National
Constituency Watch: Mumbai North Central witnessing fight between renowned lawyer & seasoned politician
Mumbai, May 14 (IANS) Although the BJP and Congress are engaged in a fight for supremacy in Mumbai North Central, it is being portrayed as a contest between high-profile lawyer Ujjwal Nikam, and a professor-turned-politician Varsha Gaikwad.
While Ujjwal Nikam was the Public Prosecutor in the high-profile Mumbai 26/11 terror attacks case, Varsha Gaikwad is a former Cabinet minister and a four-term Legislator from Asia’s largest slum Dharavi.
The BJP had a tough time in dropping sitting MP Poonam Mahajan, who is the daughter of party veteran late Pramod Mahajan, and find a suitable nominee to tighten its grip on the constituency.
After Mumbai unit chief and Bandra West Legislator Ashish Shelar conveyed to the BJP leadership not to consider him for nomination, names like actress Madhuri Dixit and singer Anuradha Paudwal were doing the rounds.
Ultimately the party zeroed in on Nikam and pitted him against Gaikwad.
Though he started a bit late, Nikam is reaching out to the voters and projecting the Modi government’s achievements to curb terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and in border areas and also its track record in protecting India’s interests while dealing with neighbouring countries such as China, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
He also tells the voters that although politics is not his domain, the Constitution, law and nation are supreme for him.
Nikam refutes charges of being an outsider and anti-Muslim, saying that a person who resolves to work for national interests is never restricted by geographical boundaries.
He further clarifies that he never felt the need to look at the religion of those who tried to attack the Indian Constitution, law and nation and to challenge national security.
On the other hand, Gaikwad, who was initially unhappy over the Congress party’s decision to leave the Mumbai South Central seat to Shiv Sena (UBT), hopes to regain the Congress’ lost glory in the constituency.
This is because Gaikwad represents Dharavi seat which is a part of Mumbai South Central.
The Mumbai North Central was earlier represented by the Congress in 1984, 1991, 2004 (by her father Eknath Gaikwad defeating former Chief Minister Manohar Joshi) and in 2009.
However, the BJP won the seat in 2014 and 2019 elections riding on the ‘Modi wave’.
The Shiv Sena had represented the constituency in 1989 and 1999. Gaikwad is cashing in on the strong support from Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray in particular, who recently announced that he would vote for the first time for the Congress party’s ‘Hand’ symbol.
She is approaching the electorate seeking votes to save the Constitution and democracy and reservation for SCs, STs and Tribals.
Gaikwad and the Congress had a tough time in pacifying former minister Naseem Khan who quit as the party’s star campaigner after he did not get the nomination from Mumbai North Central.
However, Gaikwad heaved a sigh of relief after Khan withdrew his resignation following intervention from senior party leader Rahul Gandhi.
Khan’s involvement now in the campaign has been a major booster dose for Gaikwad.
The constituency has a mixed population of elite colonies and slums.
There are 17,44,128 voters comprising 9,41,288 males and 9,02,775 females. Of these voters, 38 per cent are Marathi speaking people, 22 per cent Muslims and 18-20 per cent are North Indians.
The BJP is quite optimistic about getting maximum support from the Marathi speaking voters and North and South Indians while Gaikwad hopes to get backing from Marathi speaking voters due to Shiv Sena (UBT)’s strong Shakha network and also from Muslims and other minorities.
Of the six Assembly constituencies, the BJP has two legislators in Vile Parle and Bandra East while Chandivali and Kurla are represented by Shiv Sena, Kalina by Shiv Sena (UBT) and Bandra East by the Congress.
Nikam hopes to consolidate his position considering the Mahayuti’s strength in the constituency while Gaikwad is hopeful of winning the seat riding on Uddhav Thackeray’s sympathy wave and the Maha Vikas Aghadi’s organisational strength.
Nikam and Gaikwad are promising a major makeover of the constituency, especially in the wake of mushrooming realty development.
However, the delayed redevelopment of slums adjacent to the Mumbai International Airport, rehabilitation of the displaced people and traffic jams on the LBS Marg are some of the critical issues prevalent in the constituency.
(Sanjay Jog can be contacted at sanjay.j@ians.in)
–IANS
sj/rad
National
Defence Ministry: Year 2025 will be year of reforms
On Wednesday, the Defence Ministry announced that 2025 will be designated as the “Year of Reforms,” with a primary focus on establishing integrated theatre commands to enhance collaboration among the three branches of the military.
These reforms are aimed at transforming the armed forces into a technologically advanced, combat-ready force capable of executing multi-domain integrated operations, the ministry stated.
The initiative will emphasize emerging domains such as cyber and space, alongside cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, hypersonics, and robotics.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh described the “Year of Reforms” as a pivotal milestone in the modernization of the armed forces.
“It will set the stage for significant advancements in the nation’s defense capabilities, ensuring the security and sovereignty of India in the face of 21st-century challenges,” he said.
National
A 3.2 magnitude tremor struck Gujarat’s Kutch district on Wednesday morning
A 3.2 magnitude tremor struck Gujarat’s Kutch district on Wednesday morning, according to the Institute of Seismological Research (ISR).
The district administration reported no casualties or property damage following the quake.
The tremor occurred at 10:24 am, with its epicenter located 23 kilometers north-northeast (NNE) of Bhachau, as per the Gandhinagar-based ISR.
