Ashoka XI, Ghorpadi Tamil United register victories in Peninsula Land football tourney

Ashoka XI and Ghorpadi Tamil United registered wins against their respective opponents in the Peninsula Land Pune District Football League played at the Range Hills ground on Wednesday.

Ashoka XI edged past opponents Sunny Days 3-2 in what was a thrilling encounter. Sijo Daniel, Vishal Kumbhar and Aslam Shaikh scored for the winning team while Mahesh Ram and Shinnu Shanmughan scored for the losing team.

In another match Ghorpadi tamil United trounced opponents Ultimate Blues 4-1 with Santil Pillay (2), Sanjay Pillay and Charlie Indrajeet scoring for the winners and Rahul Chavan scoring for the losing team.

The tournament has been organised by the Pune District Football Association.

Results:

Division: Second Division

Match No 1: GROUP C: Naaz XI w/o KP XI ‘B’

Match No 2: GROUP C: Ashoka XI 3 (Sijo Daniel 22′, Vishal Kumbhar 31′ & Aslam Shaikh 39′) bt Sunny Days 2 (Mahesh Ram {penalty} 28′ & Shinnu Shanmughan 42′)

Division: First Division

Match No 3: GROUP B: Ghorpadi Tamil United 4 (Santil Pillay 17′ & 49′, Sanjay Pillay 22′ & Charlie Indrajeet 36′) bt Ultimate Blues 1 (Rahul Chavan)

Match No 4: GROUP A: Rupali 0 drew with Jolly Rangehills 0

Tomorrow’s Fixtures 27/05/2010

At Rangehills Ground, 2 nd Division:

Match No 1: GROUP A: Strikers v/s Azam Campus at 1:00 P.M.

Match No 2: GROUP A: Parshuramians’B’ v/s Tiger Combine at 2:00 P.M.

1st Division:

Match No 3: GROUP C: Shivajians S.C. ‘A’ v/s Indrayani at 3:00 P.M.

Match No 4: GROUP C: Rahul S.C. ‘A’ v/s Poona Socials ‘A’ at 4:00 P.M.

At S.P. College Ground.

Super Division:

Match No 1: GROUP B: Deccan XI F.C. ‘A’ v/s City Club at 3:00 P.M.

Match No 2: GROUP A: CMS Falcons ‘A’ v/s P.D. Central Railways at 5:00 P.M.

Miscreants attacks church in Bangalore

Bangalore, Sep 10 (ANI): Some unidentified miscreants attacked the St. Francis de Sales Church in Hebbagudi on Hosur road in the outskirts of Bangalore, breaking over 10 window glasses and destroying the statues of Mother Mary and Jesus Christ in the early hours of Thursday.

According to sources, about 25 miscreants forcefully entered the St. Francis Church that was spread over two acres of land, at around 3.a.m.

Thousands of people gathered in the church premises after learning about the incident.

“We want justice from the government and the concerned authorities, so that no Indian citizen can hound the freedom to practice one’s own religion and everybody can live safely and securely. We want the security. These unwanted elements should not go on spoiling the peace and security of Indian citizens,” said Father Aronnis, Chief Priest of St. Francis De Sales Church.

The protesters also stalled the traffic on Hosur – Bangalore high way. After the mediation of Superintendent of Police (Bangalore Rural) Dr. Mahesh, and the BJP MLA of Anekal constituency, Narayanswamy, the agitators allowed the traffic to flow.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) Chief R.V.Deshpande critisied the state government for failing to give protection to minority community and demanded for an investigation by the Cops of Detectives (CoD) over the incident.

The Bangalore Rural Police have registered a case based on the complaint given by the church authorities and conducting the investigations (ANI)

Paes, Bhupathi enter US Open doubles semi-finals

New York, Sep.9 (ANI): Indian tennis stars Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi are hoping to compete against each other in the doubles finals of the US OPen at Flushing Meadow after entering the semi-finals on Tuesday.

Mahesh Bhupathi and his partner Mark Knowles of Bahamas outwitted Croatian Ivan Ljubicic and Frenchman Michael Llodra in the men’s doubles quarter final at US Open in New York on Tuesday.

Bhupathi and Knowles could face Leander Paes and his Czech partner Lukas Dloughy.

