Pune’s civic elections reveal how Maharashtra’s alliances have hollowed themselves out Pune: Pune’s municipal election, once a contest shaped by familiar coalitions, has turned into a political free-for-all. The collapse of both the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi has produced four-way contests across all wards, leaving voters to navigate a crowded ballot and parties to improvise alliances on the fly. The city’s election has become a microcosm of Maharash

The Mahayuti coalition partners have turned into bitter rivals in the municipal fight for Pune and western Maharashtra Pune: An open, and in some places covert, conflict is underway between BJP leader and Union Minister of State Muralidhar Mohol and Nationalist Congress Party president and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, for dominance over cooperative institutions and local self-governing bodies in western Maharashtra. A fierce exchange of accusations and counter-accusation

Mumbai: As the dust settles on the nomination process for the 2026 Maharashtra Municipal Corporation elections, a massive political firestorm has erupted over the "unprecedented" number of candidates elected unopposed. While the ruling Mahayuti alliance, led by the BJP, celebrates these victories as a mandate for their governance, the Opposition has branded the trend a "murder of democracy," alleging a systemic campaign of coercion, bribery, and administrative bias. While the

The battle for Maharashtra’s civic polls has reduced a test of urban service delivery to a tawdry spectacle of defections, deal-making and power without purpose. As 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra head to the polls, the political discourse should ideally be anchored in the gritty realities of everyday life like water woes, sanitation, crumbling infrastructure and traffic congestion. Yet, the run-up to these elections has traded civic accountability for a vulgar scram

In Maharashtra’s politics where ideology is negotiable and arithmetic reigns supreme, the Pawars are playing the long game. It would be fair to say that politics in Maharashtra has long ceased to be a contest of ideas. It is akin to a revolving door, where yesterday’s adversaries share breakfast today and plot against one another by dinner. Alliances are stitched together with remarkable speed and unravelled just as quickly, leaving voters struggling to keep track of who stan

Mumbai: In the competitive landscape of Mumbai’s municipal politics, Akshata Tendulkar has emerged as a symbol of ideological steadfastness and party loyalty. Known as a “staunch Hindutva voice” in the Mahim-Dadar belt, she has navigated a political terrain historically dominated by regional heavyweights like the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). The Mahim-Dadar area has long been the ideological heart of Mumbai’s politics. For a BJP leader to carve ou

As the grand old party falters, the Congress’ most assured parliamentary voice is forcing a long-deferred reckoning on leadership. With electoral reverses in Bihar, chronic infighting in Karnataka, and organisational drift elsewhere, Congress can no longer evade the question of leadership. It is in this context that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s measured but firm address in Parliament assumed significance. Delivered during the Winter Session debate commemorating 150 years of  Vande

India’s oldest hills have become collateral damage in a political culture where environmental concern is performative and opportunism perennial. Public faith in India’s political class has sunk to a low ebb, and the Aravallis tell the story better than most parliamentary debates. These ancient hills - older than the Himalayas and far more consequential for north India’s ecology – have today become props in a theatre of convenience. The same leaders who once petitioned the Sup

In Maharashtra’s upcoming municipal elections, potholes and power struggles will together decide the future of the state’s urban politics. The forthcoming municipal elections in Maharashtra covering 29 municipal corporations look deceptively local. Yes, they will determine who fixes roads, clears garbage and manages water supply. But they amount to something far larger than this - a state-wide referendum on political organisation, alliance arithmetic and urban credibility. Fr

Mumbai: The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) city office in Nashik turned into a high-stakes political theater on Thursday as the party executed a "mega induction drive" ahead of the crucial Municipal Corporation elections. In a move that signalled both the party's aggressive expansion and rising internal friction, five senior heavyweight leaders from the NCP-SP, Congress, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), and Shiv Sena (UBT) officially crossed over to the saffron fold. Former

