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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 8:56:24 pm

Sack, jail Kumar: Uddhav

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray today demanded the immediate removal and arrest of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and fresh elections in Maharashtra, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu in the wake of differences emerging in the Election Commission of India’s top brass. Referring to reports in a media report that two Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had reportedly raised objections on multiple occasions over certain decisions concerning...

Sack, jail Kumar: Uddhav

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray today demanded the immediate removal and arrest of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and fresh elections in Maharashtra, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu in the wake of differences emerging in the Election Commission of India’s top brass. Referring to reports in a media report that two Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had reportedly raised objections on multiple occasions over certain decisions concerning electoral rolls and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR), Thackeray accused the ECI of becoming ‘a part of a wider political operation’ intended to weaken democratic institutions. “There’s a ‘gang’ of people within the election system that is conniving to split political parties, grab their names and poll symbols, and are ‘murdering democracy’. The horrific, ugly and grotesque face of Gyanesh Kumar has been exposed. The Supreme Court must take suo motu cognizance of the entire controversy,” demanded Thackeray. Pointing to the ECI claims that it follows the directives of the Ministry of Home Affairs, he said “this raises questions whether the Home Minister is the ‘mastermind’, which needs to be clarified”. “If so, then he too must face the appropriate punishment,” said Thackeray, hinting at Amit Shah. Dwelling on the expose on ECI, he slammed the poll panel for “operating in an arbitrary fashion with Gyanesh Kumar, who is driven by a lust for power”, and reiterated that the CEC must be removed and jailed forthwith. To a query on following the rules, Thackeray shot back: “Did he follow the rules? Then why talk of rules for him sack and jail him. We salute the two ECs (Sandhu and Joshi) for bringing this out and opening the eyes of the country.” Attempting to douse the flames engulfing its credibility, the ECI said that there may be differences but these were thoroughly discussed and all the final decisions were taken unanimously by all the three top functionaries with their signatures. Thackery said around 45 lakh voters were added to the electoral rolls between the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections (both 2024), and objections were subsequently raised on more than 40 lakh of those voter names. NCP (SP) seeks all-party meet The Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) on Wednesday called for an immediate all-party meeting to discuss reports of differences emerging within the Election Commission, saying the issue concerns the constitutional rights of every citizen and should not be treated as a political matter. She said the allegations should be discussed openly to establish whether there was any substance in them. Asked if Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar should “step aside”, Sule said there should be an open discussion on whether the allegations are true. “If the system is going to collapse, then who we should trust in this country,” the Lok Sabha member from Baramati constituency in western Maharashtra said.

The friendship files

Mar 20, 2025
2 min read

Updated: Mar 21, 2025

Love for gym and films brought Morea, Pancholi, Aaditya together

Morea, Pancholi, Aaditya

Mumbai: Otherwise poles apart, the trio – Aaditya Thackeray, Dino Morea and Sooraj Pancholi – have two things in common, passion for gym and cinema. This passion brought them together and created a strong bonding among them.


Aaditya has always enjoyed the company of film stars since many of them used to visit his grandfather the late Balasaheb Thackeray at their Bandra residence, Matoshree. Aaditya developed friendship with Morea during one of such meetings when he was a teenager. The friendship grew over the years irrespective of 20 years of gap in their age.


In 2016, when Morea opened an open-air gym in Marine Drive, Aaditya was the one who had inaugurated it along with actor Jacqueline Fernandez. Several pics of the duo posing together dating back to 2014 can also be found online. Aaditya is reportedly a regular visitor at Morea’s house in Bandra on almost each of his private celebrations.


Their friendship is in spotlight again since Satish Salian, the father of deceased Disha Salian, has named them as prime accused in her death case in a petition filed in the Bombay High Court on Wednesday. Salian has demanded that the trio should be probed for their role in his daughter’s “gang-rape and murder”.


The names of Morea, Pancholi and Aaditya began doing the rounds on various social media platforms right after Disha Salian’s death on June 8, 2020. In hush hush tones, their friendship became the talk of the town. People started adding two and two together. Salian used to work as an executive with a company which managed Rajput’s Public Relations. Salian and Rajput had a professional connection and Morea, Pancholi and Aaditya had a personal connection.


Salian has alleged that the trio has attended a ‘party’ at Disha’s Malad house where she died under mysterious circumstances. Salian believes that the trio are eye witnesses to what happened on that fateful night and there should be a thorough investigation into their role in covering up Disha’s “murder” as a “suicide”.


When asked about his friendship with Morea and Aaditya, Pancholi had told a TV news channel in 2020, “Dino is a friend of mine, whom I meet at the gym sometimes. It has been a long time since I have met him. Aaditya Thackeray sir, I have no connection with. I have never interacted with him.” Sooraj’s ex-girlfriend Jiah Khan had committed suicide in 2013,

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