Mumbai: Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil is in the line of fire with pressure mounting on the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to remove him from the portfolio. The NCP leadership is of the view that Patil is not in control of the important ministry. NCP chief and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar had publicly rebuked Patil following the Pune serial blasts on August 2. Patil is also facing criticism for...
06:27 PM, Aug 24, 2012
Shillong: Almost a month after his loss against President Pranab Mukherjee in the presidential elections, former Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader PA Sangma is slated to launch a new political party on Friday. Sangma's party will be called the National People's Party and as many as 13 NCP MLAs are likely to join it. The symbol of the party is likely to be a book and it will soon seek...
08:01 PM, Aug 23, 2012
Mumbai: Senior Congress leaders in Maharashtra on Thursday met in Mumbai to remember their departed colleague, Union Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, whom the Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan described as "star campaigner". "We have lost a star campaigner. Vilasrao's demise is not only a loss for the Congress party, but for the country as well," Chavan said at the condolence meeting on Thursday evening. Deshmukh passed away at a Chennai hospital on...
08:46 PM, Aug 16, 2012
Mumbai: Union Minister and former Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh's last rites were performed in his native village in Latur on Wednesday. Thousands of people including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chief Sonia Gandhi attended the funeral. The state government has declared a three-day mourning for Vilasrao who was a two time chief minister of Maharashtra. Vilasrao was also the Congress' tallest Maratha leader. He passed away in a...
05:10 PM, Aug 15, 2012
Mumbai: Vilasrao Deshmukh's rise from a humble background in home town Latur to the Centre was driven by his fierce ambition and sharp political instincts. The two-time chief minister of Maharashtra, Vilasrao aligned himself with the anti-Pawar lobby in the state. The strength of Vilasrao is borne out by the fact that despite Shinde leading the party to victory as Chief Minister in 2003, it was Vilasrao who was made...
09:59 PM, Aug 14, 2012
Chennai: After a prolonged sickness, Union Minister and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh died at a Chennai hospital on Tuesday afternoon. Vilasrao was suffering from a liver and kidney ailment and had been in hospital since August 6. Deshmukh was on life support for over a week. Chairman and MD of Global Hospitals Dr K Ravindranath said that a liver donor could have helped save the Congress leader leader....
05:49 PM, Aug 14, 2012
Ranchi: PA Sangma, who resigned from the NCP in the run up to the presidential poll, on Sunday said he will float a national party in the next few days, but would not intervene in the political future of his daughter and Union Minister Agatha. "Some tribal leaders are there with me, and it is in discussion stage. It will be a national party, and those regional parties willing to...
03:50 AM, Aug 13, 2012
Mumbai: Bollywood biggies will add a touch of glamour on Friday to Janmashtami celebrations in Mumbai, where prizes running into crores will be up for grabs. Stars like Hrithik Roshan, Akshay Kumar, Emraan Hashmi, Esha Deol and playback singer Himesh Reshammiya, among others, are all likely to be present at a mega 'dahi handi' celebration organised by NCP leader and minister Sachin Ahir and his wife Sangeeta at Jamboree maidan...
08:12 AM, Aug 10, 2012
Pune: Former Maharashtra Health Minister and NCP leader Digvijay Khanvilkar died in Pune on Thursday following a heart attack, hospital sources said. Khanvilkar, who was returning from Mumbai on Thursday evening, had taken a halt at Balewadi Sports Complex near the city when he suffered a massive heart attack. His driver rushed him to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead, family sources said. Khanvilkar (60), who hailed from...
01:12 AM, Aug 10, 2012
New Delhi: In a major relief for Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Maharashtra Transport Minister Gulabrao Deokar, the Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the Bombay High Court order cancelling his bail plea in connection with a housing scam. Deokar had been named in the Jalgaon Housing Society scam. Following the HC order, the minister filed an appeal in the apex court, which stayed his arrest till August 21. ...
03:07 PM, Aug 07, 2012
New Delhi: The Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court on Monday rejected the bail of NCP leader and Minister of State for Transport Gulabrao Deokar. He was arrested in connection with the Jalgaon housing society scam. NCP Maharshtra chief Madhukar Pichad has said that the party has sought Gulabrao's resignation. Between 1995 and 2000, Deokar was member of the Jalgaon Municipal Council The scam pertains to the construction of...
01:29 PM, Aug 07, 2012
New Delhi: The UPA on Monday announced the constitution of a coordination committee under the chairpersonship of Sonia Gandhi to ensure cohesive functioning of the alliance, a demand that was placed by ally NCP during its recent stand-off with the Congress. Leaders of all the constituent parties are part of the mechanism, though key allies, the DMK, the TMC and the NCP, are yet to name their representatives. According to...
07:19 PM, Aug 06, 2012
Mumbai: At the first meeting of their coordination committee after the recent standoff, ruling allies, the Congress and the NCP, in Maharashtra on Saturday night decided to hold regular monthly meetings of the panel to iron out differences. "All is well," state NCP chief Madhukar Pichad said after the meeting. The meeting was held in a positive atmosphere, he said adding it was decided to hold a meeting of the...
11:51 PM, Aug 04, 2012
Mumbai: Noting that blasts reflect poorly on the state administration, Union Minister and NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday asked party leader and Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil to focus on improving the performance of the police and intelligence departments. Addressing a press conference, Pawar said when incidents such as blasts happen, not only innocent people lose lives, but the attitude of the society to a particular community changes....
07:16 PM, Aug 04, 2012
Mumbai: The first coordination committee meeting of Congress and NCP post the stand-off will take place on August 4. The NCP will seek regular meetings of the committee to ensure smooth and effective coordination between the two coalition partners, NCP spokesman Madan Bafna told reporters on Thursday. Union Heavy Industries Minister Praful Patel, state Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar will be members of the panel from NCP side, he said....
05:42 PM, Aug 02, 2012
Mumbai: A meeting of the Congress-NCP coordination committee in the state would take place around August 2 or 3, in the backdrop of the recent standoff between the two parties. "The meeting is expected to take place on August 2 or 3," state Congress chief Manikrao Thakre told reporters in Mumbai on Monday. The committee was revived after the recent stand-off between the NCP and the Congress, who share the...
10:07 PM, Jul 30, 2012
Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Thursday said he was not under any pressure from his party high command during the stand-off with ally NCP and reported dissidence within his own ranks. "I don't know what pressure are you talking about. I was under no pressure from my party leadership," Chavan told reporters here to a query on whether he was asked to go slow on cases of corruption...
04:33 PM, Jul 26, 2012
On Wednesday, the Congress-NCP rift was resolved with the decision to form co-ordination committees at the centre and in Maharashtra. ...
04:29 PM, Jul 26, 2012
New Delhi: Nearly a week after skipping work over problems with the Congress, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar resumed office on Thursday, a day after NCP-Congress announced a truce. The NCP's tiff with the Congress came to an end on Wednesday with both parties agreeing to set up coordination centres. Pawar had stopped coming to the ministry from June 23, and also was not responding to calls from ministry officials. ...
11:28 AM, Jul 26, 2012
The Army carries out a flag march and train services resume even as the ethnic violence spreads in Assam. ...
10:42 PM, Jul 25, 2012
