1. Strong Undercurrent Against Modi Govt: Ashok Chavan
In an interview with Hindustan Times, Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan said the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)-led coalition will put up a good show in Maharashtra, as there is a strong undercurrent against the Modi government. There is widespread discontent and people will vote the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) out of power, he said. Chavan, however, sought to downplay the issue of indiscipline in the Congress, including rebellion of Opposition leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil.
Source: Hindustan Times
2. 1993 Mumbai Serial Blasts Convict Abdul Gani Ismail Turk Dead
One of the key convicts in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case died on Thursday of hypertension at a hospital in Nagpur.
Abdul Gani Ismail Turk, one of the most trusted lieutenants of Tiger Memon, the mastermind of the biggest terror attack in the country, died today at the government hospital in Nagpur due to hypertension.
On March 12, 1993, 12 serial blasts were carried out by Tiger Memon, Dawood Ibrahim and several of their associates in Mumbai. The blasts killed 257 people and more than 700 persons were injured.
Source: India Today
3. LS Polls: Nirupam Takes on Kirtikar in Mumbai North West
It is a constituency that demographically favours both rival alliances of the BJP-Sena and the Congress-NCP. So will Shiv Sena’s Gajanan Kirtikar win with support from the BJP or will Congress’s Sanjay Nirupam beat the infighting within the party to wrest the seat from the Shiv Sena? The presence of a third candidate, Samajwadi Party’s Subhash Pasi, could also play a role in the contest here.
The constituency’s map changed after delimitation, until which it was a bastion of the Congress, with the late Sunil Dutt representing it.
Source: Hindustan Times
4. Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi Luxury Cars Fetch ₹3.28 Crore at Auction
Twelve cars belonging to diamantaire Nirav Modi and his fugitive uncle Mehul Choksi were auctioned off on Thursday, at prices ranging from ₹2.7 lakh to ₹1.33 crore.
The cars, most of them high-end models, were seized by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after it charged Nirav Modi with money-laundering in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case. Some cars have special VIP numbers, and their starting price was decided based on their age and extent of use. The auction fetched the government exchequer ₹3.28 crore in all.
Source: Hindustan Times
5. Fadnavis Confident of Sweeping 10 Seats in MMR
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies will sweep all 10 seats they are contesting in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said while thanking Mumbaikars for the patience they have shown through the ongoing infrastructure works in the city.
Speaking to The Hindu on Tuesday, Mr. Fadnavis said the election results would be a reflection of the development works — including some big-ticket projects — that his government has managed to pull off past in the five years in the financial capital.
Source: The Hindu
5. Mumbai-Pune Train Deccan Queen to Get New, Improved Coaches by Year-End
The Deccan Queen, which operates between Mumbai and Pune, will soon get new coaches with better safety features. Central Railway (CR) plans to replace the existing coaches with new ones manufactured by German firm Linke-Hofmann-Busch (LHB) by the end of the year.
It has also announced plans to introduce LHB coaches in the Indrayani Express by August this year.
Source: Hindustan Times
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