Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said the police have gathered several clues in the case pertaining to an attack on actor Saif Ali Khan at his residence, and the culprit will be arrested soon.

Mr Fadnavis’ remarks came as at least two images of the suspect, whose face was clearly captured on CCTVs, have surfaced.

Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, Mr Fadnavis, who holds the home portfolio in the state, said: “Police investigation is going on….they have got many clues and I feel the police will very soon zero in (on the culprit).” 

Mr Khan was grievously injured after an intruder stabbed him six times at his residence in Mumbai’s post Bandra West neighbourhood area early on Thursday. The actor, who received multiple stab injuries, including in his neck, underwent an emergency surgery at Lilavati Hospital and is currently recovering.

In one of the images of the suspected attacker that surfaced on Thursday, he is seen taking the stairs while fleeing the building after stabbing the actor. In another image that surfaced on Friday, he is seen in a new set of clothes at, according to sources, Bandra Railway Station. 

Earlier on Friday, reports emerged that a possible suspect had been detained by the police but a top officer later clarified that the man, who was taken to Bandra Police Station, had nothing to do with the case.

According to police sources, the accused had demanded Rs 1 crore after barging inside Mr Khan’s flat. 

Mumbai:

Senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis met outgoing Shiv Sena boss Eknath Shinde in Mumbai Tuesday evening, amid continuing suspense, and an absorbing tug-of-war, over the identity of the next Maharashtra Chief Minister. The meeting is being seen as an outreach by the BJP – to placate an ally who will likely be removed from the top post despite leading a government that was re-elected.

The big decision is expected within 24 hours; the BJP’s newly elected MLAs are meeting tonight – with Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and ex-Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani as ‘observers’ from the central leadership – to choose a legislature party leader, who will then become the new Chief Minister.

The smart money is on Mr Fadnavis, a two-time former Chief Minister and the man widely credited with orchestrating the BJP’s comeback, including hobbling the formerly undivided Sena and NCP and picking up the pieces; the breakaway factions added 75 seats to the BJP’s tally in this election.

However, for Mr Fadnavis to return to the top post Eknath Shinde must be persuaded to stand down, and possibly even accept a deputy’s berth, like the BJP leader did in 2022. And it is at that point the BJP’s plans to reclaim power in Maharashtra, without again antagonising a Sena ally, have hit a snag.

The Eknath Shinde Factor

Last week Mr Shinde, after days of public posturing, backed down. He said he spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said he would not be an “obstacle” to a BJP Chief Minister.

READ | “Won’t Obstruct”: In Maharashtra Race, E Shinde Leaves It To BJP

However, there remains a feeling that Mr Shinde and his party are displeased at being told to stand down. Mr Shinde’s absence from Mumbai last week – he retreated to his hometown in Satara district – raised eyebrows, as did the BJP simultaneously announcing a swearing-in date – December 5.

There was more drama this afternoon after Mr Shinde was admitted to a hospital in Thane, where he has been based since returning from Satara. The Sena leader, however, played down talk of an emergency – his team called it a “routine check-up” – and said, “sab badiya hain (everything is fine).”

And while Mr Shinde has made all the right noises, some within his party have not. Sena leader Deepak Kesarkar has reminded the BJP the election was fought under the Mr Shinde’s leadership.

“Now it is up to the BJP’s central leadership to decide how to maintain his stature.”

‘1+2’ Formula To Continue?

Sources have told NDTV over the past week the existing 1+2 formula established after the mid-term switch, i.e., a Chief Minister and two deputies, will continue, except the ‘1’ will be from the BJP.

The Shinde Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction will each name a Deputy Chief Minister. To sweeten the deal, the former will get 12 portfolios, including, possibly, the covered Urban Development, Public Works Department, and Water Resources ministries. The latter will get nine, including Finance.

READ | Maharashtra Chief Minister From BJP, Will Have 2 Deputies: Sources

This also means Mr Pawar will likely return as Deputy Chief Minister. But it is unclear if Eknath Shinde will be happy with that ‘demotion’. A possible workaround had been suggested – that he could get a union ministerial berth and his son, Shrikant Shinde, could become the Deputy Chief Minister.

READ | E Shinde’s Son Junks Deputy Buzz In Maharashtra Race

Shinde junior, however, has rubbished, at least publicly, that idea.

