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One seat down: Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator disqualified over caste certificate

2 min readMumbaiJun 19, 2026 12:20 AM IST Once Pawar's appointment is notified, the strength of the Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP and Shiv Sena, will increase to 116 seats. In a setback to the opposition in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the civic body on Thursday disqualified Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator Deepak Sawant after the state government’s caste scrutiny committee invalidated the caste certificate he had submitted while filing his nomination for the civic elections, citing forgery. Sawant was elected from Ward No. 111 in Kanjurmarg in Mumbai’s eastern suburbs.In a similar case, the caste certificate of AIMIM corporator Shameer Ramzan Patel, who represents Ward No. 137 in Govandi, was also invalidated by the caste scrutiny committee. However, his disqualification was stayed after the Bombay High Court granted him interim relief. Sawant’s disqualification has reduced the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s strength in the civic body to 64 from 65. According to civic officials, the District Caste Certificate Scrutiny Committee invalidated Sawant’s caste certificate earlier this month. Following this, the decision was communicated to the civic body and his disqualification was formally announced in the House by Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde. When contacted, Sawant declined to comment. However, a senior Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator said the decision would be challenged in the High Court. Civic sources said that following Sawant’s disqualification, BJP’s Sarika Pawar, who had finished second in the ward during the last civic election, is likely to be declared elected.Story continues below this ad “The Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act does not provide for a by-election in such cases. If a corporator is disqualified, the candidate who finished immediately behind him is declared elected. The formal appointment is yet to be announced and, in my case, that process is still pending,” Pawar told The Indian Express on Thursday. Once Pawar’s appointment is notified, the strength of the Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP and Shiv Sena, will increase to 116 seats.

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Delhi Confidential: Picking Pace

3 min readNew DelhiJun 7, 2026 06:47 AM IST The drive comes in the wake of a fire at Flourish Stay bed-and-breakfast (B&B) in Hauz Rani, Malviya Nagar, which claimed 22 lives.As part of a citywide drive against illegal and unauthorised structures in the Capital, the District Level Committee of the Delhi government sealed 124 properties on Saturday, officials said. The drive comes in the wake of a fire at Flourish Stay bed-and-breakfast (B&B) in Hauz Rani, Malviya Nagar, which claimed 22 lives. On Saturday, notices were issued to violators after inspections were carried out at 10 sites each in North District and East District, officials said. While 21 sites were inspected in the West District, the number stood at 13 in the South-West District and 10 in the Central District (North), they added.“During inspections of 30 sites in South District, 11 premises were sealed while show-cause notices were issued in 19 cases,” said officials. In the North-West District, three unauthorised buildings were demolished for violating building by-laws. “No violations were found during inspections in the South-East District,” said the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) in a statement. In a separate drive against illegal constructions that began on Monday, MCD officials said demolition action had been carried out against 94 properties and 114 properties were sealed between June 1 and June 6. This drive, however, was triggered by a building collapse at Saidulajab near Saket Metro station on May 30 that claimed six lives. As per MCD officials, 84 show-cause notices were issued in cases of unauthorised construction, sealing notices were sent to 41 properties, and 33 demolition orders were also issued. “Delhi Government is not limiting itself to enforcement action but is also working in action mode on long-term solutions to the problem. She has directed officials to explore the possibility of developing a third-party insurance system for buildings, guest houses, nursing homes, and other public-use structures that witness large public footfall,” said the CMO. According to officials, stringent action will be taken if serious violations of approved building plans are detected, including removing the concerned architect from the panel and blacklisting them with immediate effect.Story continues below this ad Further, DDA’s Flying Squad and Quick Response Teams (QRTs) have been asked to intensify the identification and removal of encroachment and illegal construction across the city, officials added. On June 3, a day after the blaze at the B&B, the Delhi government constituted 13 district-level and 39 sub-division-level committees to conduct a citywide survey of all buildings with six storeys (ground plus five floors) and above, including hospitals and nursing homes, to determine whether they are violating fire safety norms. Officers said the preliminary inspection of the B&B had allegedly uncovered multiple violations, including the lack of a fire No Objection Certificate (NOC).

Kolkata flips, BJP leads in 102 of 144 civic wards

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Kolkata flips, BJP leads in 102 of 144 civic wards

