top of page

By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 11:29:11 am

Thackerays cede hinterland to Mahayuti war machine

Mumbai: The dust is rising in the semi-urban towns of Akola, Amravati, and Parbhani, but it is not from the cavalcade of the “Tigers” of Maharashtra. As the campaign for elections to over 242 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats reaches a fever pitch ahead of the December 2 vote, a curious silence hangs over the opposition camp. While Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his deputies, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, are engaged in a “carpet bombing” campaign—crisscrossing the state with...

Thackerays cede hinterland to Mahayuti war machine

Mumbai: The dust is rising in the semi-urban towns of Akola, Amravati, and Parbhani, but it is not from the cavalcade of the “Tigers” of Maharashtra. As the campaign for elections to over 242 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats reaches a fever pitch ahead of the December 2 vote, a curious silence hangs over the opposition camp. While Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his deputies, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, are engaged in a “carpet bombing” campaign—crisscrossing the state with the ferocity of a general election—the Thackeray brothers, Uddhav and Raj, are conspicuously absent from the rural stump. Their absence is not just a scheduling quirk; it is a symptom of the new, ruthless realpolitik that has gripped Maharashtra. The ruling Mahayuti alliance has adopted a “no election is too small” doctrine. For CM Fadnavis, these local body polls are not merely about civic amenities; they are a structural imperative. By treating municipal council elections with the gravity of a legislative assembly battle—holding 4-5 rallies a day—the BJP is aiming to capture the “supply lines” of Maharashtra’s politics. Municipal councils control local contracts, town planning, and, crucially, the mobilization networks that deliver votes in bigger elections. Existential legitimacy DCM Eknath Shinde, too, is fighting for existential legitimacy. His faction’s presence in these polls is a test of whether his “Shiv Sena” has truly inherited the grassroots cadre or if it remains a legislative coup without a popular base. The heavy presence of the CM and DCMs in small towns sends a powerful message to the local voter: “We are here, we have the resources, and we control the tap.” In stark contrast, the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) appear to have drawn a defensive perimeter around the Mumbai-Pune-Nashik belt—the state’s urban “Golden Triangle.” Uddhav Thackeray’s campaign strategy has been remarkably insular. Instead of matching the Mahayuti’s rally-for-rally blitz in the districts, the UBT leadership has remained anchored in Mumbai, fighting a narrative war rather than an electoral one. The recent “Satyacha Morcha” (March for Truth) focused heavily on alleged irregularities in Mumbai’s voter lists. While this is a critical systemic issue, it is a “meta-battle” that resonates little with a voter in rural Vidarbha worrying about water supply or road contracts. The perception that the Thackerays have “left the whole of Maharashtra” to the Mahayuti is rooted in resource allocation. Stripped of the party name, symbol, and funds, the UBT faction seems to be conserving its depleted energy for the upcoming “crown jewel” battles—the Municipal Corporations of Mumbai (BMC) and Thane. They appear to have calculated that retaining Mumbai is a matter of survival, while winning a council in Jalgaon or Solapur is a luxury they cannot afford to chase. Outsourcing opposition This retreat has left a vacuum in the hinterland. In many of the 242 councils, the “Maha Vikas Aghadi” (MVA) challenge has effectively been outsourced to local satraps of the Congress and the NCP (Sharad Pawar). The Congress is busy trying to save remains of its erstwhile bastions. In regions like Vidarbha, the battle is being fought by local Congress units, often contesting independently or in “friendly fights” with UBT candidates. While, the NCP (SP) faction retains influence in Western Maharashtra without the unified “air cover” of a joint MVA leadership tour, these local battles have turned into disjointed skirmishes against a unified Mahayuti army. The Shiv Sena (UBT) has effectively ceded the semi-urban space to its allies, or worse, to its enemies. This is a dangerous gamble. If the Mahayuti sweeps these councils, they will build a fortress of local patronage that will be nearly impossible to breach in the next Assembly election. The current state of realpolitik in Maharashtra is characterized by an asymmetry of ambition. The BJP-led alliance is playing to conquer the state’s geography, ensuring their writ runs from the Mantralaya to the smallest Nagar Panchayat. The Thackerays, meanwhile, are playing to protect their history and their core urban identity. By remaining unseen in the hinterland, the Thackeray brothers may be inadvertently signalling that they are no longer pan-Maharashtra leaders, but rather the chieftains of a shrinking urban empire. In politics, visibility is viability. In the dusty towns of rural Maharashtra, the only flags flying high today are saffron—but they are being waved by Fadnavis and Shinde, not the heirs of Balasaheb. Uddhav, Raj Thackeray meet again Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday met Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj in Mumbai and both leaders are understood to have discussed seat-sharing arrangements for the upcoming municipal corporation polls. Uddhav visited ‘Shivtirth’, the residence of Raj in Dadar in central Mumbai, the latest in a series of meetings this year between the once politically estranged cousins who have been warming up to each other in recent times amid signs of reconciliation and possible alliance between their parties. Although the Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS are yet to formally announce an alliance, the Thackeray cousins have given enough hints of an imminent tie-up for local body polls, especially the crucial Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and other civic bodies in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Pune and Nashik, where the two outfits have pockets of influence. A Shiv Sena (UBT) leader disclosed that during the meeting, Uddhav and Raj are believed to have discussed potential seat-sharing between their parties for the civic polls and also the alleged irregularities in voters list, an issue which the Opposition has been raising vociferously. They also discussed the reported resistance by the Congress, a partner of the Shiv Sena (UBT), to align with the MNS, he said. Earlier this week, Uddhav and Raj had submitted a letter to the State Election Commission seeking more time to submit objections and suggestions in draft voters list. Ten pc Mumbai voters have duplicate entries Nearly 10.64 per cent or more than 11 lakh of Mumbai’s 1.03 crore electorate have duplicate enrolments in the electoral roll, as per data shared by the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC). The data shows that a majority of wards with the highest number of duplicate voters were previously represented by Opposition corporators. The SEC on Wednesday extended the deadline for submitting objections from November 27 to December 3. The final voters’ list will be published on December 10, according to a statement issued by the SEC. The data shows that 4.33 lakh voters appear more than once in the draft voters’ list published last week, with multiple entries ranging from two to as many as 103 times. This has pushed the total number of duplicate enrolments to 11,01,505. The SEC has attributed the repetition of names to factors such as printing errors, voters’ relocation, and failure to remove the names of deceased persons. Booth-level workers will now conduct field visits, fill forms, and obtain verification undertakings to ensure each voter is listed only once, officials said. An SEC official indicated that Mumbai’s civic elections, slated to be completed by January 31, 2026, as per a Supreme Court directive, may see a slight delay. Depending on the pace of corrections by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the polls could either be held by the end of January or the SEC may seek an extension to the first week of February, he added. The SEC data further shows that four of the five wards with the highest number of duplicate voters were previously represented by Opposition corporators from parties such as Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Nationalist Congress Party (SP). Two of these wards fall under the Worli assembly constituency, represented by Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray.