Paes and Dloughy, seeded fourth, beat seventh seeded Wesley Moodie of South Africa and Dick Norman of Belgium 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.

The Paes-Dloughy pair will now meet top seeded Bob and Mike Bryan of United States in the semi-finals.

Paes and Zimbabwean Cara Black have booked their birth in the mixed doubles final of the US Open by beating the fifth seeded pair of Hsieh Su-wei, Taiwan, and Kevin Ullyett, Zimbabwe, in the semi-finals 6-2, 3-6, 10-5. (ANI)

Bhupathi, Paes enter US Open mixed doubles semis

New York, Sep 8 (ANI): Ace Indian players Leander Peas and Mahesh Bhupathi have entered the semi-finals of the mixed doubles of the US Open with their respective partners.

Leander Paes and Cara Black of Zimbabwe beat Rennae Stubbs and Robert Lindstedt to enter the mixed doubles semi-finals.

Mahesh Bhupathi and his mixed doubles partner Liezel Huber of USA beat eighth Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Nenad Zimonjic in a straight set of 6-4, 6-3 to make it to the semi finals.

Bhupathi and Huber will play against the unseeded pair of Carly Gullickson and Travis Parrott in the semi-final.

Both Paes and Bhupathi have also entered the quarterfinals of the men’s double championship with their respective partners.

Paes and Lukas Dlouhy defeated the Austrian duo of Julian Knowle and Jurgen Melzer 7-5, 6-4.

They now play against the seventh-seeded South Africa’s Wesley Moodie and Belgium’s Dick Norman in the fourth round. (ANI)

Police resort to cane charge to quell unruly youth seeking jobs in Chhattisgarh

Durg (Chhattisgarh), Aug 31 (ANI): Police in Durg district resorted to baton charge to quell an unruly protest by a bunch of youth seeking jobs at a local cement company.

Violence started when hundreds of local youth, under the aegis of the Chhattisgarh Swabhiman Manch (self-respect group), tried to storm the hotel where the company was holding interviews for various posts.

Police caned and chased away the unruly mob.

“Their way of protesting was against law. We asked them to protest in a lawful manner but they tried to barge into the hotel and when security personnel tried to prevent them they started bullying. In order to control them we used mild force and arrested some protestors,” said M. L. Kotwani, Additional Superintendent of Police.

Protestors accused police and local authorities of colluding with the representatives of the cement company.

“The manager of the JP Group is following a discriminatry against us and local authorities and police are cane charging instead of helping us. This is an injustice and we seek clarification from the state government,” said Mahesh, a protestor.

Lack of job opportunities for locals has in recent years triggered protests and even violence against outsiders in several parts of India. (ANI)

Railway gangman killed by train robbers in Bihar

Patna, Aug 30 (ANI): A railway employee was killed and 10 others were injured when an armed gang looted cash and valuables from passengers of Jhajha-Patna local train in Bihar’s Jamui district on early Sunday.

The incident took place in the East Central Railway zone.

According to police sources, armed robbers boarded the train at Jamui and went on a looting spree.

The robbers snatched cellular phones, cash and other valuables worth around Rs 1 lakh from the passengers, police sources added.

The railway gangman, Mukesh Mandal, was shot at when he tried to resist looters near Mahesh Leta station.

Mandal, who sustained serious wounds, died on the way to a hospital at Jamui, sources said.

At least 10 passengers were wounded in a stampede, which was created due to the fire by the robbers.

The robbers managed to escape after pulling the chain of the train near Mahesh Leta station.

The Railway Police and the Bihar state Police are conducting search operation in the area for the robbers. (ANI)

Reliance Mobile launches Daddy Cool zone on R-World | Reliance Mobile | R-World

Reliance Mobile launches Daddy Cool zone on R-World | Reliance Mobile | R-World

MUMBAI: Reliance Mobile has launched a special Daddy Cool zone on R-World. The star cast of the film Daddy Cool – Suniel Shetty, Aarti Chhabria, Ashish Chowdhry, Tulip Joshi, Aftab Shivdesani, Javed Jaffrey, Sophie Choudry, Rajpal Yadav and Chunky Pandey along with music director Raghav Sachar and producer Ashok Thakeria were present at Reliance World Juhu to launch Daddy Cool on R-World.

