalist Congress Party’s deepest...

Manufacturers brace for higher costs, and artisans face an uncertain future Mumbai:  Amid a sharp rise in gold and silver prices, a steep increase in the prices of base metals such as copper, brass and aluminium has compounded the crisis for Indian manufacturing and artisanal industries. With copper prices jumping by nearly 40 per cent over the past year, and brass and aluminium rising by around 20 per cent and 16 per cent respectively, industry players fear severe cost pressures and...