Jan 15 News Live: Voting begins for civic polls in Maharashtra

Heavy security in Mumbai for civic polls; 28,000 cops on duty

More than 28,000 police personnel were deployed across Mumbai to maintain law and order as voting for the city’s civic body polls got underway on Thursday, officials said.

Long queues were seen at various polling booths, as the voting commenced at 7:30 am for the 227-ward Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Police deployment at the polling centres had been done well in advance to ensure a safe and peaceful election process, an official said.

More than 25,000 constables, 3,000 officers, including 10 additional commissioners, 33 deputy commissioners and 84 assistant commissioners of police were posted at various polling centres and important places in the city, he said.

"I appeal to every Mumbaikar to step out of their homes and exercise their democratic right by voting in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections," Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti said on his X handle on Wednesday night.

PM Modi on Army Day: 'Our soldiers stand as a symbol of selfless service, safeguarding the nation'

On the occasion of Army Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hailed the Indian Army, saying that they stand as a symbol of selfless service, safeguarding the nation with steadfast resolve at times under the most challenging conditions.

The prime minister also said that the nation salutes their courage and resolute commitment. "Our soldiers stand as a symbol of selfless service, safeguarding the nation with steadfast resolve, at times under the most challenging conditions. Their sense of duty inspires confidence and gratitude across the country," he said in a post on X.

He said the country remembers with deep respect those who have laid down their lives in the line of duty.

Army Day is observed on January 15 to mark Field Marshal K M Cariappa taking over as the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army, replacing his British predecessor General Sir FRR Bucher in 1949.

Iran further extends order closing its airspace to commercial aircraft as tensions remain high

Iran further extended an order closing its airspace to commercial aircraft without explanation early Thursday as tensions remained high with the United States over Tehran's bloody crackdown on nationwide protests.

A notice to pilot said the closure was estimated to last until 7.30 am local time. A previous order had closed the airspace for just over two hours.

The Iranian government offered no explanation of the decision to shut its airspace.

Voting begins for high-stakes civic polls in Maharashtra

Voting in 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra began on Thursday morning with spotlight on Mumbai, where the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is locked in an intense battle with the reunited Thackeray cousins for control of India's largest and richest civic body.

Polling for 2,869 seats spread across 893 wards in these municipal corporations began amid tight security at 7:30 am and will conclude at 5:30 pm. A total of 3.48 crore voters are eligible to decide the fate of 15,931 candidates.

In the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), whose annual Budget is over Rs 74, 400 crore, 1,700 candidates are vying for 227 seats in elections being held after nine years, after a four-year delay. More than 25,000 police personnel have been deployed across Mumbai to oversee elections.

Except for Mumbai, the other urban bodies have multi-member wards. Vote count will take place on January 16.

These are the first BMC polls since the 2022 split in the Shiv Sena when Eknath Shinde, now Deputy Chief Minister, broke away with a majority of the party’s MLAs and allied with the BJP to become the chief minister.

The undivided Shiv Sena held sway over India's richest civic body for 25 years (1997-2022).

In a significant political turn of events ahead of the elections, estranged cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray, who head Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS, respectively, reunited last month after two decades in their bid to consolidate Marathi votes even as rival NCP factions forged a local alliance in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.

The Congress, once a formidable political force in Maharashtra, has asserted its presence in Mumbai by stepping out of the shadow of its Maha Vikas Aghadi allies - Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP).

The grand old party has joined hands with Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) and the Rashtriya Samaj Paksh in the state capital.

Elections to the 29 municipal corporations are being held after a gap of several years, with terms of most of them having ended between 2020 and 2023. Of these, nine fall in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), the most urbanised belt in India.

Voting is underway in the following municipal corporations: Mumbai, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Navi Mumbai, Vasai-Virar, Kalyan-Dombivli, Kolhapur, Nagpur, Solapur, Amravati, Akola, Nashik, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune, Ulhasnagar, Thane, Chandrapur, Parbhani, Mira-Bhayandar, Nanded-Waghala, Panvel, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Latur, Malegaon, Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad, Jalgaon, Ahilyanagar, Dhule, Jalna and Ichalkaranji.

Passive euthanasia plea: Supreme Court to deliver verdict today

The Supreme Court will deliver its final verdict today over a plea of a father for passive euthanasia by withdrawing artificial life support to his 32-year-old son.

Harish Rana has been lying in a comatose condition for more than 12 years. The man suffered head injuries after falling from the fourth floor of a building in 2013. He has been on an artificial support system for more than 12 years now.