Reliance Mobile is going live with special mobile content based on the movie leveraging its VAS platform – R-World to allow users to access special content including caller tunes, ringtones, wallpapers and videos related to the movie.

Speaking on the occasion Reliance Communications senior executive vice president Akshay Kumar said, “We are proud to associate with Daddy Cool. We are happy to promote this movie across all platforms offered by Reliance Communications. We are optimistic on leveraging our technology to create a definitive connect of this film with our subscribers across the country.”

There was also a meet and greet with key RCom distributors and dealers. The event was beamed live to six cities across the country over video conference.

BIG Pictures COO Mahesh Ramanathan said, “We are pleased to partner RCom in this initiative that will take Daddy Cool to RCom subscribers. This will considerably broaden the appeal of the film across audiences.”

Bollywood actor Salman Khan prays for success of upcoming film

Mumbai, Aug 19 (ANI): Bollywood actor Salman Khan is keeping his finger crossed for success of upcoming film ‘Wanted’.

Produced by Boney Kapoor and directed by Prabhu Deva, the film features Ayesha Takia Azmi opposite Salman Khan apart from actors like Mahesh Manjrekar, Asseem Merchant.

“I have done lot of love stories, lot of comedies, many of them were not appreciated enough. In this film, I had the zest to work hard. I have done that. So, let’s see if it works and if it doesn’t,” he said.

The film is about Radhe, played by Salman Khan, who is a hardcore gangster, a sharpshooter and works for a dreaded Mafia.

He then finds love when the young and pretty Jhanvi, played by Ayesha Takia Azmi, professes her love for him.

Khan said the film is a combination of all the ingredients in good quantity and they all had to undergo good deal of training for it.

“Our films are usually a combination of all things in small proportions. Little bit dance, little bit romance and little bit comedy. But this film has everything in huge proportions, so had to train hard,” said Khan.

Khan has lent his voice to the title track of the film, composed by composer duo Sajid-Wajid.

He had last sung for the film, Pyaar Kiya to Darna Kya in 1998. (ANI)

Madhya Pradesh Govt. seizes hoarded sugar

Gwalior, Aug 18 (ANI): The food and civil supplies department of the Madhya Pradesh Government has seized illegally stocked sugar from godowns across the state.

Food and civil supplies officials backed by state police have raided sugar mills and godowns across Madhya Pradesh in the last three days.

In the Gadai Pura area of Gwalior district, the officials of food and supplies department raided and seized 210 quintals sugar from a godown.

“We received information from the state police department that they have raided a sugar godown. We seized 205 sacks of sugar from the godown. Five more sacks arrived later in a truck and we even seized that. Overall, we seized 210 quintals of hoarded sugar,” said Vipin Srivastava, a food controller.

Meanwhile, in panic, sugar traders are trying to sell the hoarded sugar to people at low prices that has been illegally stored by them in godowns.

However, they claim they are doing it for the benefit of people.

People were seen standing in long queues to buy sugar at a price of rupees 28 per kilogram as opposed to the actual price of rupees 32 per kilogram.

“People have been screaming since the prices of sugar rose. So we thought whatever stock of sugar we have, we can sell it at low prices,” said Mahesh Kakvani, president, Trade Committee and Sugar Association.

The food department of the Madhya Pradesh Government has decided to issue licenses to sugar traders to keep a check on hoarding and prices. (ANI)

Diarrhoea claims four lives in Uttar Pradesh’s Kushinagar district

Kushinagar (Uttar Pradesh), July 8 (ANI): Four infants aged between 18 months and five years have died of diarrhoea in Mushar village in Uttar Pradesh’s Kushinagar District.

“Four boys have died. Half a dozen children suffering from diarrhoea are admitted in the hospital,” said Mahesh, father of a diarrhoea-affected child.

The village does not have provision for clean and safe drinking water.

People draw water from wells and hand pumps for drinking as well as other needs while one is uncertain as for the quality of the water.

As if to add more woes to the poor and unhygienic living conditions, the rising temperature has further hastened the outbreak of contagious diseases.

About six children have been admitted in the primary health centre at Kasaya where they are being administered medicines.

