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By:

Dr. Abhilash Dawre

19 March 2025 at 5:18:41 pm

Ambernath polls marred by cash-for-votes allegations

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 city, a major...

Ambernath polls marred by cash-for-votes allegations

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 city, a major controversy erupted late Friday night after allegations surfaced that voters were being bribed with cash. The Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) claimed that its workers caught two individuals red-handed in Ward No. 28 while allegedly distributing money to voters. According to the claim, bundles of currency notes and a receipt bearing the name of BJP candidate Poonam Patil were seized from the accused.   Following the incident, the Election Commission’s flying squad rushed to the spot and initiated an inquiry. Sources said that during the investigation, lists containing names of voters from a residential building along with cash were found in possession of the two individuals. Based on these developments, allegations of violation of the Model Code of Conduct were levelled against the BJP.   Meanwhile, the Ambernath civic election has turned into a battleground within the ruling Mahayuti alliance itself, with the BJP, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) and the NCP locked in a war of accusations, further intensifying the political atmosphere.   In another significant development, a large gathering of women was found assembled in a hall in the Kohujgaon area. Suspecting that these women were bogus voters, workers from both the Congress and the BJP rushed to the location. The Congress alleged that the women had been brought for bogus voting at the behest of the Shiv Sena (Shinde group). Police are currently investigating where the women came from and who instructed them to assemble at the venue.   Tampering With EVMs Tensions escalated further after the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) alleged tampering with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). The party claimed that EVM manipulation had taken place at the South Indian School polling booth in Ward No. 5 of Ambernath. Shiv Sena candidate Shailesh Bhoir accused Tushar Telange, brother of a BJP candidate, of involvement in the alleged tampering. Following the allegation, a large number of Shiv Sena workers gathered at the polling centre, leading to a tense situation.   With allegations of cash distribution, suspicions of bogus voters and claims of EVM tampering surfacing within a short span, the Ambernath Municipal Council election has become embroiled in controversy. Notably, parties within the ruling alliance itself are accusing one another, creating confusion and mistrust among voters.   According to the Election Commission, voter turnout in the Ambernath Municipal Council election was recorded between 55% to 60%.   While Speaking to The Perfect Voice, Deputy Commissioner of Police Sachin Gore stated that barring minor disputes, polling in Ambernath was conducted peacefully. He revealed that at around 2 am on Friday night, Ambernath Police Station received information about nearly 200 people arriving from outside and gathering at a particular location. After verifying the information, police registered an offence under the Representation of the People Act against those present at the spot for unlawful assembly without valid reason. Further investigation in the matter is currently underway, DCP Gore said.   Raut meets Raj amid alliance talks Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday met Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray as the two parties are discussing seat-sharing for the January 15 civic elections in Mumbai. This was Raut's second visit to ‘Shivtirth’, Raj Thackeray's residence in Dadar, in the last three days. Elections to 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra are slated to take place on January 15. On Friday, MNS leader Nitin Sardesai had said that the alliance talks between the two parties, led by cousins Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray, were in final stages, but it was difficult to say when the alliance would be officially announced. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab had met Raj Thackeray on Friday. BJP-Shiv Sena Tie The BJP and Shiv Sena are treading cautiously before committing to contest the upcoming elections to the Thane Municipal Corporation in an alliance, with a decision expected in the next two days. Thane is considered the home turf of Shiv Sena leader and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. A political dispute had erupted recently after some Shiv Sena workers crossed over to the BJP in Thane district. Senior leaders in both parties will take a final decision on the alliance as well as on a seat-sharing formula, said Shiv Sena MP Naresh Mhaske on Saturday, a day after BJP and Shiv Sena leaders met in Thane to discuss the contours of the electoral contest. BJP MLA Sanjay Kelkar said the meeting was aimed at directing the Mahayuti's election strategy. It was attended by senior leaders, public representatives, office-bearers, and grassroots workers of both parties. Kelkar said the leaders expressed determination to contest the elections with a focus on public interest, development, and decisive victory, under the leadership of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shinde. Cong Gears Up Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad on Saturday said the BJP's "religious politics and double standards" would be rejected by the voters of the metropolis who will focus on core civic issues. Polls to 29 municipal corporations, including Mumbai, will take place on January 15, while votes will be counted on the next day. "Whenever elections come, the BJP starts playing religious politics," Gaikwad said in a statement. She said while BJP's Mumbai unit chief Ameet Satam claims NCP's Nawab Malik is unacceptable, the Ajit Pawar-led party's state president Sunil Tatkare holds discussions with senior BJP leader Ashish Shelar. "The BJP says Nawab Malik is unwanted, yet his (MLA) daughter Sana Malik votes in favour of the BJP government. This clearly exposes the party's double standards," she said. Gaikwad said the BJP's approach of seeking to remain in power, enjoying its benefits, and resorting to religious politics during elections is evident to the people of Mumbai. "Mumbaikars will not be misled by this. They will vote on real civic issues such as roads, traffic congestion, clean drinking water and air quality," the Lok Sabha MP added.

