oppn parties Maharashtra: Brinkmanship By The Shiv Sena Might Bring The State Under Governor's Rule

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  • Neha Bora was subsequently released and Dipke is to appear before a magistrate today at noon
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  • The Reserve Bank of India is considering further monetary tightening to counter capital outflows and increase the cost of betting against the rupee, according to bankers and analysts cited by Reuters. The measures follow recent rate increases and steps to drain liquidity as pressure on the currency and inflation concerns persist
  • India directed oil marketing companies to stop diverting sugar-based feedstocks for ethanol production in the 2026–27 supply year, according to a new tender issued on Friday. The companies have invited bids for 11 billion litres of ethanol made from alternatives including corn and broken rice, amid concerns about domestic sugar supplies and prices
  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said India's trade imbalance with China was growing sharply and attributed the problem partly to restrictions on Indian goods and services entering the Chinese market. China subsequently said it was ready to work with India to address mutual economic and trade concerns; India's trade deficit with China reached $69 billion in the first half of FY2026–27, up 27% year-on-year
  • Indian equity benchmarks extended their recovery on Friday, with the Sensex rising 413.66 points to close at 74,729.27 and the Nifty 50 gaining 148.80 points to settle at 23,146.15. Information technology shares, including Tech Mahindra, Infosys and TCS, helped lift the indices
  • India defeated Zimbabwe by four wickets in the opening women's T20 International in Raipur, taking a 1–0 lead in the three-match series. Deepti Sharma and Niki Prasad combined in an 82-run stand after India's top order collapsed, helping the hosts chase down Zimbabwe's total of 114 for five
  • Indian wrestler Komal won bronze in the women's 59 kg category at the Under-23 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas, defeating Kazakhstan's Viktoriia Khusainova 7–2. Fellow Indian Amruta Pujari advanced to the women's 72 kg final after recording two pinfall victories
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  • The Supreme Court of India upheld the Bombay High Court's decision quashing the 2020 write-off of ₹8,415 crore in additional tier-1 bonds issued by Yes Bank (Yes Bank). The court ruled that the bank's administrator lacked the authority to extinguish the bonds under the final reconstruction scheme, strengthening bondholders' claims
  • The Supreme Court issued notices to the Election Commission of India, Delhi Police and opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, in separate petitions concerning electoral-roll revision and protests held in Delhi on October 10–12. The court also directed the preservation of CCTV footage linked to allegations of police excesses
  • The Supreme Court ruled that a person converting from Hinduism to Islam cannot automatically claim backward-class reservation benefits in the new religious community solely on the basis of their previous caste status. The judgment upheld the Madras High Court's decision striking down a 2024 Tamil Nadu government order that permitted such certification for specified communities
  • The Election Commission of India ordered a Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls in 14 states and three Union Territories, using January 1, 2027, as the qualifying date for voter eligibility. The draft rolls are scheduled for publication on November 12, claims and objections will be accepted until December 11, and the final rolls are due on January 4, 2027
Delhi HC refuses to ban CJP's Tiranga rally at Central Park in Connaught Place today /////// Police says will control and regulate it /////// NDMC closes the park for the public on Friday and Saturday
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Maharashtra: Brinkmanship By The Shiv Sena Might Bring The State Under Governor's Rule

By Sunil Garodia

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator. Author of Cyber Scams in India, Digital Arrest, The Money Trap and The Human Hack

The game of brinkmanship continues in Maharashtra with the Shiv Sena moving all its MLAs to a hotel in Mumbai to prevent poaching by the BJP. As there were claims earlier that nearly 35 MLAs were in talks with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to break away from the Sena and support him to form a government, the Sena top brass is taking no chances.

In the last couple of days, a lot has happened without any concrete results. Sena's Sanjay Rout met Sharad Pawar who refused to be lured into forming the government with the Sena. The NCPs stand is clear. They know that the BJP and the Shiv Sena have been together for 25 years and will be back again despite the current differences. Hence, he doesn't want to form a shaky government with an unpredictable ally. Further, Pawar does not want to end his alliance with the Congress which does not want to have any truck with the Sena.

Then, Fadnavis made a trip to Nagpur to meet RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat giving rise to the speculation that the organization will involve itself in the dispute. But nothing of that sort happened. Union minister and senior BJP leader Nitin Gadkari later asked people not to involve the RSS in the matter and termed Fadnavis' visit as routine. But it is obvious that the RSS is not taking kindly to the shenanigans after state elections, first in Karnataka and now in Maharashtra.

After that, there were rumours that in order to pacify the Sena, the BJP will sacrifice Fadnavis and move Nitin Gadkari to Mumbai as chief minister. But Gadkari scotched the loose talk by denying any such move. He categorically said that he was in Delhi and there was no way he was going to move to Mumbai. He also expressed confidence that the BJP will get Sena's support.

But with just a day left for government formation (after which the state would have to be put under Governor's rule as per law), the Sena's move to isolate its MLAs is not good for an amicable settlement between the allies. It seems even Sharad Pawar could not use his good relations with the Sena to bring it around. The overpowering wish to install Aditya Thackeray as the chief minister has prevented Sena from arriving at a negotiated settlement. But the BJP refused to give in to its strong-arm tactic and it is now clear that barring a last-minute breakthrough, the state is headed for Governor's rule.

 

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