महायुतीच्या सरकारचा शपथविधी थोडा लांबल्यामुळे सध्या चर्चा आणि अफवा यांचे पीक फोफावले आहे. काळजीवाहू मुख्यमंत्री मा. श्री एकनाथ शिंदे यांनी प्रकृती अस्वास्थ्यामुळे दोन दिवस गावी जाऊन विश्रांती घेतली. त्यामुळे अफवांना अधिकच बहर आला. मी उपमुख्यमंत्री होणार अशा बातम्या प्रश्नचिन्हे…

— Dr Shrikant Lata Eknath Shinde (@DrSEShinde) December 2, 2024

“… there is no truth in it… the news about my taking up post of Deputy Chief Minister is baseless”.

Maharashtra Assembly Election Recap

The BJP, Mr Shinde’s Sena and Mr Pawar’s NCP, registered a landslide win when votes were counted November 23, even if the Congress and the opposing Maha Vikas Aghadi has cried foul since.

As the single largest party in the Assembly, the BJP is widely seen as having the edge in the chief ministerial race; it won 132 of 288 seats. The Sena is second with 57 and the NCP is third with 41.

The BJP, therefore, is not reliant on both allies to reach the majority mark of 145.

READ | Eknath Shinde Now Where Uddhav Was In ’19, With Big Difference

And the NCP has already professed support, meaning the Shinde Sena doesn’t have the leverage it had in 2022, when Mr Shinde broke from Uddhav Thackeray’s side and allied with the BJP.

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Mumbai:

Sarita Fadnavis, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis’s mother, on Saturday said her son is a “favourite” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and everyone in the BJP wants him to become the next chief minister of Maharashtra.

Speaking to reporters in Nagpur as the ruling coalition was on its way to win a massive victory in the assembly elections, she said her son, currently a deputy chief minister, knows how to overcome challenges.

“Everyone in the party wants him to become the next chief minister. It is evident that others also wish that he takes on that role. He is indeed a favourite of prime minister Narendra Modi who regards him as a son,” Sarita Fadnavis said.

Her son’s tireless work and people’s love for him brought this victory, she said.

Asked about the Opposition targeting her son over the last two years, she said, “This is precisely why he described himself as the Abhimanyu of modern times. He understands how to navigate his way through the challenges he faces.” Fadnavis’s political stock has soared after Saturday’s results as the BJP has put up its best-ever performance in these elections.

He was the chief minister of the state from 2014 to 2019.

His father, late Gangadhar Fadnavis, was a leader of the Jan Sangh and later the BJP.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has hit out at Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar for comments critical of his wife, Amruta Fadnavis, accusing his political opponent of personal attacks because they know they cannot win next week’s Assembly election. He also declared the trolls ought to be ashamed of their actions and “drown in water” for derogatory comments against his wife.

Mr Fadnavis said his political opponents – referring to the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance of the Congress and the Shiv Sena and NCP factions led by Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar, respectively – were targeting his wife since they could find no fault in the ruling Mahayuti of the BJP and Sena and NCP groups led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy, Ajit Pawar.

“If a civilized person saw (comments) trolls made against my wife they would be embarrassed. I told my wife… we are in politics and have to be patient, and that truth can be troubled but not defeated,” Mr Fadnavis told news agency ANI.

“The way they behaved and made memes about my wife and wrote bad things about her… they should drown in water. If you want to fight, come and fight face-to-face. What is this kind of war you are fighting? But I am very patient… I understand their fight and I will defeat them,’ he vowed.

On Thursday Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar sparked controversy after remarks targeting Amruta Fadnavis; he dismissed the Deputy Chief Minister’s wife for making reels on Instagram.

“It can’t be that the responsibility of saving religion is ours, while the Deputy Chief Minister’s wife is making reels on Instagram. Everyone must save the religion together,” he said in Nagpur.

READ | Kanhaiya Kumar Instagram Remark Against Amruta Fadnavis Sparks Row

The comments were seen as a response to Mr Fadnavis’ recent appeal for a ‘dharamyuddh‘ to counter what he termed as ‘vote jihad’. Mr Kanhaiya’s jibe was swiftly condemned by the BJP, for whom spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla called the comments an affront to Marathi women.

“Amruta Fadnavis’ insult is an insult to every Marathi woman,” he wrote on X.

Next week’s Maharashtra election – the last high-profile poll this year – will see the ruling MVA go up against the MVA, which has the upper hand after a strong show in the Lok Sabha election; the Congress-Sena-NCP alliance won 30 of the state’s 48 parliamentary constituencies.

The 2019 state election saw the BJP and (then undivided) Sena dominate, winning 161 of 288 seats only to falter at the final hurdle – power-sharing. Uddhav Thackeray then led the Sena into an alliance with the Congress and NCP, but less than three years into his term, Eknath Shinde led a civil war that broke the party in half and re-allied with the BJP to bring it back into power.

With input from agencies

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