However, the villagers have complained that the hospital, bereft of most of the facilities, is not providing their children with medicines.

Munni Lal, whose child has been admitted to the hospital, alleged that doctors are apathetic to the plight of the children and the villagers.

“Four kids have died because of diarrhoea. The doctors at the hospital are not listening to us. They tell us first to get medicines and then they will give treatment to our children,” said Lal.

Almost all the villagers are poor, solely relying on government hospitals or dispensaries and they cannot afford to buy medicines from elsewhere.

The villagers also noted that even though the district administration has been instructed to hold regular health camps in the villages, they are not getting any medical help.

Diarrhoea is a disease caused by stale and rotten food and polluted water. It escalates during the summer season since shortage of potable water forces many to rely on water from contaminated sources. (ANI)

Tribal children being trained as boxers in Jharkhand

Dhanbad, July 6 (ANI): Several tribal boys and girls are being motivated to develop skills in boxing sport at a boxing club at Chalkari in Jharkhand’s Dhanbad region.

These teenaged boys and girls belong to Birhor, a tribal community of Jharkhand.

Under the auspices of the Dhanbad District Amateur Boxing Association (DDABA), the club has been instituted as part of a plan to take the sport to the village-level.

The boxing coach at the club believes that these kids are much stronger than urban kids and capable of performing well in the competitive ring, if trained and groomed well.

“I think the village children especially the tribal children are stronger than the city children. I chose the Birhor children because they are the least educated and deprived. I want to help them in getting noticed and bring them onto the map of India through boxing,” says Paritosh Kumar, Coach-cum-Secretary, DDABA.

The coach hopes to train the kids for district and State-level boxing competitions and further help them find a platform to showcase their talent as scientific boxers.

Each trainee has been provided with a boxing kit worth rupees a thousand rupees, including two pairs of mittens and gloves, two head-guards and two punching bags.

Budding pugilists are thrilled to learn the sport for professional purpose in future. They believe that even they can do something remarkable in the ring, if given an opportunity.

“We learn boxing in the mornings and evenings. This is going to help us move ahead in life,” said Mahesh, a trainee from Birhor community, Chalkari.

On their part, the parents too are a delighted lot. Sharing their enthusiasm, they believe that learning the sport is supplementing their children’s education.

“Our children are studying and also learning the sport of boxing. Such things were not there earlier. It feels very good,” said Phoolchand, a local resident of Birhor.

Birhor tribe is one of the primitive tribes of Jharkhand. Today, it is a small, nomadic tribe which is on the verge of extinction.

The members of the tribe make a living by hunting, gathering honey and making ropes from tree fibres. Life expectancy among the Birhors is as low as 38 years. (ANI)

Thackeray family feud now out in the open

Mumbai, May 24 (ANI): The Shiv Sena and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena have both been electorally routed in Mumbai and in parts of Maharashtra in the recent general elections, but this has not stopped the Thackeray family from bringing its internal bickering out into the open.

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has blamed his cousin and MNS chief Raj Thackeray for the Shiv Sena’s poll debacle. But Raj has wasted no time in hitting back at Uddhav.

Raj Thackeray said: “I have a question for Uddhav Thackeray. You voted for Mahesh Jethmalani. Is he a Marathi? Do you think Marathis will benefit by voting for Mahesh Jethmalani?”.

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief said that MNS did not steal anybody’s votes.

He said while addressing his party workers here last Friday in the wake of the comments by Uddhav Thackeray’s comments that the votes of the “Marathi Manoos” had been taken away that due to presence of MNS, the votes were split in the recent elections.

“I have not stolen the votes of anybody, its the people who have supported us… Balasaheb Thackeray has all the right to say anything about me and I will not debate against him… I will also ask Uddhav Thackeray as to whom did he vote in this election. If it”"”s Mahesh Jethmalani , then is he a Marathi and if not then how can they allege that I have stolen the votes of Marathi?” said Raj Thackeray.

Stung by this direct attack, Uddhav raked up the Ramesh Kini’s murder case in which Raj was one of the accused.

Uddhav reminded Raj that Jethamalinis had helped him get acquitted and that too in the murder of a Marathi.