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation polls: Voting today, begins at 7:30 AM; 1,700 candidates in race for 227 seats

As many as 1,700 candidates will vie for 227 seats in the key elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), with polling scheduled for today.

In a press release, the civic body said preparations for polling were completed on Wednesday with the distribution of EVMs and other election materials carried out at 23 divisional centres in the metropolis.

Voting will start at 7:30 am and end at 5:30 pm, while the counting of votes will be conducted at 23 designated centres across Mumbai under the supervision of the respective Returning Officers (ROs) on January 16.

As per the release, the corporation has finalised counting centres for all 227 wards. Each centre has been equipped with secure strong rooms for custody of election materials, including EVMs, and arrangements have been made to ensure transparency during the counting process.

Civic officials said polling staff reported in large numbers since Wednesday morning and all required materials, including voter lists, seals, indelible ink and official documents, were handed over to them after due verification.

More than 25,000 police personnel will be deployed across Mumbai to oversee elections to the BMC and vote counting.

A total of 10,231 polling stations have been set up across Mumbai and 64,375 officers and staff have been deployed for duty.

Danish official says there's “fundamental disagreement” with Trump over Greenland

A top Danish official said Wednesday that a “fundamental disagreement” over Greenland remains with President Donald Trump after talks in Washington with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The two sides, however, agreed to create a working group to discuss ways to work through differences as Trump continues to call for a US takeover of the Denmark's Arctic territory of Greenland.

“The group, in our view, should focus on how to address the American security concerns, while at the same time respecting the red lines of the Kingdom of Denmark,” Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told reporters after a highly anticipated meeting in which Greenland's foreign minister also participated Trump is trying to make the case that NATO should help the U.S. acquire the world's largest island and says anything less than it being under American control is unacceptable.

Denmark has announced plans to boost the country's military presence in the Arctic and North Atlantic as Trump tries to justify his calls for a U.S. takeover of the vast territory by repeatedly claiming that China and Russia have their designs on Greenland.

Trump claims killing of Iran protesters 'has stopped'

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday made a vague statement that he's been told “on good authority” that plans for executions in Iran have stopped, even as Tehran has indicated fast trials and executions ahead in its crackdown on protesters.

The US president's claims, which were made with few details, come as he's told protesting Iranians in recent days that “help is on the way” and that his administration would “act accordingly” to respond to the Iranian government. But Trump has not offered any details about how the US might respond and it wasn't clear if his comments Wednesday indicated he would hold off on action.

“We've been told that the killing in Iran is stopping -- it's stopped -- it's stopping,” Trump said at the White House while signing executive orders and legislation. “And there's no plan for executions, or an execution, or executions -- so I've been told that on good authority.” Trump did not specify where he had received that information but only described it as “very important sources on the other side.” Trump said he would “find out” later if it was true, but he didn't explain how.

“I hope it's true," he said. "Who knows?” When asked if that meant he was not planning to take any action against the Iranian government, Trump said: “We're going to watch it and see what the process is. But we were given a very good statement by people that are aware of what's going on.” The president on Tuesday consulted with his national security team about next steps after telling reporters he believed the killing in Iran was “significant.” Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and key White House National Security Council officials began meeting last Friday to develop options for Trump, ranging from a diplomatic approach to military strikes.

The Iranian security force crackdown on the demonstrations has killed at least 2,586, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported.

On Wednesday, Iranian officials signaled that suspects detained in nationwide protests would face fast trials and executions while the Islamic Republic promised a “decisive response” if the US or Israel intervene in the domestic unrest.

The threats emerged as some personnel at a key US military base in Qatar were advised to evacuate by Wednesday evening following Trump's escalated warnings of potential military action over the killing of peaceful demonstrators.

Mohammad Pakpour, commander of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, reiterated Iranian claims, without providing evidence, that the US and Israel have instigated the protests and that they are the real killers of protesters and security forces who have died in the turmoil, according to Iran's semiofficial Tasnim news agency.

He added that those countries will “receive the response in the appropriate time.” Earlier Wednesday, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, Iran's judiciary chief, said the government must act quickly to punish more than 18,000 people who have been detained through rapid trials and executions. Mohseni-Ejei's comments about rapid trials and executions were made in a video shared by Iranian state television online.

“If we want to do a job, we should do it now. If we want to do something, we have to do it quickly,” he said. “If it becomes late, two months, three months later, it doesn't have the same effect. If we want to do something, we have to do that fast.”

The comments stand as a direct challenge to Trump, who warned Iran about executions in an interview with CBS aired Tuesday. “If they do such a thing, we will take very strong action,” Trump said. AP