Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart, Pedro Sanchez, will inaugurate the Tata aircraft complex in Gujarat’s Vadodara on October 28 for manufacturing C-295 aircraft by Tata Advanced Systems.

According to the government, a total of 56 aircrafts are there under the C-295 programme, of which 16 are being delivered directly by Airbus from Spain and remaining 40 are to be made in India.

Tata Advanced Systems is responsible for making these 40 aircraft in India and this facility will be the first private sector FAL for military planes in India.

It will involve the full development of a complete ecosystem, from manufacture to assembly, test and qualification, to delivery and maintenance of the complete life cycle of the aircraft, the statement said.

“This will be the first private sector Final Assembly Line (FAL) for military aircraft in India,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement on Saturday.

Apart from Tatas, leading defence public sector units such as Bharat Electronics Ltd. and Bharat Dynamics Ltd, as well as private Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises will contribute to this programme, as per the release.

Modi had laid the foundation stone for the Vadodara Final Assembly Line in October 2022.

During his visit, PM Modi will also launch development projects worth more than Rs 4,900 crore in Amreli.

In Amreli, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the “Bharat Mata” Sarovar in Dudhala. This project was developed through a collaboration between the state government and the Dholakia Foundation under the public-private partnership (PPP) model.

Various rail, road, water and tourism projects, among others, to be inaugurated by Modi will benefit the citizens of Amreli, Jamnagar, Morbi, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Junagadh, Porbandar, Kachchh and Botad districts of the state, the statement said.

Projects to be inaugurated include four-laning of various sections of NH 151, NH 151A and NH 51 and the Junagadh bypass. The foundation stone for the four-laning project of the remaining section from the Dhrol bypass in Jamnagar district to Amran in Morbi district will also be laid.

The Congress on Saturday alleged that crores of rupees have been reportedly offered to two of its MLAs to join Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction, ahead of state Assembly elections.

Congress in-charge for the State, Ramesh Chennithala, alleged that two MlAs from his party were offered crores of rupees to join the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Chennithala made those allegations while speaking to reporters in the national capital. He also questioned the Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Speaking to reporters, he said, “Reports are coming out that crores of rupees have been offered to two MLAs to join NCP (Ajit Pawar faction).”

“It comes under anti-defection law,” the Congress leader said.

He wondered why the Chief Minister who is in charge of the home department is silent. He said the CM has the responsibility to tell the people what has happened.

“Offering and accepting bribes is a criminal activity,” he said. However, the Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction has not yet responded to the allegations.

On Friday, Zeeshan Siddique, son of former Maharashtra Minister Baba Siddique, who was shot dead recently, joined the NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar.

In August, Siddiqui was expelled from Congress over the accusation of cross-voting in Maharashtra legislative council elections.  

Both the ruling Mahayuti alliance and the Opposition MVA comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (Sharad Pawar), and Congress have intensified their preparations for the upcoming elections to 288 Assembly seats in the state.

The BJP is part of the ruling Mahayuti alliance alongside the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) and Ajit Pawar-led NCP.

Voting for all 288 constituencies for the Maharashtra Assembly elections are set for November 20 and counting on November 23. In the 2019 Assembly elections, the BJP won 105 seats, the Shiv Sena 56, and the Congress 44. In 2014, the BJP secured 122 seats, the Shiv Sena 63, and the Congress 42.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has declared Rajya Sabha MP Milind Deora as its candidate for the Worli Assembly seat, setting the stage for a high-stakes battle against Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray.

Taking to X on Friday, Deora said: “Chief Minister Eknath Shinde believes that justice for Worli and Worlikars is long overdue. Together, we’re paving the way forward and will share our vision soon. It’s Worli now!”

Deora, who recently switched from the Congress party to Shiv Sena due to feeling marginalised, was initially considered for the South Mumbai seat against Arvind Sawant of Shiv Sena and was expected to contest in the election. However, ultimately, another member from Shiv Sena’s Byculla constituency unsuccessfully vied for that seat.

The Worli constituency, which Thackeray won in his electoral debut in 2019, is now poised for a triangular contest, with Maharashtra Navnirman Sena’s (MNS) Sandeep Deshpande emerging as the third contender.

Aaditya Thackeray filed his nomination from the traditional Worli seat on Thursday, expressing his confidence to win in the upcoming state polls and hoping that people would bless him with their votes.

Speaking to ANI, he said, “I am very confident that the people will bless me because we are about to form government in Maharashtra and that is for sure. As you can see, this atmosphere is very good, you can see the love people are giving me.”

Thackeray’s interest in contesting from Worli prompted strategic moves by the party, including bringing Ahir into their fold and elevating him to the Legislative Council. Additionally, Shinde was similarly accommodated to ensure a clear path for Thackeray.

Releasing its first list of candidates on Tuesday, which included Chief Minister Eknath Shinde contesting from Kopri-Panchpakhadi in Thane city and more than half a dozen cabinet members from their respective seats, the ruling Shiv Sena also renominated almost all the MLAs who supported Shinde during his revolt against the then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in June 2022. The party aims to contest a total of 45 seats in the state Assembly elections.

The Shiv Sena’s announcement comes shortly after its ally, the BJP, released a list of 99 candidates for the state Assembly polls.

The elections for the 288 Assembly seats in Maharashtra are scheduled for November 20, with the counting of votes set to take place on November 23.