Maharashtra Assembly will have two pair of brothers as MLAs in next term
Mumbai: It is all in the family for a couple of newly-elected MLAs in Maharashtra as two pairs of brothers have made it to the legislative Assembly this time around.
Late Congress leader Vilasrao Deshmukh's sons, Dhiraj and Amit, have emerged victorious from Latur Rural and Latur City assembly constituencies, respectively.
Whereas in Solapur district, NCP's Baban Shinde and his brother Sanjay have won from Madha and Karmala Assembly seats, respectively.
While Baban retained his Madha seat, defeating Shiv Sena's Sanjay Kokate by a margin of 68,245 votes, his younger brother Sanjay contested as an NCP-backed Independent in Karmala, defeating Sena rebel Narayan Patil by a margin of 5,494 votes.
Vilasrao Deshmukh's sons will carry forward his legacy from their home turf, Latur. Vilasrao Deshmukh, who was chief minister between 1999-2003 and 2004-2008, nurtured his home district in central Maharashtra during his decades-long political career.
For Dhiraj Deshmukh, it was a maiden win by a handsome margin of 1.21 lakh votes, while Amit Deshmukh, a seasoned player in the field, retained his Latur City seat for a third consecutive term.
Among the Shinde brothers, Baban has been elected from Madha for a sixth term. Sanjay Shinde was the NCP candidate from the Madha Lok Sabha constituency where he was defeated by Ranjit Nimbalkar, who switched over to the BJP from the Congress, in May this year.
In the past, there have been father-son duos in the Lower House like Chhagan Bhujbal and his son Pankaj, and Ganesh Naik and his son Sandeep (all NCP).
The polling in Maharashtra was held on October 21 and results were announced three days later.
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Compromised PM didn't sign trade deal with US, but a bargain for Adani's release: Rahul
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of signing a trade deal with the US only to secure the "release" of billionaire businessman Gautam Adani.
"Compromised PM did not strike a trade deal, but a bargain for Adani's release," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X, after reports that the US has agreed to settle the lawsuit that accused Adani of hiding alleged bribery.
The US government has agreed to settle the lawsuit filed against Adani, who is accused of duping investors by concealing that his company's huge solar energy project in India was being facilitated by an alleged bribery scheme, according to court filings published Thursday.
Reacting to the reports, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said it was now clear why the PM agreed to the "hopelessly one-sided Indo-US trade deal that was really a steal by the US".
"And it is also clear why he abruptly halted Operation Sindoor on May 10, 2025, acting on President Trump's threats rather than on our national interest. Reportedly, the Trump Administration is about to drop all charges of corruption against Modani," he said on X.
"How much more compromised can the PM get?" Ramesh asked.
In the lawsuit filed in late 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission accused Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani and his nephew Sagar Adani, who is a director at the group's renewable energy unit Adani Green Energy Ltd, of agreeing to pay about USD 265 million in bribes to Indian government officials between approximately 2020 and 2024 to obtain lucrative solar energy supply contracts on terms that expected to yield USD 2 billion of profit over 20 years.
It was alleged in the lawsuit that Adani Group raised USD 2 billion in loans and bonds, including from US firms, on the backs of false and misleading statements related to the firm's anti-bribery practices and policies.
The ports-to-energy conglomerate had denied the allegations.
