Maharashtra Election 2024 Live: Amit Shah slams Uddhav Thackeray's alliance, calls MVA 'Aurangzeb fan club'

At a rally in Dhule, Maharashtra, Union Home Minister Amit Shah criticized the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) for prioritizing appeasement to gain power, accusing Uddhav Thackeray of abandoning the principles of Balasaheb Thackeray. He presented a stark contrast between the Aghadi, which he called the “Aurangzeb fan club,” and the Mahayuti, which he claimed upholds the values of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Veer Savarkar.

#WATCH | During a public rally in Dhule, Maharashtra, Union Home Minister Amit Shah says, “Aghadi (Maha Vikas Aghadi) only wants to do appeasement. To gain power, Uddhav ji has forgotten all the principles of Balasaheb Thackeray. Uddhav babu, who are you sitting with today?… pic.twitter.com/0OYORtXsyj

— ANI (@ANI) November 13, 2024

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole criticised Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, saying he should focus on politics in UP. He stated that Maharashtra is the land of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and such politics is not welcome.

#WATCH | Nagpur | Maharashtra Congress president, Nana Patole says, "…He (UP CM Yogi Adityanath) should keep his politics in UP only. Maharashtra is the land of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Such dirty politics is not done in Maharashtra. However, under the current government in… pic.twitter.com/1dFYA3PZtr

— ANI (@ANI) November 13, 2024

Patole pointed out that under the current Maharashtra government, attacks have occurred during Urs and Ganesh Chaturthi processions. He emphasized that issues like farmers, unemployment, and inflation should be addressed. The people of Maharashtra will not accept this kind of politics.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) includes Congress, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT), and Sharad Pawar’s NCP. They are facing the ruling Mahayuti alliance in a tight race for the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections.

The Mahayuti, consisting of BJP, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP, seeks another term in the November 20 polls. The MVA is confident after winning 30 of 48 Lok Sabha seats earlier this year, with the Mahayuti securing 17 seats.

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The ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra includes the BJP, Shiv Sena (led by Eknath Shinde), and Ajit Pawar’s NCP. They aim for another term in the 2024 Assembly elections on November 20. Out of 288 seats, the BJP is contesting 148, Shinde’s Shiv Sena 80, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP 53. The remaining seats are allocated to other Mahayuti allies.

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On ‘Batenge to Katenge’ remark, Congress leader Sachin Pilot says, “Whenever UP CM Yogi Adityanath says ‘Batenge to Katenge’, I say that he should give a slogan, ‘Padhoge to Badhoge’.”

President of Petrol Dealers Association Pune Dhruv Ruparel said, “We will give free petrol worth ₹50 on purchase of engine oil on November 20, the polling date”.

Ganesh Shetty of the Restauranteurs and Hoteliers Association said, “People who will participate in this biggest celebration of democracy and cast their vote will be given a 10% discount in the hotel”.

Former MP Brigadier Sudhir Sawant is set to join the Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena, with his formal induction scheduled at Uddhav Thackeray’s public rally in Sawantwadi. Brigadier Sawant previously served as a Congress MP before founding his own Swaraj Party. He later joined the Aam Aadmi Party, followed by the Shinde faction of Shiv Sena. Today, he will officially leave the Shinde faction to align with the Thackeray faction.

Shameebha Patil, a 39-year-old postgraduate in Marathi literature, is breaking new ground as the only transgender candidate in the fray for the Maharashtra assembly elections.

Representing the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), Patil is running for the Raver constituency, a major banana cultivation region in Jalgaon district, currently held by Congress’s Shirish Chaudhary. Chaudhary’s son, Dhananjay, is in the fray against BJP’s Amol Jawale.

A member of the VBA since 2019, Patil has been a passionate advocate for the rights of transgender people, tribals, and marginalised communities in the region.

