Maharashtra civic polls: BJP takes lead in Pune bastion of Ajit and Sharad Pawar
Pune (PTI): The BJP has surged ahead of the NCP-NCP (SP) combine, headed by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and his uncle Sharad Pawar, in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad corporations, according to trends and results of the civic elections so far on Friday.
The BJP has won 29 electoral wards and is leading in 43 others in Pune, as per the data shared by the election department of the civic body.
The Nationalist Congress Party and the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) are a distant second, winning three and two seats, respectively, so far, in the 165-member Pune civic body. The trends show the NCP is leading in seven wards, and the NCP (SP) in one ward.
In the 128-member Pimpri-Chinchwad civic body, the BJP is leading in 81 seats, while the NCP is ahead in 36.
Despite being an ally of the BJP in the ruling Mahayuti, the NCP contested civic elections in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad in alliance with the NCP (SP), two years after the bitter break-up.
The Congress has won three seats and is leading in nine in PMC, as per the data.
The Shiv Sena (UBT), which contested the polls in alliance with the Congress, yet to open its account, similar to Shiv Sena, headed by Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, which contested the elections without allying with BJP.
The BJP had single-handedly held power in the previous five-year terms from 2017 to 2022 in Pune and PCMC civic bodies, after which the Administrator had control of the civic body.
The BJP is also leading in the Kolhapur, Satara, Solapur, and Sangli civic bodies in the western Maharashtra region.
The poll campaign in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad was marked by sharp exchanges between Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and the BJP.
Ajit Pawar had targeted the local BJP leadership over the alleged irregularities in the functioning of the two civic bodies.
In the 102-member Solapur municipal corporation, the BJP is leading in 60 electoral wards, according to trends available till noon.
In the 81-member Kolhapur civic body, Mahayuti partners- the BJP, Shiv Sena, and the NCP- are leading in 25 seats, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi is ahead in 21 civic wards.
Elections to the 29 municipal corporations were held on January 15 after a gap of several years, with terms of most of them having ended between 2020 and 2023.
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Under Australia’s under-16 social media ban major platforms block 47 lakh accounts
Sydney: Major technology companies have blocked around 47 lakh accounts following Australia’s landmark ban on social media use by children under the age of 16, the country’s online safety regulator said on Friday.
Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said early data indicated that platforms were taking concrete steps to remove underage users since the law came into force on December 10 last year. She said regulatory guidance and engagement with companies had begun to show results, though a full assessment of compliance would take time.
Under the legislation, large platforms including Meta, TikTok and YouTube are required to prevent under-16s from holding accounts. Companies that fail to take what the law describes as reasonable steps to comply face penalties of up to Aus$ 49.5 million.
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Reuters reported that Meta disclosed last week that it had removed hundreds of thousands of accounts across its services, including Instagram, Facebook and Threads, in the days following the introduction of the rules. The company, however, reiterated its position that app stores should be mandated to verify users’ ages and obtain parental consent before minors are allowed to download social media apps, arguing that this would prevent teenagers from shifting between platforms to evade restrictions.
The eSafety Commissioner acknowledged that accurate age verification remains complex but said platforms are expected to strengthen their systems and prevent circumvention. She noted that while it is too early to conclude whether companies are fully compliant, the initial response suggests progress in reducing potential harm and reshaping online norms.
Ahead of the ban’s implementation, downloads of smaller platforms such as BlueSky and Lemon8 increased, though both services have since acknowledged that they fall under the legislation and are cooperating with regulators. Inman Grant said the fast-changing digital landscape makes it impractical to name every service covered by the law, adding that enforcement efforts would focus on platforms with the largest Australian user bases.
She said some children may still find ways to remain online, but stressed that the measure’s success should be judged by its impact on safety and behaviour rather than complete elimination of underage use.