Last month, the region experienced four seismic events exceeding a magnitude of 3, including a 3.2 magnitude tremor just three days ago, with its epicenter also near Bhachau.
Earlier tremors in the area included a 3.7 magnitude earthquake on December 23 and a 3.2 magnitude event on December 7, according to ISR reports.
Kutch was also jolted by a 4.0 magnitude earthquake on November 18, 2024. On November 15, a 4.2 magnitude quake hit Patan in north Gujarat, based on ISR data.
Gujarat is considered a high-risk earthquake zone, having experienced nine major earthquakes over the past 200 years, according to the Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA). The 2001 earthquake in Kutch, which occurred on January 26, was the third-largest and second-most destructive in India in the last two centuries, according to the GSDMA.
National
Diljit Dosanjh faces legal action over concert songs
Singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh’s much-anticipated New Year’s Eve concert in Ludhiana faced legal hurdles after a complaint was filed by Punditrao Dharenavar, an assistant professor from Chandigarh.
Following the complaint, the Deputy Director of the Women and Child Department, Government of Punjab, issued a formal notice to Ludhiana’s District Commissioner, urging them to prohibit Dosanjh from performing specific songs during his live show on December 31, 2024.
The notice specifically targets songs accused of promoting alcohol, including Patiala Peg, 5 Tara Theke, and Case (Jeeb Vicho Feem Labbiya), even if the lyrics are slightly modified. The complaint points to previous warnings issued to Dosanjh by various commissions advising against performing these controversial tracks.
Despite these warnings, the singer allegedly continues to perform the songs with minor alterations. Dharenavar raised serious concerns about the influence of such music on young audiences, especially when minors are present at live events.
Adding to the controversy, Dharenavar referenced a 2019 Punjab and Haryana High Court ruling, which directed law enforcement to ensure that songs promoting alcohol, drugs, or violence are not played at public events, including concerts. This ruling underscores the legal basis for the complaint and has further intensified the scrutiny surrounding the event.
National
UP Minister’s convoy overturns, 5 person injured
Five people sustained injuries when a vehicle in the convoy of Uttar Pradesh Minister and Nishad Party chief Sanjay Nishad overturned into a ditch near Januan village in the Khejuri Police Station area of Ballia district late last night.
Sanjay Nishad shared details of the incident, stating that the accident injured five party workers, including four women.
“I was traveling with the convoy to participate in the Constitutional Rights Yatra organized by the party on Tuesday night. Near Januan village in the Khejuri area, one of the vehicles following the convoy lost control while trying to avoid an animal and overturned into a ditch,” Nishad explained.
The injured individuals have been identified as Rakesh Nishad, Ramrati, Usha, Geeta, and Iravati Nishad.
Senior police and administrative officials quickly arrived at the scene following the incident to oversee the situation.
National
Suchir Balaji’s mother alleges Murder
The mother of Suchir Balaji, a 26-year-old former OpenAI researcher found dead after accusing the company of copyright violations, has alleged that her son was “murdered” and called for a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) probe.
Poornima Rao, Suchir’s mother, claimed her son’s death was a “cold-blooded murder” that authorities wrongly ruled as suicide. She further disclosed that a private autopsy report conflicted with the findings of the initial police investigation.
Rao alleged that her son’s apartment had been “ransacked” and cited evidence of a struggle in the bathroom, including bloodstains that suggested he had been assaulted.
“We hired a private investigator and conducted a second autopsy to uncover the truth. The private autopsy does not confirm the cause of death stated by the police. Suchir’s apartment was ransacked, there were signs of a struggle in the bathroom, and it appears he was hit based on blood spots. This is a cold-blooded murder being misclassified as a suicide. Lobbying in San Francisco won’t deter us from seeking justice. We demand an FBI investigation,” Rao wrote on X.
Elon Musk reacted to Rao’s post, commenting, “This doesn’t seem like a suicide.”
Balaji was discovered dead in his San Francisco apartment months after accusing OpenAI of violating copyright laws during the development of ChatGPT, as reported by Fox News. Despite these claims, the San Francisco Police Department found no evidence of foul play and ruled the death a suicide.
On October 24, shortly before his death, Balaji voiced doubts about the “fair use” defense in generative artificial intelligence. “I recently participated in a NYT story about fair use and generative AI, and why I’m skeptical ‘fair use’ would be a plausible defense for a lot of generative AI products,” he wrote on X.
-
Video2 years ago
PM Modi Attacks Congress in Karnataka with “Kerala Story”
-
Politics2 years ago
Siddaramaiah & DK Shivakumar sworn in as Chief Minister & Deputy CM respectively
-
Cricket2 years ago
CSK players rejoice 5th IPL title with their families (Pics)
-
Entertainment2 years ago
Karan Deol weds his longtime Girlfriend Drisha Acharya (Pics)
-
Sports7 years ago
History Of Official FIFA WORLD CUP Match balls
-
India2 years ago
Ashwini Vaishnaw: Railway Board recommends CBI probe in the Odisha railway disaster
-
Entertainment2 years ago
Urvashi Rautela dazzles on Cannes 2023 red carpet (Pics)
-
Entertainment2 years ago
Sunny Leone gets ready for Kennedy premiere in Cannes (Pics)