Australian, UK varsities to set up campuses in Navi Mumbai

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Managing Director of the National Stock Exchange Ashish Chauhan at the WAVES 2025.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Managing Director of the National Stock Exchange Ashish Chauhan at the WAVES 2025.

Mumbai: Two leading universities from Australia and the United Kingdom on Friday signed an agreement with state government to set up their campuses in Navi Mumbai, CM Devendra Fadnavis said.


The projects envisage an investment of Rs 1,500 crore in each campus, Fadnavis told reporters at the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES).


The campuses will come up at Educity, the mega education hub launched by the City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra in Navi Mumbai, Fadnavis said. Educity will have campuses of 10 to 12 top world universities which figure in the global top 100 ranking, he said.


“Today, MoUs were signed with the University of Western Australia and University of York to set up their campuses in Educity,” Fadnavis said.


Talks have been finalised with three more universities to set up campuses in Educity, he said, adding discussions are underway with five other foreign universities.


Nifty Waves index

The National Stock Exchange (NSE) on Friday announced the launch of Nifty Waves Index, comprising 43 listed companies that belong to the media, entertainment, and gaming industry.


The new index is designed to provide deep insights into the performance of one of the country's most dynamic sectors.


With a diverse ecosystem spanning film, television, digital platforms, music, and gaming, the Indian media and entertainment industry is undergoing a dynamic transformation, blending creative innovation with rapid technological adoption. "India's next significant export is its imagination --our stories, music, innovation, and creative spirit. Through WAVES, we are building a bridge between our rich cultural heritage and our boundless digital future. The launch of the Nifty Waves Index has provided us with a tool to measure success in this field and inspire many more entrepreneurs," Fadnavis said.


