Uddhav Thackeray

BJP's Rahul Narwekar is poised to be elected unopposed as the speaker of the Maharashtra legislative assembly, with the opposition alliance Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) deciding not to put up a contest. Narwekar, who was the speaker in the 14th assembly for two and a half years and gave the key verdicts tied to the Shiv Sena and NCP, was reelected from the Colaba assembly seat in Mumbai. Accompanied by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his deputies Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, Narwekar filed his nomination before the legislature secretary Jitendra Bhole on Sunday. MVA leaders met Fadnavis and urged him to follow the protocol of giving the deputy speaker's post to the opposition. They also sought the post of the leader of the opposition. The speaker's election will be formally announced in the House on Monday. This will be followed by a floor test to prove the new government's strength. Governor CP Radhakrishnan will then address the joint session of both Houses of the state ...

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday hit out at the opposition, accusing it of misleading people about electronic voting machines and not accepting their mandate. Talking to reporters, Shinde said the ruling Mahayuti alliance won the November 20 assembly polls because of its work, and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi must accept the people's mandate and support the government in development works. The Mahayuti combine of the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP swept the recently held polls, winning 230 out of 288 seats, while the opposition bloc of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) managed just 46 seats. The opposition parties have alleged irregularities with EVMs for its poll losses and demanded the use of ballot papers. Slamming the opposition, the Shiv Sena chief said, "When you win, there is no EVM scam, but the machine becomes bad when you lose. This is not the right approach." He said the opposition must accept the people's mandate that they have been decisively

The ruling Mahayuti alliance on Sunday accused leaders of the opposition parties of misleading people about electronic voting machines (EVMs) instead of accepting the losses it faced in the Maharashtra assembly elections. The November 20 elections saw the Mahayuti alliance of the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP achieve a landslide victory by clinching 230 out of 288 assembly seats. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP), managed just 46 seats. The opposition bloc has since claimed irregularities in the EVMs and demanded the use of ballot papers. Speaking to reporters, Shiv Sena leader Uday Samant slammed the opposition for indulging in double standards. "It is because of the MVA's double standards that the Samajwadi Party has parted from the alliance. Yesterday, they boycotted the oath-taking ceremony, and today, they will hopefully take oath as members, which will again highlight their double standards," he said. He claimed the opposition

The Samajwadi Party announced on Saturday that it would walk out of the opposition MVA after Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray's close aide hailed the demolition of Babri mosque and a related newspaper advertisement. The Samajwadi Party has two MLAs in Maharashtra. "An advertisement was given by Shiv Sena (UBT) in a newspaper congratulating those who demolished Babri masjid. His (Uddhav Thackeray) aide has also posted on X hailing the demolition of the mosque," Maharashtra SP unit chief Abu Azmi said. "We are quitting the MVA. I am speaking to (Samajwadi Party president) Akhilesh Singh Yadav," Azmi told PTI. The SP's move comes in response to Sena (UBT) MLC Milind Narvekar's post on Babri masjid demolition. Narvekar has posted a photo of the demolition of the mosque accompanied by Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray's quote" "I am proud of those who did this". The Shiv Sena (UBT) secretary also posted images of Uddhav Thackeray, Aaditya Thackeray and himself in the post. "If an

Devendra Fadnavis oath taking ceremony live: Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde had indicated that he was reluctant to join the new government as deputy CM. Catch all the latest live updates here

Former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, one of the two BJP observers for its Maharashtra legislature party meeting, on Tuesday said the name of the legislature party leader will be finalised after talks with the party's newly-elected MLAs. Rupani, who arrived in Mumbai late this evening for the meeting BJP's crucial legislature party to be held on Wednesday, said if there is unanimity, then only one name will be selected. The BJP has achieved remarkable success in the November 20 Maharashtra elections, securing 132 out of 288 seats, marking its best performance in the state so far. Former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is being seen as the frontrunner for the top post in the new BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP government. Speaking to reporters, Rupani said, "The government will be formed. Discussions with the elected MLAs will take place tomorrow. One name will be finalised and it will be announced later." He said the process of finalising the leader of the BJP's legislative party follows

Only the estranged Thackeray cousins- Uddhav and Raj- can decide if they want to join hands, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve said on Saturday. Danve said Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray's political position is ambiguous and people cannot understand whether he is supporting the state government or opposing it. "After every poll defeat, there are such talks (that the Thackeray cousins should come together). You will find these discussions every 8-10 days after an election verdict is out. Only they (the Thackeray cousins) can decide if they want to (come together). We have no role," the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council told reporters. The Uddhav camp loyalist added that Raj Thackeray's political stand is unclear. "People don't understand whether Raj Thackeray's stand is in the favour of the government or against it. MNS fielded candidates against the Mahayuti, while on the other hand, he (Raj Thackeray) batted for (BJP's Devendra) Fadnavis