Choking Mumbai

For decades, Mumbai was perceived as a rare urban oasis, where the saline sweep of the Arabian Sea blunted the worst ravages of India's air pollution. That illusion has now been dispelled. A meticulous four-year study by Respirer Living Sciences (RLS), using data from its AtlasAQ platform, reveals the bleak truth that the city’s air is thick with pollutants all year round, with no ‘clean season’ left.


Mumbai’s annual average levels of PM10 (particulate matter ten microns or less in diameter) have consistently breached the national safety threshold of 60 micrograms per cubic metre (μg/m³). This is not merely a seasonal malaise tied to cooler winter months, as once assumed. Alarmingly, the city’s pollution levels persist even through the hot season, a time when improved atmospheric dispersion should offer natural reprieve.


Across the city - from Chakala in Andheri East to Deonar, Kurla, Vile Parle West and Mazgaon - pollution has become an unrelenting, ubiquitous presence.


The culprits are well known: traffic emissions from a burgeoning number of vehicles; unregulated dust from frenzied construction; industrial activity in and around the ports; and a conspicuous lack of dust control measures. Mumbai’s ceaseless growth now risks becoming a chronic liability.


Worryingly, the regulatory response remains sluggish. Mumbai’s urban planning continues to treat clean air as a peripheral concern, not a foundational necessity. Development plans rarely integrate environmental impact assessments in a meaningful way.


A sharper, citywide strategy is urgently needed. Dust suppression rules at construction sites must be enforced strictly, with financial penalties for violators and incentives for best practices. Traffic management systems should be overhauled to ease congestion and encourage the use of public transport. Expansion of clean, reliable mass transit network needs to be urgently prioritised. In addition, comprehensive real-time air monitoring at the ward level should be deployed, enabling authorities to respond to localised pollution spikes swiftly rather than relying on citywide averages that conceal dangerous hotspots.


Longer-term, clean air targets must be hardwired into the city’s master planning and transport policies. Green buffers along major traffic corridors, stricter emission norms for commercial vehicles and incentives for rooftop gardens and urban afforestation could all play a part. Industrial zones near port areas should be subjected to rigorous air quality compliance measures, not token self-certifications. Private developers and large infrastructure firms, often among the worst offenders, must be made stakeholders in the clean air mission through binding regulations.


Mumbai’s commercial dynamism - as a magnet for migrants, entrepreneurs and investors - depends not just on glittering skyscrapers but on something far more basic: the ability to breathe. Unless clean air becomes an unshakeable priority, the city risks suffocating its own future. For a metropolis that prides itself on its resilience against terror attacks, monsoon floods and economic shocks, the real test will be whether it can muster the will to fight an invisible, pervasive enemy slowly corroding the lives of its 20 million citizens.

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