The weight of each stock in the Nifty Waves Index is based on free float market capitalisation subject to a cap of 5 per cent. The base date for the index is April 1, 2005, and the base value is 1,000. The index will be reconstituted semi-annually and rebalanced on a quarterly basis.


Ashishkumar Chauhan, MD & CEO, NSE said, "The Nifty Waves index is designed to provide deep insights into the performance of one of India's most dynamic sectors. It offers us a benchmark to understand market trends and unlock the full potential of India's creative economy".

Bollywood actor Shraddha Kapoor and Head Instagram at Meta Adam Mosseri during a session at WAVES 2025. Pic: PTI
Bollywood actor Shraddha Kapoor and Head Instagram at Meta Adam Mosseri during a session at WAVES 2025. Pic: PTI

Stars speak up

Speaking at a session, The Journey: From Outsider to Ruler, superstar Shah Rukh Khan recalled that his young self was a “bit brash, a bit overconfident and a bit reckless.” But he also acknowledges that that very confidence led him to take the path to what he’s achieved today. “So yes, thank you, young Shah Rukh Khan, for being so cool,” he quipped. The actor also underscored the power of laughter saying that if you can make your children—or your parents—laugh, “you will never be lonely”. Actor Kareena Kapoor Khan, while talking about why she’s never ‘chased’ English films, recounted an anecdote that shows the soft power and global reach of Indian cinema. She was dining at a restaurant when legendary Hollywood filmmaker, Steven Spielberg, came up to her and asked “Are you the girl who’s in that very famous Indian film about three students?’ I said, ‘Yes, that’s me.’ He said, ‘My God, I love that movie',” said the popular actress who carries forward the Hindi movie legacy of her filmmaker grandfather Raj Kapoor. Aamir Khan revealed an interesting fact—that in a film-obsessed country, “only 2 per cent of India’s population has access to watch movies in a theatre”. While speaking at a session called Studios of the Future, he ‘PK’ actor stressed on the need for more cinema halls. “My belief has always been that we need to have a lot more theatres in India. There are so many vast districts in India that don’t have a single theatre for people to watch films. I feel that one of the biggest issues that we have faced over decades is that we just don’t have enough screens,” he said.


Nita Ambani, founder and chairperson of the Reliance Foundation, hailed India as a blend of heritage and innovation, emphasising that India is home to the sacred sound of ‘Om’ and to Sanskrit which forms the foundation of several languages.


Institute of Creative Technology

Goregaon will be home to the Indian Institute of Creative Technology, to be set up by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry along with industry bodies such as FICCI and CII. Modelled on the lines of India’s top-tier institutions like IITs and IIMs, the IICT will offer specialized programs in VFX, animation, gaming, XR, and AI-driven storytelling.


"The truth is that the world is essentially, intrinsically and essentially diverse, and that pluralism has been suppressed in the past by both colonialism and big power dominance. As we seek now to democratise the international system, it is not enough to just assert political and economic independence. It is equally essential that we give voice to our traditions, to our heritage, to ideas, to practices, and to our creativity.”

S Jaishankar, Minister, External Affairs


"As a government, we must provide a fair chance for everyone to showcase their story to the world. We must incentivise local content promotion and enforce IP framework among other things. Focus is shifting towards local stories. We aim to build people-to-people and country-to-country exchanges. Tie-ups with government, industry and creators have, therefore, become indispensable. Practical steps include co-production treaties to ease licences and talent movement. We need joint funds for new tech, shared standards, and clear rules for ethical AI.”

Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister, Information and Broadcasting


“We remain the home of the creator economy. Over the last three years, we've paid out over Rs 21,000 crore to creators and partners, media companies and music labels here in this market that creates the foundation for the great growth of the creator economy. I think the numbers show that our goal is to continue to provide the best tools possible, including leveraging AI to improve creation capabilities for our creators and provide them with multiple ways for them to generate revenue. Creators care about fame and fortune and if we can enable both of those then we remain the home for them.”

Gautam Anand, Vice President, YouTube Asia Pacific

Comments

bottom of page