New Delhi: The BJP latest manoeuvre in elevating Nitin Nabin as the party’s national working president has had consequences in Maharashtra’s two biggest cities - Mumbai and Pune. The result has left the Congress party in a curiously ambivalent mood: quietly pleased by the opportunities created, yet wary of the turbulence ahead. In Maharashtra, the immediate beneficiary of the BJP’s move is Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena. The BJP’s organisational signal has strengthened its hand in

Mumbai: The reunion of Thackery cousins- Uddhav and Raj – after a gap of 20 years is aimed at securing maximum wards dominated by Marathi speaking people (36) and Muslims (47) as well in Mumbai. These 83 wards will play a crucial role in choosing the next Mayor of the Maximum City. Since Uddhav, the chief of Shiv Sena (UBT), has emerged as the biggest opponent of the BJP he believes that he could influence the Muslim voters and attract them from the Congress. Raj, the presid

Every Laturkar mourns the sad demise of legendary statesman Shivraj Patil Chakurkar. We express our heartfelt condolences and pray to the Almighty that 'May his soul attain Sadgati.' His long association and guidance to me and all people associated with him will always be remembered and will keep inspiring us in the service of the Nation. As we vividly walk down the memory lane we stand inspired with every gesture of respect and love Shri Patil Saheb treated us. On many Socia

Mumbai: In a resounding testament to his strategic prowess, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has emerged as the architect of the BJP’s impressive election victory in the state. The way he orchestrated the campaign, crafted his message, and selected candidates has left observers and allies alike hailing his mastery of the political landscape. Even as the Municipal Council results unfolded, most of the political analysts were reminded of the Mahayuti’s resounding victory during

The council polls reset Mahayuti’s power balance Mumbai: The recently concluded Municipal Council and Nagar Panchayat elections have delivered a sobering "reality check" for Maharashtra’s ruling Mahayuti alliance. While the BJP emerged as the single largest force, bagging approximately 100 Nagar Palikas and 30 Nagar Panchayats, the results have fundamentally altered the internal power dynamics between Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawa

Ambernath: As polling took place on Saturday for 23 municipal councils and nagar panchayats across Maharashtra, the election to the Ambernath Municipal Council in Thane district drew statewide attention — but for all the wrong reasons. A series of serious incidents reported on the eve of voting raised questions over the transparency and fairness of the entire electoral process, casting a shadow over the civic polls in Ambernath.   While voting was underway peacefully in the c

The eagerly-anticipated municipal elections in Maharashtra will decide which parties truly own urban India’s second-most powerful state. The forthcoming municipal elections in Maharashtra, covering 29 municipal corporations, are officially exercises in local self-government. In practice, they are something closer to a mid-term audit of the State’s political balance. From Mumbai to Pune, Nagpur to Nashik, Sambhajinagar to Kolhapur, these contests will test which parties comman

Kerala’s local body verdict weakens the Left’s incumbency and hands the BJP a limited psychological breakthrough ahead of the 2026 Assembly battle. As the Congress held a rally against alleged ‘ vote chori ’ at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi, questioning the credibility of India’s electoral process, voters in Kerala were delivering a verdict that decisively strengthened the same party in local body elections. The Congress-led UDF emerged as the principal gainer, positioning itself a

Mumbai: Governor Devvrat Acharya stripped Sports Minister Manikrao Kokate of his portfolio a day after the Nashik court issued an arrest warrant against him. Kokate rushed to Bombay High Court for relief from arrest. However, the HC declined his plea for urgent hearing or an interim stay. After the HC decision, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis made a recommendation to the Governor to temporarily hand over the charge of all the departments under Kokate to Deputy CM Ajit Pawar,

Shadow cast over the national trajectories of several heavyweights including Fadnavis Mumbai: The sudden appointment of Nitin Nabin as the BJP’s national Working National President on December 14, 2025, has done more than just fill a leadership vacuum; it has recalibrated the internal power dynamics of the ruling party. While the 45-year-old Bihar minister’s elevation is being hailed as a masterstroke in generational transition, it has simultaneously cast a shadow over the na