“You say I voted for a non-Marathi candidate like Mahesh Jethmalani but it was Jethmalani with whom Sena chief Bal Thackeray was in constant contact with, to acquit you in the murder case of Ramesh Kini, a Marathi,” Uddhav Thackeray added.

Sena chief Bal Thackeray has already declared that he’s broken all ties with his nephew Raj. And now the Thackeray cousins licking their electoral wounds are locked in a bitter verbal slugfest.

MNS, a splinter group of the Shiv Sena has played a spoilsport for the National Democratic Alliance in their strongholds Mumbai and Thane.

Out of its 12 nominees, three candidates of MNS had come up second while the remaining bagged the third spot in the election.

While Shiv Sena bagged 11 seats, the BJP managed just nine of the total 48 constituencies in Maharashtra. (ANI)

MNS has not taken votes of Shiv Sena, claims Raj Thackeray

Mumbai, May 23 (ANI) The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has said that MNS did not steal anybody’s votes.

He said while addressing his party workers here on Friday in the wake of the comments by Shiv Sena’s Executive President Uddhav Thackeray that due to presence of MNS, the votes were split in the recent elections to Lok Sabha.

Raj Thackeray brushed aside the allegations that his outfit has cut into the votes of an alliance of Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state in the recently concluded general polls,

“…I have not stolen the votes of anybody, its the people who have supported us… Balasaheb Thackeray has all the right to say anything about me and I will not debate against him… I will also ask Uddhav Thackeray as to whom did he vote in this election. If it’s Mahesh Jethmalani , then is he a Marathi and if not then how can they allege that I have stolen the votes of Marathi?” said Raj Thackeray.

MNS, a splinter group of the Shiv Sena has played a spoilsport for the National Democratic Alliance in their strongholds Mumbai and Thane.

Out of its 12 nominees, three candidates of MNS had come up second while the remaining bagged the third spot in the election.

While Shiv Sena bagged 11 seats, the BJP managed just nine of the total 48 constituencies in Maharashtra. (ANI)

Pandemonium after film star fails to turn up for poll rally in UP

Chandpur (Uttar Pradesh), May 7 (ANI): People went on a rampage after Bollywood actor Emran Hashmi and filmmaker Mahesh Bhat failed to turn up at an election meeting at Chandpur town in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnore district on Wednesday.

Hashmi, Bhat and senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh were to address the oll rally in support of party nominee from Bijnore constituency, Saeeduzama.

A section of the disappointed youth, who waited long to see the film celebrities, created a commotion, throwing chairs and other property around.he meeting resumed only after Singh assured the crowd that Hashmi and Bhat would definitely come and address a meeting.

“I promise that Emran Hashmi and Mahesh Bhat will come to Chandpur for meeting before May 11,” said Singh.

Politicians have often banked upon popular Bollywood film stars to attract crowds to election meetings and fans often turn over each other to catch glimpse of the star or go berserk if they are let down. (ANI)

Kunal Khemu releases music album of ’99′

Mumbai, Apr 17 (ANI): Bollywood actor Kunal Khemu on Thursday released the music album of the movie ’99′ at a gala event here.

The film has been produced by Anupam Mittal and Aditya Shastri, and directed by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D. K.

Presence of stars like Boman Irani, Simone Singh, Kunal Khemu and Cyrus Broacha brightened the musical evening even more.

“The music has got a fantastic variety. It has got a great melody, great lyrics. There is also a disco number. If you want to dance on this song then you can sing it for your girl friend,” Boman Irani said.

Another actor Simone Singh too shared similar views by opining she really liked the songs of the movie.

“Today, I listened to the music of the film for the first time. I was travelling while shooting and I was blown away by the music of the film. I would definitely listen to it once I take the CD from here,” Simone added.

The music of the movie ’99′ has been scored by the Shamir Tandon, Ashu, Roshan Machado and Mahesh Shankar. (ANI)

Now ’99′ too defies strike, gets set to arrive on 1st May

While bigger producers are battling it out for equal rights with multiplexes and refraining from releasing any new films, relatively smaller producers have a different take on the situation. While this Friday saw the arrival of as many as six films – TERA MERA KI RISHTA, EK SE BURE DO, COFFEE HOUSE, PAL PAL DIL KE SAATH, SCHOOL DAYS and ROYAL UTSAV, even in weeks to come there would be something or other trickling in at theaters. One such film which has made it’s plans quite clear in advance is ’99′ which is certainly arriving on 1st May.

