BJP outsmarts opposition in Nagpur municipal polls as Gadkari-Fadnavis duo magic works

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Nagpur, Jan 16 (IANS) In a resounding endorsement of the “Double Engine” governance, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has effectively decimated the opposition in the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) elections. As counting enters the final stages on Friday, the BJP has surged past the majority mark in the 151-member NMC, reclaiming its stronghold in the hometown of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.

While the final tally is being consolidated by the State Election Commission, current trends and declared results as of 5:30 p.m. indicate a near-total dominance by the Mahayuti alliance. BJP, which held 108 seats in the 2017 body, appears set to improve its performance, potentially crossing the 115-seat mark.

Political analysts attribute this victory to the heavyweight campaigning by local icons Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who framed the election around infrastructure and urban development.

The Congress, despite an aggressive campaign led by party MLA Vikas Thakre, failed to break the BJP’s grassroots network. Internal rift and the decision of MVA constituents (NCP-SP and Congress) to contest separately are seen as primary reasons for the fractured opposition vote.

The city recorded a moderate turnout of approximately 51-52 per cent on polling day, amidst reports of minor EVM glitches and discrepancies in voter lists in some prabhags.

“This is a victory for development over divisive politics. Nagpur has once again shown that it trusts the vision of PM Modi and the leadership in Maharashtra,” said CM Fadnavis.

Minister Gadkari expressed his joy over the results, describing them as a clear mandate for stability, progress, and efficient administration. Congratulating the alliance’s top leadership, Gadkari extended his heartiest greetings to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, BJP State President Ravindra Chavan, and Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule.

He also lauded the collective efforts of the Mahayuti office-bearers, public representatives, and grassroots workers whose tireless campaigning led to this success.

“The people of Maharashtra have once again reposed their firm faith in the BJP-Shiv Sena Mahayuti. This result is not just limited to local governance but serves as a testament to the state’s overall political atmosphere and the government’s development-oriented policies,” Minister Gadkari stated.

The Union Minister emphasised that the victory reflects the positive impact of the government’s work over the past few years, particularly in Infrastructure and Roads, with significant improvements in connectivity and transportation, Urban Development, which has enhanced focus on sanitation, water supply, and citizen-centric services and state governance with a commitment to making cities more capable and accessible.

Minister Gadkari noted that the electorate chose “development over negative politics,” signalling a rejection of the opposition’s narrative. He credited the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the efficient execution by CM Fadnavis for propelling Maharashtra towards becoming a leading industrial and prosperous state.

Meanwhile, Senior Congress Leader Vikas Thakre, in his reaction on NMC results, remarked, “While we respect the mandate, the confusion caused by the prabhag system and voter list errors cannot be ignored. We will continue to serve as a strong opposition for the people of Nagpur.”

With a clear majority in sight, the focus now shifts to the Mayoral selection. Names of several senior BJP leaders are already doing the rounds. The official notification of the newly elected corporators is expected by late tonight or Saturday morning.

(Sanjay Jog can be contacted at sanjay.j@ians.in)

–IANS

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Bengaluru: Man stabs wife to death near son’s school, suspecting affair

Bengaluru, Feb 5 (IANS) In a shocking incident, a man stabbed his wife to death in broad daylight near his son’s school, in full public view, in Bengaluru on Wednesday.

The incident took place in Vinayakanagar, Hebbagodi, near Anekal town. The deceased has been identified as 29-year-old Sriganga, and the accused husband as Mohanraj. The accused has been arrested by the police.

According to the police, Sriganga and Mohanraj had been married for seven years and have a six-year-old son. Two years ago, Mohanraj suspected his wife of having a relationship with one of his friends, leading to frequent quarrels. The couple had been living separately for the past eight months.

On Tuesday night, Mohanraj had visited his wife’s residence to see his child, during which an argument broke out between them. On Wednesday morning, while Sriganga was riding her bike to drop their son off at school, Mohanraj, who was waiting for her, intercepted and attacked her in the middle of the road. He stabbed her repeatedly, near the school premises.

Eyewitnesses rushed the severely injured Sriganga to a private hospital, but she succumbed to her injuries.

Reacting to the incident, Bengaluru Rural’s Superintendent of Police (SP) S.K. Baba said that the attack took place as Sriganga was dropping her son off at the school. Despite being taken to the hospital, she could not be saved.

“The police have arrested the accused, Mohanraj, and legal proceedings have been initiated against him. The attack happened near the school compound, and a case has been registered at the Hebbagodi police station,” he said.