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Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister will campaign for the BJP in Washim today. The UP CM has been touring the state amid an onslaught by the Opposition over his ‘Batenge to Katenge’ slogan. Wednesday (November 13) saw a heated exchange between CM Adityanath and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge who coined the ‘Daroge to Maroge’ slogan as a counter to what he termed was a divisive campaign by the BJP leader.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will lead three rallies in Maharashtra on November 13. His first rally is set for noon in Sindkheda, followed by a public rally at 1:30 PM in Chalisgaon, and then a final rally in Jintur at 3:15 PM.

Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC criticized the Uddhav Thackeray faction, accusing them of using offensive language toward women and being involved in violent acts against a woman in the Jogeshwari constituency. She condemned an alleged incident where workers attacked a woman, damaged her car, and pursued her to her home, calling it criminal. She assured that Maharashtra’s Chief Minister would ensure police action against the perpetrators.

#WATCH | Mumbai: Shiv Sena leader and candidate from Mumbadevi assembly constituency Shaina NC says, “I like to question the mindset of the ‘Ubata Sena’ (Uddhav Thackeray faction). First, you use inappropriate words for a woman, objectify her. And look at what they have come to… pic.twitter.com/TxAtcQZSty

— ANI (@ANI) November 13, 2024

The campaign for the assembly elections in the state is in full swing. While accusations were being made against each other in this campaign, now it was seen that there was a big uproar in Mumbai. Shiv Sena Eknath Shinde and Uddhav Thackeray group activists clashed with each other during the campaign at Jogeshwari in Mumbai on Tuesday (November 12) night. Workers from both sides beat each other severely. Due to this incident, a lot of tension was created.

If former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has nothing to hide, then why is he opposing the inquiry, the Mahayuti leaders raised the question. Meanwhile, BJP leader Nitin Gadkari’s helicopter has also been inspected.

While not all women may need menstrual leave, many experience painful periods and may benefit from taking time off to recover. A few countries worldwide—mostly in Asia and only one in Europe—offer paid menstrual leave for women employees.

Recently, Maharashtra’s opposition alliance, Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), pledged two days of menstrual leave per month for women employees in its election manifesto. The Maharashtra Assembly election is set for next week.

Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday (November 12) claimed that the Mahayuti government will come back to power in Maharashtra after the Assembly elections but taunted that the plane named ‘Rahul Baba’, which has already crashed 20 times, is bound to crash 21st time.

He also targeted the NCP SP president Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray and Congress saying that they won’t be in a position to run the government in Maharashtra and take the state forward.

“However, the Mahayuti leaders including the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar are moving in every nook and corner and working quite hard to increase the pace of development in Maharashtra,” he said.

Marathwada, a region plagued by the persistent tragedy of farmer suicides, once again finds itself at the heart of Maharashtra’s political debates ahead of the elections. For years, farmers in this region have faced droughts, inadequate irrigation, crippling debts, and fluctuating market prices, especially affecting those growing cotton and soyabean.

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The retail market for election campaign materials in Maharashtra is experiencing a significant slowdown, with many long-standing shops struggling to stay afloat. The shift in procurement practices by political parties, which now source materials directly from wholesalers in Surat and Ahmedabad, has left many retailers grappling with reduced demand and shrinking profit margins.

“Political parties now procure campaign materials in bulk, well in advance for elections, directly from wholesalers in Gujarat, and distribute them to candidates. This has led to a significant decline in retail demand,” said Yogesh Parekh of Parekh Brothers who runs a shop in Lalbaug area of Mumbai.

Parekh brothers have been operating the shop selling poll merchandise in Mumbai’s Lalbaug over the last 75 years. He explained that the landscape of the business has changed drastically in the past 5-6 years.

The video of a man trying to obstruct Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde’s convoy and calling him ‘gaddar’ (traitor) for splitting the Shiv Sena and siding with BJP for power, has gone viral in social media, creating buzz in political circles, a week before the assembly elections.

The video is from Mumbai’s Sakinaka area, where the young man, Santosh Katke, sought to disrupt Shinde’s convoy by waving black flags and called Shinde “gaddar”, prompting Shinde to halt his convoy and step out.

Good morning readers!

Welcome to the live blog in the run-up to the Maharashtra elections. Our team of reporters will bring you all the latest updates from the politically important state.

Stay tuned!