Mumbai, Oct 22:  A Congress worker was allegedly stabbed to death, reportedly over a post on social media, in suburban Ghatkopar here in the wee hours Monday.

Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan alleged that the assailants belonged to the BJP. Manoj Dubey (45) was stabbed by two unidentified assailants near Asalpha Metro Station around 1.30 AM, a police official said.

A police team took him to hospital where he was declared dead on arrival, the official added.

Asked about some media reports which said a political post he had written on social media could have led to the killing, the official stated that the exact reason for the attack was yet to be ascertained.

Chavan, a former chief minister, took to Twitter to allege that the culprits were BJP workers.

"BJP workers have brutally killed Congress worker Dubey. The Congress party strongly condemns the attack. It is not just the murder of Congress worker, but murder of democracy," he said, demanding immediate arrest of the attackers.

The BJP has ushered in a trend of "wiping out" the political opponents while taking goons into its fold, he alleged.

Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil also slammed the BJP-led state government. "Is there rule of law or of goons in Maharashtra? The government must answer this question," he tweeted.

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Chennai (PTI): Before giving birth, she had already delivered a mandate—a symbol of hope for Thiru Vi Ka Nagar.

Echoing Delhi’s 2013 “common citizen” political churn associated with the rise of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), an eight-month-pregnant homemaker, M R Pallavi, has been elected as an MLA from Chennai’s Thiru Vi Ka Nagar constituency, emerging as one of the notable first-time faces of the Vijay-led TVK in the recently held Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

In the narrow lanes of Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, a steady stream of media personnel has been making their way to Pallavi’s residence—a scene reminiscent of the result day in Delhi when journalists thronged the modest home of Rakhi Birla, who had won from Mangolpuri on an AAP ticket.

Pallavi, 36, a homemaker educated up to class XII, defeated the DMK candidate K S Ravichandran by a margin of 22,333 votes in the reserved Thiru Vi Ka Nagar Assembly constituency.

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam emerged as the single largest party by winning 108 seats, while DMK and AIADMK got 59 and 47, respectively.

Pallavi’s victory has drawn attention due to her personal circumstances. She campaigned extensively while eight months pregnant, going door-to-door to reach voters.

According to local accounts, she even fainted once during the campaign but continued her outreach.

She has not spoken to the media following her victory, as doctors have advised her to rest. Her husband, Rajesh, briefly recounted her campaign efforts.

A self-professed admirer of actor-turned-politician Vijay, Pallavi joined TVK soon after its formation and is now among its first-time legislators.

Doctors have advised her to be hospitalised around May 20, as she is expecting her second child. Ahead of that, voters in Thiru Vi Ka Nagar have entrusted her with representing them in the state Assembly.

Political observers say the rise of candidates like Pallavi signals a possible shift in Tamil Nadu’s political landscape, with voters backing a new party and candidates from non-traditional backgrounds.