2 min readUpdated: May 14, 2026 09:56 AM IST BJP's Shyam Lal Bansal was on Wednesday elected as the Mayor of Panchkula through a direct election, defeating arch-rival Congress's candidate Sudha Bhardwaj by a margin of 36,252 votes as the mayoral poll recorded a turnout of 53.4 per cent on Sunday.(File Photo) BJP’s Shyam Lal Bansal was on Wednesday elected as the Mayor of Panchkula through a direct election, defeating arch-rival Congress’s candidate Sudha Bhardwaj by a margin of 36,252 votes as the mayoral poll recorded a turnout of 53.4 per cent on Sunday. A total of 68,544 votes were polled in favour of Bansal, while Bhardwaj secured 32,292 votes. Aam Aadmi Party candidate Rajesh Kumar secured 2,759 votes and INLD’s Manoj Aggarwal 3,465 votes, while NOTA got 1,443 votes in the mayoral polls.The result was declared after 21 rounds of vote counting at the counting centre in Sector 14, Panchkula. Bansal emerged victorious in his fourth election — earlier, he had unsuccessfully contested three Assembly elections from the Kalka constituency. After winning, Bansal and his supporters arrived in a vintage car. As Bansal began to gain from round 1, hopes for Bhardwaj gradually diminished as the margin increased with each round. Although she was defeated by a large margin, Bhardwaj alleged “vote chori” as she walked out of the counting centre midway. After around six rounds of counting, Bansal led by 13,282 votes, and BJP workers started gathering with ladoos to celebrate his victory. The margin of victory for Bansal, 36,252 votes, is much higher than in the previous elections in 2020, when the BJP candidate won by a margin of 2,057 votes.Story continues below this ad After his victory, Bansal said, “I will live up to the people’s expectations and continue working for the people of Panchkula as the BJP government has always done.” BJP wins 17 MC wards, Cong just one Out of the 20 wards of the Panchkuls Municipal Corporation, the BJP emerged victorious in 17, while the Congress managed to win just one ward, and two Independents were also elected. The Congress candidate won Ward No. 18 by a margin of 165 votes. Independents won Ward Nos. 17 and 20. In Ward No. 7, the BJP candidate won by a narrow margin of 79 votes, while in Ward No. 10, the margin was 59 votes. Hina Rohtaki is a Special Correspondent at The Indian Express, based in Chandigarh. She is one of the most prominent journalists covering the Chandigarh Administration, civic issues, and the unique political status of the Union Territory. Professional Background Experience: She has been in the field for over a decade and is known for her investigative reporting on administrative waste and urban governance. Awards: She is a recipient of the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award, which was presented to her by the President of India in January 2020. She was also awarded the Jethmalani prize (The Will of Steel Awards) in 2025 in the Empowerment category for a series of articles that highlighted the struggles of Covid widows. Core Beat: Her primary focus is the Chandigarh administrative structure, the Union Territory's financial management, and urban development projects. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent work highlights a focus on government accountability, administrative expenditures, and civic trends: 1. Investigative & Financial Reporting "Fuelling power: Senior UT IAS officers guzzled petrol worth Rs 30 lakh in 2 yrs" (Dec 14, 2025): An investigative report detailing the high fuel bills of top bureaucrats, including the Finance Secretary and Chief Secretary’s staff. "Admn spends Rs 1.5 crore on dismantling road railings and fixing again after increasing height" (Dec 8, 2025): Highlighting administrative waste on "non-viable" solutions for pedestrian control. "Chandigarh’s finances under ministry’s watch now" (Nov 27, 2025): Reporting on the new requirement for MHA approval for all new projects in the UT. 2. Governance & Constitutiona

Sringeri constituency: Verification of postal ballots, recount begin in Chikkamagaluru

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Sringeri constituency: Verification of postal ballots, recount begin in Chikkamagaluru

A file photo of Speaker UT Khader. | Photo Credit: The Hindu Speaker of Legislative Assembly U.T. Khader said on Wednesday (May 6, 2026) that he is not intentionally delaying administration of oath to D.N. Jeevaraj, who has been elected to the Assembly from Sringeri constituency. As circumstances of his election to the Assembly is unique, the Speaker will have to study the legislative procedure, legal aspects and associated technical issues related to the administration of oath, Mr. Khader said.Talking to reporters, Mr. Khader said none approached him on May 4, 2026, a day after Mr. Jeevaraj was declared winner by the Election Commission. The application seeking time to administer oath was filed by Mr. Jeevaraj on May 5, 2026.The parliamentary system of democracy runs on trust, Mr. Khader said, adding that Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R. Ashoka and Mr. Jeevaraj approached Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on May 5, and needlessly accused him (Speaker) of delaying administration of oath.“I spoke to the Governor and put out my point of view,” Mr. Khader said. By accusing him (Mr. Khader) of delaying administration of oath, Mr. Ashok and Mr. Jeevaraj have created an impression of mistrust in public about the office of the Speaker. Mr. Ashok and Mr. Jeevaraj do not have paitence to wait for my decision on the latter’s application, he said.The Election Commission of India has to seriously look into faux pas related to counting of postal ballot votes. “Action should be taken against officials responsible for faulty counting of postal ballots. The officials should be held accountable. The ECI has to take action to ensure that such a scenario does not occur in future,” the Speaker said.Mr. Khader said the first meeting of the committee formed by the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, on framing common procedures for State Assemblies, will be held in Mysuru on May 12 and 13. This five-member committee of Speakers of State Assemblies will be headed by Uttar Pradesh Speaker Satish Mahana. The scenario arising out of Mr. Jeevaraj’s election will be discussed in the meeting, Mr. Khader said. Published - May 06, 2026 03:26 pm IST

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