A crucial meeting of the Mahayuti alliance regarding the formation of new Maharashtra government has been called off after caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde unexpectedly left for his village in Satara district. 

Earlier on Thursday, Eknath Shinde along with BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis and NCP leader Ajit Pawar met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president JP Nadda in Delhi. The meeting focussed on hashing out a power-sharing pact following the BJP-led coalition’s sweeping victory in the recent Maharashtra assembly elections. 

Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde on Friday said that he had good and positive discussions with Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief J P Nadda on the issue of government formation in the state. Speaking to the media, he said that the decision on the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra will be taken in a day or two in another meeting of Mahayuti coalition in the state capital.

The Shiv Sena leader further said that he would not be an obstacle in the government formation in the state and abide by the decision taken by PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. However, Eknath Shinde’s sudden departure brought discussions to a halt, further strengthening suspense over who will helm the incoming government and ministerial berth allocations. Reports stated that the Shiv Sena leader is expected to return to Mumbai on Saturday. 

The BJP, which won 132 seats in the assembly election, is yet to chair its legislature party meeting to finalise its chief ministerial candidate, but the top post is widely expected to go to Devendra Fadnavis. The Mahayuti allies Shiv Sena, with 57 seats, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP, with 41, are reportedly focusing on securing plum cabinet berths instead, as their chances of claiming the chief minister’s post appear slim.

Reports said that the new government may adopt a power-sharing arrangement featuring two deputy chief ministers to represent Mahayuti’s three major constituents. Meanwhile, for cabinet berths, the BJP is looking to accommodate around 20 ministers, with the Sena expected to receive a larger share than the NCP.

Venkatesh Global School (VGS) in Rohini has received a bomb threat on Friday, a day after a low-intensity blast was reported in the Prashant Vihar area. The school building has been evacuated and an extensive search is underway. 

The school authorities have also issued a notice for the parents, requesting them to pick their children from the school. They have also suspended the online classes, and closed the school temporarily. The school in its notice sent to parents said that the situation is well under control and that there is no need to panic. 

The bomb threat follows a day after a low intensity blast near a public park in Prashant VIhar, northwest Delhi. A 25-year-old man has been injured in the incident. This blast took place less than a kilometre from the site of a similar blast reported last month. 

Reportedly, the Delhi Police has registered an FIR regarding the explosion in Prashant Vihar. An officer said that a case under Sections 326(g) (mischief with severe consequences to public safety) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, section 4 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act and section 3 of the Explosive Substance Act was registered at the Prashant Vihar police station. 

Speaking to a news publication, the officer mentioned that the case was registered against unknown people and efforts are underway to arrest the accused who dumped or planted the explosive material at the site. He stated that more than a dozen teams of the Special Cell, the Crime Branch, and the local police have scanned the footage from the CCTV cameras of the area, but nothing suspicious has been found yet.  

Furthermore, the investigators are also probing the possibility of an accidental explosion that might have occurred due to the unextinguished beedi butt thrown by the driver of a three-wheeler parked nearby. The driver, Chetan Kushwaha sustained minor injuries in the explosion. The area where the explosion occurred remains cordoned off with round-the-clock police deployment. The police had earlier said that white powder was recovered from the blast site. 

The Congress on Thursday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s entire focus is not on reducing inflation, but on showing low inflation figures, stating that a government focused on propaganda and data manipulation cannot be trusted to work for the welfare of the people.

Congress general secretary for communications Jairam Ramesh said that India has experienced ten years of Modi-made inflation, which was due to the poor policy of the government.

“The Prime Minister’s focus is not on curbing inflation but on portraying it as low. The government is actively attempting to manipulate the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Wholesale Price Index (WPI) statistics to suggest that inflation is under control, while in reality, ordinary citizens are faced with relentless price increases,” Ramesh said in a statement shared on X.

He highlighted that the surge in prices, especially for food, fuel, and everyday necessities, has imposed a significant burden on working-class and middle-class families in India. Despite a decline in global crude oil prices, petrol and diesel remain costly in India, exacerbating transportation and service costs, Ramesh noted.

“Food inflation remains a critical issue, contributing to the overall inflation levels. The government is now considering reducing the weightage of food items in the CPI, which is a tactic to obscure the real effects of inflation, showing a preference for manipulating uncomfortable data instead of addressing the issue,” he explained.

Ramesh added that this proposed change in CPI weightage is not only dishonest but will also adversely affect the incomes of an estimated 3-4 crore individuals, including government and semi-government employees. He pointed out that dearness allowance and salary increases have already diminished compared to the period under the UPA government, and further declines are expected.

“This is not a new occurrence. The Modi government has consistently attempted to mislead the public with data manipulation. For instance, when the BJP government lagged behind the UPA in GDP growth, it sought to artificially inflate the growth figures by altering the base year,” he stated, noting similar tactics in relation to job creation promises.