Supreme Court VS Freebies: When Welfare Becomes Election Bribe And What It Means For India’s Fiscal Future

By BPN News Desk February 19, 2026

Op-Eds Opinion

The Supreme Court’s February 2026 observations have fundamentally shifted the debate on election-time freebies. For years, political parties across states justified unconditional cash transfers and blanket subsidies as welfare. Now, the Chief Justice has drawn a sharp constitutional line

Op-Eds Opinion

Missing Children, Missing Accountability: Why Maharashtra’s Home Minister Must Answer

By BPN News Desk February 2, 2026

Mumbai’s recent spate of missing children cases has once again jolted public conscience. But the shock wears off quickly in Maharashtra, because this is not new. It is part of a disturbing pattern that has persisted year after year. Children have been going missing across the state in worrying numbers since 2021–22, and yet the […]

State News West India

Sharad Pawar Says Family Won’t Attend Sunetra Pawar Oath

By BPN News Desk January 31, 2026

Veteran politician Sharad Pawar has said that neither he nor any member of his family will attend the oath-taking ceremony of Sunetra Pawar as Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Pawar made the comments from Baramati ahead of the ceremony in Mumbai. No Prior Information Given Sharad Pawar said he was not informed or consulted about […]

State News West India

Sunetra Pawar to Be Maharashtra’s First Woman Deputy CM

By BPN News Desk January 31, 2026

Senior NCP leader Sunetra Pawar is set to become the first woman Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, marking a historic moment in the state’s political history. The decision follows consultations within the ruling alliance and the Nationalist Congress Party leadership. Party Decision and Oath Process Party sources said Sunetra Pawar will be chosen as the […]

Op-Eds Opinion

Ambedkar’s Name Deserves Respect, Not Political Ambushes

By BPN News Desk January 28, 2026

Over the past few days in Maharashtra, a series of unrelated-looking incidents have unfolded in quick succession. A Republic Day ceremony disrupted because Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’s name was allegedly not mentioned. An ink attack on a local elected representative over the same charge. Objectionable personal remarks made from a public platform associated with Dalit assertion,

Op-Eds Opinion

Maharashtra’s EV Push Is a Template Other States Must Copy

By BPN News Desk January 24, 2026

Maharashtra has taken a practical step that deserves appreciation: it is not just announcing an Electric Vehicle policy, it is funding it and executing it. The recent clearance of ₹60 crore for EV incentives and toll waivers is not a headline-grabbing mega number, but it is exactly the kind of credibility signal that changes market […]

Op-Eds Opinion

₹14.5 Lakh Crore on Paper: How Indian States Inflate Davos Investment Claims

By BPN News Desk January 21, 2026

Maharashtra’s announcement of ₹14.5 lakh crore worth of Memorandums of Understanding at the World Economic Forum in Davos was celebrated with predictable chest-thumping. Politicians posed, headlines screamed “historic investment”, and job numbers were casually thrown around as if cheques had already been signed and factories were ready to break ground. But strip away the

State News West India

Maharashtra Secures Major Investment Commitments at WEF

By BPN News Desk January 21, 2026

The Maharashtra government signed memorandums of understanding worth ₹14.5 lakh crore on the opening day of the World Economic Forum 2026 in Davos. The agreements were announced after the inauguration of the Maharashtra pavilion, led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, as part of the state’s global investment outreach. Sectors Covered by the MoUs The investment […]

State News West India

Maharashtra Civic Polls: BMC Results Counting Begins

By BPN News Desk January 16, 2026

Counting of votes for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election 2026 began on Friday morning after polling was completed across Maharashtra’s 29 civic bodies, including Mumbai, Pune, Thane and Nagpur. Officials said the process is being carried out in designated centres under tight security. Turnout And Process Early figures indicate about 46–50% voter turnout

Op-Eds Opinion

Local BJP Alliances with Congress and AIMIM Are a Mirror of Fadnavis’s Own Playbook

By BPN News Desk January 8, 2026

Devendra Fadnavis’s public anger over BJP’s local-level post-poll alliances with the Congress and AIMIM has been framed as a defence of ideology and party discipline. But the outrage feels misplaced and late. What is unfolding across Maharashtra’s municipal councils is not rebellion. It is replication. Local leaders are behaving exactly as recent state-level politics