The Maha Vikas Aghadi candidates who faced defeat in the recent Maharashtra assembly polls have decided to seek verification of the EVM-Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) units in their segments, a leader of the opposition alliance said. Many losing candidates of the opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) pointed fingers at the functioning of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) during their interaction with party head Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday. Thackeray took stock of the lacklustre performance of his party at a meeting held at his residence in Mumbai. The poll verdict last week saw the Mahayuti coalition, comprising the Shiv Sena, BJP, and NCP, retaining power with a massive mandate, pushing the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) to margins. The Mahayuti won 230 seats and MVA only 46 in the 288-member House. The Thackeray-led Sena (UBT) emerged as the largest party in the opposition camp by winning 20 seats, followed by Congress which bagged 16 constituencies, while the NCP (Sharadchandra

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday slammed former Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, alleging that he had removed the fear of the law from politicians who defected from parties in Maharashtra. Raut claimed that by not deciding on the disqualification petitions, Chandrachud kept doors and windows open for defections. The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader's statement comes after his party faced a severe drubbing in the state assembly elections, as it managed to clinch only 20 out of 95 seats it contested as part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). The performance of the party's alliance partners was no better, with the Congress winning only 16 out of 101 seats and NCP (SP) getting only 10 out of 86 seats it contested. Talking to reporters, Raut alleged, "He (Chandrachud) has removed the fear of the law from defectors. His name will be written in black letters in history." Following the split in the undivided Shiv Sena in 2022, the party's faction headed by Uddhav Thackeray filed ...

The Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde knocked out rival Shiv Sena (UBT) of Uddhav Thackeray in 36 constituencies in Maharashtra polls, putting to rest the debate over which is the real party founded by the late Bal Thackeray. Shinde's Sena, a constituent of the ruling Mahayuti alliance, won 57 of the 81 seats it contested. Sena (UBT), a partner in the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, managed to bag only 20 despite fielding 95 candidates. In 14 seats, it defeated Shiv Sena candidates. In one of his biggest political gambles, Shinde rebelled against Uddhav in June 2022 and aligned with the BJP along with his backers to become the chief minister. The move split the Sena and sparked almost daily bickerings between the two factions. Subsequently, Shinde got the party name and its bow-and-arrow' symbol from the Election Commission. Shinde had retained most of the sitting MLAs, who had chosen to be with him when he led the rebellion two years ago. And they delivered for him on ..

Maharashtra election results updates: According to ECI, Aditya Thackeray, representing Shiv Sena (UBT), has won the Worli seat by 8,000 votes. Catch the latest updates on Maharashtra results here

Uddhav Thackeray, who played the bold gambit of taking on the ally BJP in 2019 and forged an unlikely alliance with the Congress and NCP, was on Saturday left struggling to make sense of his party's rout in the Maharashtra assembly elections. Thackeray, whose Shiv Sena (UBT) won only 20 out of the 95 seats it contested, admitted that he could not understand how the electorate which had inflicted a drubbing on the ruling BJP-led alliance in the Lok Sabha elections only five months ago changed its mind. From the shy son of a charismatic and firebrand Hindutva politician, the late Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, Uddhav has come a long way. Early on, he survived challenges from party stalwart Narayan Rane and cousin Raj Thackeray, and went on to become the Maharashtra chief minister in November 2019 when he ended the decades-long alliance with the BJP after the assembly elections. Soon, the COVID-19 pandemic followed, and Uddhav easily connected with the people during that difficult ..

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday called the Maharashtra poll results, in which the BJP-led Mahayuti put up a stunning performance, completely unexpected and incomprehensible. Addressing a news conference, Thackeray said he could not believe Maharashtra, which listened to him as kutumb pramukh (head of family) during the coronavirus pandemic, would behave this way with him. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) comprising Sena (UBT), Congress and Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) suffered a crushing defeat, with its candidates winning or leading in about 50 seats, a far cry from the boasts by many of its senior leaders that the combine will trounce the Mahayuti. Thackeray said the results reflect that there was a tsunami rather than a wave. We will keep fighting for the rights of Maharashtra, Thackeray said. The Mahayuti of BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's NCP could win over 230 of the 288 seats in the state. Of the 95 seats it contested, the Sena (UBT) was winnin

Maharashtra Assembly elections: Mahayuti coalition leads in 229 seats, while Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance leads in 53 seats and others in six Assembly constituencies

In Maharashtra, BJP-led NDA alliance is leading on 222 seats while Opposition alliance led by the Congress is ahead on 57 seats and others are leading on 9 as of 1 pm trends

Maharashtra Assembly elections: Mahayuti coalition leads in 219 seats, while Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leads in 55 seats and others in 14

Maha Assembly poll results: BJP suffers blow ahead of Maharashtra poll results as Mumbai leader Sachin Shinde defects to Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT); Thackeray slams BJP over scams, cash row

According to the 11 am trends, the INDIA alliance was leading in 51 seats, with the Opposition alliance NDA ahead in 28 seats

As of the 10 am counting trends, the Mahayuti-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was leading in over 211 of the 288 seats in Maharashtra, while the Opposition was ahead in 76 constituencies

Exit polls and early trends in Jharkhand suggest a majority for the BJP-led alliance. However, in Maharashtra, no alliance is projected to secure a clear majority, as per the majority of exit polls