Says a source attached to the film, “The response to the theatrical promo of ’99′ has been amazing and we have all the plans for reaching out to the audience. We have kick started promotion on quite a few popular Bollywood portals and social networking sites. The promo has come in for quite some good feedback and movie buffs have been appreciating the super slick, fast-paced and funny feel of this comic thriller.”

Produced by Anupam Mittal and Aditya Shastri of People Pictures, ’99′ is directed by debutants Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK and promises to be an original concoction of crime, comedy and coolness.

“Ours is an original story inspired by real events between 1999 and 2000″, says Krishna, “It is as much “what could have been” as it is “what really happened.” In other words, it is historical and #64257; ction. It may all sound a little tricky on paper but the treatment has been kept simple enough for audience to grasp the film’s graph. You would know exactly what we have tried to get into the narrative once you see the film.”

Starring Kunal Khemu and Soha Ali Khan in lead with Cyrus Broacha and Simone Singh playing an integral part of the film, ’99′ is touted to be an unpredictable and hilarious ride spread over two cities with colorful characters, unbelievable circumstances, small time crooks, big time conspiracies, fateful car crashes, loads of coffee, a briefcase full of money, a budding romance and a historical controversy brewing in the background!

All set to arrive now on 1st May, the film also features the trio of Boman Irani, Mahesh Manjrekar, and Vinod Khanna in important parts. -Sampurn Media

Dawood Ibrahim’s aide arrested

Pune, Apr 11 (ANI): Maharashtra police on Saturday arrested a sharp-shooter of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

Asif Mohammad Shaikh alias Asif Dadhi, an alleged associate of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, has been sent to a two-day police custody.

Many cases of murder, attempt to murder and ransom have been registered against Dadhi.

“When we received information, we laid a trap to arrest Dadhi. He tried to escape but we succeeded in arresting him. When we frisked him, we recovered one country made revolver and two cartridges from him. We are trying to verify whether he is an aide of Dawood Ibrahim,” Pune Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mahesh Patil, said.

Dadhi, a 42-years-old civil engineer, has served many jail terms in the past. According to the police, Dadhi has taken training in militancy abroad. Two mobiles and Rs. 28,000 in cash were also recovered from Dadhi.

What came as a surprise is the fact that he has saved the phone number of his wife by the name of Air India. Recently, the Mumbai Crime Branch received an e-mail threat to blow up the Air India building.

Dawood Ibrahim, India’s most wanted man for his part in the country’s most deadly bombings, has eluded authorities for the past 15 years. He is believed to be hiding in Pakistan.

In 1993, Ibrahim, and his brother Anis, allegedly masterminded India’s worst bombings, which killed at least 250 people and wounded more than 700 in Mumbai. (ANI)

Nominations close in Mumbai, Thane for the last phase

Mumbai, April 9 (IANS) Nominations for the last 10 of Maharashtra’s 48 Lok Sabha constituencies – six in Mumbai and four in neighbouring Thane that go to the polls April 30 in the third phase of elections – ended here Thursday.

Top political heavyweights who have filed nominations in the past few days include Ram Naik, Gurudas Kamat, Abu Asim Azmi and young leaders like Milind Deora, Sanjay Nirupam and Priya Dutt, besides several newcomers from different parties.

The 10 constituencies are: Mumbai North, Mumbai North-East, Mumbai North-West, Mumbai North-Central, Mumbai South-Central and Mumbai South; Thane, Bhiwandi, Kalyan and Palghar.

The main contest in the region will be between the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) combine and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Shiv Sena alliance.

However, this time, other parties like Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Mulayam Singh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party and Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) have also put up candidates in many constituencies, spelling trouble for the main contenders.

Among the 10 constituencies, the Congress will clash against Shiv Sena in Mumbai South, Mumbai South-Central and Mumbai North-West and against the BJP in Mumbai North and Mumbai North-Central, Bhiwandi and Palghar.

This time, the NCP will be pitted against the BJP in Mumbai North-East, and the Sena in Thane and Kalyan.

