Maharashtra News Live Updates: State logs 949 fresh Covid cases, 6 deaths; active tally rises to 6,118

Maharashtra on Tuesday recorded 949 fresh coronavirus cases while six more patients succumbed to the infection in the state. With these additions, the state's overall Covid-19 tally rose to 81,57,293, while the death toll increased to 1,48,485. (PTI)

Nationalist Congress Party leader and former deputy chief minister of Maharashtra Ajit Pawar on Tuesday dismissed reports doing the rounds about his joining the BJP with his supporters and slammed those spreading rumours against him.

Nationalist Congress Party leader and former Maharashtra deputy chief minister, Ajit Pawar on Tuesday dismissed "rumours" about switching over to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and emphasised that he plans to remain with the NCP.

"No truth in the rumours spread about me. I am with the NCP and will remain with the party," Ajit Pawar said addressing media persons here.

"I have not taken the signatures of any MLAs. Now, all rumours must stop," the Maharashtra NCP leader said on speculations that he had taken a meeting of MLAs who wanted to switch to the to ruling Eknath Shinde-BJP alliance.

Earlier today, Ajit Pawar's uncle and NCP chief Sharad Pawar had tweeted," Ajit Pawar is busy with election-related work. All this talk is only in the media." (ANI)

NCP leader Ajit Pawar said that he will stay with NCP and will do as told by the party. Ajit Pawar is also expected to attend Sharad Pawar's iftaar party.

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Leader of opposition Ajit Pawar had told mediapersons on Sunday that even if 16 Shiv Sena legislators, including Eknath Shinde, are disqualified by the SC, there is no threat to the state government. Ajit Pawar said that when the Shinde government won the vote of confidence, it had the support of 165 legislators. Even if 16 legislators are disqualified by the SC, the government would have the support of 149 legislators. “The strength of the House will be reduced to 272 and the party/combine which has more than 136 members will be able to have its government,” he had said.

A senior NCP leader said that though Ajit Pawar may not join the BJP immediately, he will take a decision after the Supreme Court verdict in the Shiv Sena case. “It appears to be the BJP’s Plan B to lure Ajit Pawar. The BJP is looking for a strong face in western Maharashtra, particularly after its humiliating defeat in the Kasba assembly by-election. The BJP lost the seat to Congress after more than two-and-a-half decades,” he said.

Speculation about Ajit Pawar's next political move started swirling last week when he suddenly cancelled his scheduled meetings and also made comments which were seen as being soft on the BJP and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's camp. The BJP is part of the Shinde government.

Amid intense speculation in Maharashtra's political circles about his growing proximity with the ruling BJP, Ajit Pawar on Monday dismissed as false the reports that he has called a meeting of MLAs on Tuesday.

TV reports say that 34 of 53 NCP MLAs may back Ajit Pawar if he decides to join ruling BJP in the state.

The Supreme Court on Monday removed the last hurdle for operationalising the Aarey Forest Colony depot by allowing Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (MMRCL) to clear 177 trees instead of 84 permitted earlier for construction of the ramp area while expressing displeasure over the MMRCL’s approach in increasing the number of trees to be cut or transplanted.

Five construction workers, including four women, died and three others were injured as strong winds led to a huge advertising hoarding crash on a tyre repair tin shed alongside the road at Mukai Chowk on the Katraj-Dehu road bypass around 5. 15pm on Monday. Amid thunderstorms and rains, the workers had taken shelter under the tin shed on the service lane of the PuneMumbai corridor of the bypass, barely 500m from the start of the Pune-Mumbai expressway.

The Bombay high court on Monday upheld the Eknath Shinde government’s September 2022 enactment to roll back the increase in Mumbai’s civic wards from 227 to 236 by the previous Uddhav Thackeray-led government. The HC said the legislation to revert to 227 seats is in “accordance with the directions of the Supreme Court”. The state told the HC that the law rolling back the seats to 227 wouldn’t delay the elections since the delimitation done before March 2022 is available.

With the death toll due to heatstroke at Sunday’s Maharashtra Bhushan award ceremony in Kharghar mounting to 13, the state government came in for criticism across party lines. With the Opposition questioning why an outdoor ceremony with several lakh people present was held at midday when the temperature had risen to 38 degrees, culture minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said the event timings were suggested by social activist Appasaheb Dharmadhikari who was the recipient.