About 50 pc turnout in Maharashtra civic polls; ink row leaves ‘indelible’ mark, SEC orders probe

Mumbai: Around 50 per cent polling was recorded in Mumbai and 28 other municipal corporations in Maharashtra on Thursday amid sporadic clashes, while a major controversy erupted over claims that the ink applied on voters’ fingers could be easily removed. The polling day saw clashes among groups, allegations of bogus voting and distribution of cash…

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Columnist-M.S.Shanker

Disgrace Mamata

If there was any lingering doubt about who stands for constitutional order and who thrives on political anarchy, the Supreme Court put it to rest on Thursday—firmly, unequivocally, and publicly. By staying the petitions filed against Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government, the apex court delivered a stinging rebuke to West…

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Priyanka Saurab image

Girls caught between education and safety: Schools and colleges becoming hotbeds of sexual exploitation

Education has long been called a “temple” in Indian society—a sacred place where knowledge, values, and futures are shaped. However, in recent years, reports of sexual harassment, mental abuse, fear, and insecurity from educational institutions have deeply dented this notion. The question is not whether such incidents are occurring, but whether our schools, colleges, and…

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Srinivas PL image

Don’t Erase Secunderabad: A City’s Identity Is Not an Administrative Convenience

The proposal to subsume historic Secunderabad into later-sprung, administratively amorphous regions such as Malkajgiri and Rachakonda is not a mere bureaucratic exercise—it is an assault on history, identity, and civic memory. Cities are not Lego blocks to be rearranged at the convenience of governments. They are living organisms shaped over decades by culture, discipline, geography,…

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Columnist M S Shanker, Orange News 9

BJP–Shinde Sena Poised to Dominate Mumbai’s Power Citadel

If exit polls are to be believed—and rarely have they been this convergent—the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is headed for a decisive political realignment. The BJP and the Eknath Shinde–led Shiv Sena faction appear set to sweep Mumbai’s civic elections, potentially winning between 130 and 151 seats in the 227-member House. Such a mandate would…

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