Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, son Aaditya meet Sharad Pawar in Mumbai
Mumbai: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and his MLA-son Aaditya met NCP president Sharad Pawar here late on Thursday night.
The over an hour-long meeting took place at Pawar's residence 'Silver Oak' in South Mumbai as the Shiv Sena continues its effort form government in Maharashtra with the support of the NCP and the Congress.
The Thackerays called on Pawar, a Rajya Sabha MP, after he arrived here from New Delhi in the evening. The Shiv Sena's Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut was also present at the meeting.
However, no Congress leader was present at the meeting.
"Since it was a meeting between top leaders, only they will know what transpired there. But the discussion is likely to have revolved around giving final touches to sharing of posts in the government being planned to be formed," an NCP leader said.
The meeting took place on a day when Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said in New Delhi that his party and the NCP have "complete unanimity" on all issues concerning government formation in Maharashtra and will now hold talks with the Shiv Sena to "finalise the architecture of the alliance".
The discussions will now move to Mumbai where the Congress and the NCP will hold deliberations with their other pre-poll allies -- Peasants Workers Party, Samajwadi Party, Swabhimani Paksh and CPI(M) -- and then with the Sena, Chavan told reporters after another round of talks between senior leaders of his party and the NCP in the national capital.
Sources said the three parties are likely to make a formal announcement on Friday about joining hands to take a shot at power in the state.
Uddhav Thackeray will address a meeting of party MLAs and senior leaders on Friday during which he is expected to deliberate on the party's line of action in the backdrop of the three main non-BJP parties making efforts to form government in Maharashtra, a party leader said.
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OpenAI to open first India office in New Delhi
New Delhi: OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, on Friday announced plans to open its first office in India later this year, selecting New Delhi as its base. The decision comes as India emerges as the company’s second-largest user base after the United States and one of its fastest-growing markets, with weekly active users rising more than fourfold over the past year.
The office will support the government’s IndiaAI mission and strengthen partnerships with local stakeholders. It will also help OpenAI serve students, educators, developers, and businesses who rely on its AI tools for learning, creativity, and problem-solving.
“The level of excitement and opportunity for AI in India is incredible. India has all the ingredients to become a global AI leader, amazing tech talent, a world-class developer ecosystem, and strong government support through the IndiaAI Mission,” said Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI. “Opening our first office and building a local team is an important step in our commitment to make advanced AI more accessible across the country and to build AI for India, and with India.”
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw welcomed the move, calling it a recognition of India’s leadership in digital innovation and AI adoption. “With strong investments in digital public infrastructure, AI talent, and enterprise-scale solutions, India is uniquely positioned to drive the next wave of AI-led transformation,” he said.
While the exact location of the office is yet to be finalised, OpenAI has registered an entity in India and begun building a local team. The team will focus on collaboration with government, businesses, developers, and academic institutions, as well as on designing features tailored to India to make AI more affordable and accessible.
OpenAI’s technology is already being used in India across sectors including agriculture, recruitment, and governance. To deepen engagement, the company will host its first Education Summit in India this month, followed by its first Developer Day later this year.
Recruitment for various roles is underway, with further details on the office and upcoming initiatives expected in the coming months.