Further investigation revealed that Mohanraj and his friend worked in the same factory. At one point, Mohanraj had allowed his friend to stay at his residence, which led to conflicts between him and Sriganga. He suspected that she was having an affair with his friend, which fueled their marital disputes.

Following their separation, Mohanraj reportedly became enraged as he had not seen his son for several months. The police are now verifying his statements and have launched a detailed investigation into the case.

–IANS

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Yogi to Delhi voters: Time to reject AAP’s ‘Bato aur raj karo’ model

New Delhi, Jan 23 (IANS) Calling the ruling AAP in Delhi an ‘ATM for dispensing lies’, Uttar Pradesh (UP) Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, on Thursday fired up the BJP’s Assembly poll campaign, asking voters to repeat their Lok Sabha election verdict against Arvind Kejriwal and team for “pursuing politics of divide and rule”.

Addressing a massive election rally in Kirari Assembly constituency for BJP candidate Bajrang Shukla, CM Adityanath said, “Their policy of giving financial assistance to priests initially did not include temple pujaris and when it did, it excluded heads of Valmiki temples.”

“The AAP’s agenda does not include priests of Valmiki temples,” he said, adding that the scheme for paying salaries to heads of religious places started with Moulvis as part of their polarisation strategy.

“Their policy of ‘Banto aur raj karo (divide and rule)’ got exposed even in the scheme for giving honorarium to heads of places of worship,” he said, calling the AAP a ‘jhoot ka ATM (ATM for dispensing lies).’

Showcasing the performance of “double-engine” governments in states around Delhi and in the Hindi belt – UP, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, the saffron-clad UP CM hit out at Kerjwal and Atishi governments for failure to clean the Yamuna, remove mountains of garbage, provide infrastructure push and affordable and continuous power supply.

Taking to task the ruling AAP over a polluted Yamuna, he said, “The quality of water of the Yamuna is far better in Prayagraj than what it is in Delhi.”

He also targeted the AAP government for failure to improve or beautify any place of worship in Delhi. “Look what has been done under Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Kashi, Ayodhya and Prayagraj. Today, 1,000 places of worship in UP are getting a facelift,” he said.

Taking a swipe at the Delhi government for power cuts and costly electricity, the UP CM said, “The rate of one unit of power in Delhi is almost three times the Rs 3.50-Rs 4 that we charge for one unit in UP.”

Seeking a massive mandate for the BJP in Delhi, CM Adityanath said during the Lok Sabha elections, the AAP’s top leader had sought votes by saying that through their verdict they should decide whether he would remain in jail or not.

“By giving 7-0 mandate in LS elections in the BJP’s favour, the voters in Delhi have already given a verdict against the AAP. I am sure, they are just waiting to repeat it in the Assembly elections,” he said.

Elections to pick a 70-member Assembly will be held in Delhi on February 5 and results will be declared on February 8. The BJP is banking upon star campaigners like PM Modi and CM Adityanath to return to power in Delhi after 27 years.

–IANS

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Calcutta HC’s RG Kar rape & murder case bench lead judge recuses himself from hearing

Kolkata, Nov 6 (IANS) Justice Debangshu Basak, the “lead judge” or a “senior judge” of a division bench of the Calcutta High Court hearing the R.G. Kar rape and murder case, on Thursday, recused from hearing the matter.

However, it is not yet clear why Justice Basak recused from hearing in the matter.

Now the matter will be referred to the Calcutta High Court’s Acting Chief Justice Sujay Paul, who will decide on the new division bench to hear the matter.

The parents of the woman junior doctor of state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, who became a victim of rape and murder within the hospital premises in August last year, approached Calcutta High Court’s single-judge bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh seeking a fresh probe in the matter since the beginning.

They sought a fresh probe in the matter after expressing dissatisfaction over the probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the matter, which identified civic volunteer Sanjay Roy as the sole accused in the rape and murder case.

The victim’s parents claimed that the rape and murder of their daughter was a part of a larger conspiracy involving several influential persons.

However, earlier this year, Justice Ghosh recused from hearing the matter.

Thereafter, the victim’s parents approached the Calcutta High Court’s division bench of Justice Basak and Justice Md. Shabbar Rashidi.

Now, on Thursday, Justice Basak also recused from hearing the matter.

Besides, the Calcutta High Court, the matter of the R.G. Kar rape and murder case is also being heard at the Supreme Court and a trial court in Kolkata.

This same trial court earlier had identified Sanjay Roy, a former civic volunteer attached to the Kolkata Police, as the sole accused in the case and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

However, CBI had challenged that order of the trial court and approached the Calcutta High Court seeking a death sentence for Sanjay Roy.

–IANS

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