Mumbai (PTI): The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders and workers observed "gaddar din" (traitor's day) on Tuesday in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra to mark the first anniversary of the rebellion by Shiv Sena legislators, including Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Led by NCP working president and Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule, the party workers in Mumbai shouted slogans and carried symbolic "khoke" (cartons) to claim the rebel legislators took money to come to power in the state.

The rebellion in June last year led by Eknath Shinde culminated in the collapse of the then Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government, comprising the Sena, NCP and Congress.

On June 30, 2022, Shinde became the chief minister along with Devendra Fadnavis of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as deputy CM.

On Tuesday, the NCP workers along with Sule gathered at their party office in south Mumbai to stage a protest.

Sule and others shouted slogans like "Pannas (50) Khoke, Ekdum Ok", to allege that the rebel legislators had taken Rs 50 crore each as bribe.

In neighbouring Thane, which is also the home town of CM Shinde, NCP leader and former minister Jitendra Awhad led a similar protest.

The NCP workers piled up several cartons with "Pannas Khoke, Ekdum Ok" stickers on them at a spot and later burnt them as a mark of protest.

In Nagpur, the NCP workers staged a demonstration at the Variety Square in Nagpur and shouted slogans like "Khoke sarkar murdabad, gaddar aamdar murdabad" against legislators of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

Notably, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut has written to the United Nations, urging it to declare June 20 as "World Traitors Day" to mark the "desertion" of his party chief Uddhav Thackeray by 40 Shiv Sena MLAs, including Shinde.

Maharashtra NCP president Jayant Patil last week asked the party cadres to protest against the rebel Shiv Sena legislators.

"NCP workers should organise protests in the nook and corner of the state by displaying symbolic 'khoke' (boxes of money) based on which the Eknath Shinde government has come to power," he said on Saturday.

Patil appealed to NCP workers to tell people that the temporary happiness of the Shinde camp, which was recognised by the Election Commission as real Shiv Sena, is on the wane and their days in government are numbered.

The Sharad Pawar-led party had earlier organised public meetings explaining the Supreme Court verdict on the political crisis in Maharashtra and how speaker Rahul Narvekar is duty-bound to disqualify 16 rebel MLAs.

The Supreme Court last month ruled that then Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari was not justified in calling upon then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray to prove a majority in the Assembly on June 30, 2022. A constitutional bench had also observed that it cannot restore the Thackeray government as he resigned without facing a floor test.

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Karachi/New Delhi, Jul 26 (PTI): The men's Asia Cup will be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from September 9 to 28, Asian Cricket Council chairman Mohsin Naqvi announced on Saturday.

As per the draft itinerary in possession of PTI, the marquee group match between India and Pakistan will be held at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday (September 14).

The arch-rivals are clubbed in the same group and are expected to square off again in a Super Four game on next Sunday (September 21). India will start its campaign against UAE on September 10 and are likely to play all its matches in Dubai.

India, Pakistan, UAE and Oman are clubbed in group A, while Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Hong Kong are in group B. The ACC will allow 17-member squads for the 19-match tournament and matches will be played in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Earlier, Naqvi, who is also the chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) took to 'X' to make a formal announcement.

"I am delighted to confirm the dates of the ACC Men's Asia Cup 2025 in UAE. The prestigious tournament will take place from September 9th to 28th. We look to a spectacular display of cricket. Details schedule will be out soon," Naqvi posted.

The venue of the event was decided at an ACC meeting on July 24. All 25 member nations attended the meeting.

BCCI is the host of the tournament but it is being held in the UAE as India and Pakistan have mutually agreed to compete only at neutral venues till 2027 due to the prevailing cross-border tension between them.

As per ACC's deal with the broadcasters, India and Pakistan will be clubbed in the same group and also get another shot at each other in the Super Four stage with a possibility of a third meeting if both teams reach the final.

This edition of the Asia Cup will be held in T20 format as is the convention with the next ICC global meet being T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

India's Asia Cup Group League itinerary

Sep 10: India vs UAE

Sep 14: India vs Pakistan

Sep 19: India vs Oman.

Super Four Schedule

Sep 20: B1 vs B2

Sep 21: A1 vs A2 (likely India vs Pakistan)

Sep 23: A2 svs B1

Sep 24: A1vs B2

Sep 25: A2 vs B2

Sep 26: A1 vs B1

Sep 28: Final.