The contestants include seven sitting MPs, four legislators and members of legislative council.

In a rare occurrence, two sitting MPs will be in direct contest in Mumbai South, thanks to the delimitation exercise which has changed the face of most constituencies. The Congress’s Deora will fight Sena’s Mohan Rawale.

The MNS’s Bala Nandgaonkar will contest from Mumbai South, giving a tough time to Rawale, while two Muslim candidates – BSP’s Mohammed Ali Shaikh and Samajwadi Party’s cleric-turned-politician Maulana Syed Athar Ali, indicate rough days for Deora.

At the other end of the city, Mumbai North, former central minister Ram Naik will lock horns with former Sena MP and former journalist, Congress candidate Sanjay Nirupam. The MNS has also put up Shirish Parker, a close confidant of Raj Thackeray.

In the neighbouring Mumbai North-West seat, the Congress’ strongman Gurudas Kamat is pitted against Sena heavyweight Gajanand Kirtikar and Samajwadi Party state chief Abu Asim Azmi and the MNS’s Shalini Thackeray, the first-ever Thackeray ‘bahu’ (daughter-in-law) to contest an election.

Priya Dutt will be in a direct contest against the BJP’s Mahesh Jethmalani, ace criminal lawyer and son of former minister Ram Jethmalani. However, the Samajwadi Party has not put up a candidate here though the BSP’s Haji Ibrahim Shaikh is in the fray.

Mumbai South-Central will see the Congress’s Eknath Gaikwad lock horns with Sena MLA Suresh Gambhir, while Mumbai North-East will witness a contest between the BJP’s Kirit Somaiya and the NCP’s Sanjay Patil.

In the neighbouring district of Thane, state Excise Minister Ganesh Naik’s son Sajeev Naik will contest against Vijay Chougule of the Sena, deputy chairman of Maharashtra Legislative Council (the sole MLC in the fray), and the NCP’s Vasant Davkhare will fight against the Sena’s Anand Paranjpe in Kalyan.

Bhiwandi will see a contest between the Congress’ Suresh Taware and the BJP’s Jagannath Patil, and in Palghar the Congress’s Damu Shingda will fight against the BJP’s Chintaman Wanga.

Besides these seasoned politicians, non-politicians are also in the fray for the first time. They include a banker, ABN-Amro’s country chief Meera Sanyal (Mumbai South), Professionals Party of India (PPI)’s Mona Shah (Mumbai South) and Rajendra Thacker of PPI in Mumbai North.

Editors Guild of India condemns attack on Kerala journalists

New Delhi, Apr 9 (ANI): The Editors Guild of India has condemned the attack on journalists of ‘Manorama News’ at an election rally in Puthanathani in Kerala’s allappuram District of Kerala on April 7.

The journalists S. Mahesh and V J Moncy who had gone to the rally for regular coverage had a rude shock when a speaker announced that a news channel had flashed the news that the CPM supported candidate was not allowed to join the Chief Minister on the stage.

The journalists were surrounded by members of the CPM. Even when the journalists said their channel had not given any such flash news, the journalists were beaten up.

The reporter Mahesh was forcibly taken to the stage and was held hostage by menacing workers.

Other journalists, who protested the attack on their fellow scribes, were also surrounded by the angry mob and threatened.

By then Mahesh had been subjected to further assault. Moncy, who had been thrashed, was taken to police station. The journalists have been hospitalised.

This act of hooliganism is unacceptable and the Guild urges the Kerala Government and the police to prosecute the hooligans who assaulted the journalists, who were doing their duty.

The government and the Election Commission must provide foolproof security to journalists who cover the general elections. (ANI)

Priya Dutt files nomination papers in North Central Mumbai

Mumbai, Apr 8 (ANI): Congress candidate Priya Dutt today filed her nomination papers from the North-Central constituency of Mumbai.

Daughter of late actor-turned-politician Sunil Dutt was accompanied with large supporters, who reached the Bandra Collector Office to file the papers.

On Monday, she failed to file her nomination papers as she was stuck in traffic jam.

Priya is contesting against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Mahesh Jethmalani.

She won the Mumbai North-Central parliamentary constituency in 2004. (ANI)