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By:

Naresh Kamath

5 November 2024 at 5:30:38 am

Four ex-Mumbai mayors in fray

Mumbai: The upcoming BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections are all set to witness interesting contests as four formers Mayors of Mumbai are locked up in interesting fights which promises to be the toughest one in their political career. All four are veterans in the BMC…Shraddha Jadhav, Kishori Pednekar, Vishakha Raut and Milind Vaidya who have stood out among their peers for decades and headed various civic committees apart from being the First Citizen of this metropolis. They...

Four ex-Mumbai mayors in fray

Mumbai: The upcoming BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections are all set to witness interesting contests as four formers Mayors of Mumbai are locked up in interesting fights which promises to be the toughest one in their political career. All four are veterans in the BMC…Shraddha Jadhav, Kishori Pednekar, Vishakha Raut and Milind Vaidya who have stood out among their peers for decades and headed various civic committees apart from being the First Citizen of this metropolis. They all are contesting from Shiv Sena (UBT) party headed by Uddhav Thackeray. Take the case of Shraddha Jadhav, who has been a corporator from 1992 onwards and is contesting for her 7th term. Standing from ward number 202 in Parel, Shraddha is being challenged by Shiv Sena (UBT) activist Vijay Indulkar who is standing as a rebel. After Shraddha’s candidature was announced last week, 128 local Sena office bearers resigned in protest, which was shocking considering that this area is considered as a Sena citadel right from 1970’s. The BJP side is represented by Parth Bavkar, who is a close confidant of popular Wadala legislator Kalidas Kolambkar and there is fear that Parth may sail through if votes are split between Shraddha and Indulkar. Indulkar accuses Shraddha of neglecting this area. “She has undertaken no developmental work in this constituency and the people are against her,” said Indulkar. Shraddha however dismisses Indulkar’s claim as baseless. “This is plain jealously and an attempt to defame our family. If I don’t work how did I get elected from the last 6 terms? I am confident of winning for the 7th term,” countered Shraddha. She was the Mayor of Mumbai from 2009 to 2012. The second high profile battle is ward number 191 which encompass areas like Siddhivinayak Mandir and Shivaji Park. Here veteran corporator Vishakha Raut who has also served as Dadar legislator is pitted against Priya Sarvankar, daughter of former legislator Sada Sarvankar. Vishakha who served as Mumbai’s Mayor during 1997-1998 is representing Shiv Sena (UBT) while her rival Priya is contesting from Shiv Sena (Shinde) faction. Priya calls Vishakha a failure. “She has been an inaccessible corporator and citizens were left to fend for themselves from the last eight years. People want a young face to represent them,” said Priya. Vishakha Raut laughs down Priya’s claim saying Shiv Sena has a legacy of doing people centric activities from this belt. “We have served the Dadar citizens for decades and this relationship is familial. What are Priya’s achievements except praising her father’s work who was incidentally with our party only,” said Vishakha. In her neighbourhood, Kishori Pednekar who the mayor from 2019 to 2022 is fighting from ward number 199 at Worli area. The local Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) activists are angry with her for bad mouthing their leader Raj Thackeray during her tenure as Mayor. In addition, a section of her own party are also up in arms against her. However Pednekar downplays the incident. “If I have said anything wrong about Rajsahjeb, I apologise for the same. Currently both Raj and Uddhav are our leaders and we are fighting the elections under their leadership,” said Pednekar. She had enlisted the help of senior MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar to convince the local MNS cadre to work for her. The fourth incumbent Milind Vaidya who served as Mumbai Mayor during 1996-1997 had to shift his ward and is contesting from ward number 182 at Mahim from number 183. He is being challenged by BJP candidate Rajan Parkar, who is popular figure from this constituency.

US Vice President JD Vance, his family arrive in Delhi

  • PTI
  • Apr 21, 2025
  • 2 min read

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NEW DELHI: US Vice President J D Vance arrived here on Monday on a four-day visit to India against the backdrop of ongoing negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement between the two strategic partners to address a variety of issues, including tariff and market access.


Vance is accompanied by his Indian-origin wife Usha Chilukuri and their three children Ewan, Vivek, Mirabel and a delegation of senior US government officials.


The US Vice President and the Second Lady were received at the Palam air base by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.


The American leader was also accorded a ceremonial welcome on his arrival.

In the evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host a dinner for the Vances after holding wide-ranging talks with the US Vice President.


External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, NSA Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Indian ambassador to US Vinay Mohan Kwatra are expected to be part of the Indian team to be led by PM Modi at the talks.


The focus of the meeting is likely to be on early finalisation of the proposed bilateral trade pact as well as ways to boost overall trajectory of ties between the two countries.


Besides Delhi, Vance and his family will travel to Jaipur and Agra.

Vance's first visit to India comes weeks after US President Donald Trump imposed and then paused a sweeping tariff regime against around 60 countries, including India.


New Delhi and Washington are now holding negotiations to seal a bilateral trade agreement that is expected to address a variety of issues, including tariff and market access.


Vance and his family are scheduled to leave for Jaipur on Monday night.

In Delhi, the US Vice President and his family are staying at the ITC Maurya Sheraton hotel.


On April 22, the Vances will visit a number of historical sites in Jaipur, including the Amer Fort, also known as Amber Fort. The fort is a UNESCO world heritage site.


In the afternoon, the US Vice President is scheduled to address a gathering at the Rajasthan International Centre in Jaipur.


Vance is expected to delved into broader aspects of India-US relations under the Donald Trump administration during his speech that is expected to be attended by diplomats, foreign policy experts, Indian government officials and academia.


The US Vice President and his family will travel to Agra on the morning of April 23, people familiar with the matter said.


In Agra, they will visit the Taj Mahal and Shilpgram which is an open air emporium showcasing various Indian artefacts, they said.


After concluding their visit to Agra, the Vances will return to Jaipur on the second half of April 23.


The US Vice President and his family will depart for the US from Jaipur on April 24, according to the people cited above.

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