BJP Leader Vijay Chaudhary Resigns Over Leaked Audio Tapes in Maharashtra

BJP leader Vijay Chaudhary has resigned as the party's north Maharashtra convenor following a controversy over leaked audio tapes and an FIR registered against him in Nandurbar. The recordings, which found their way to social media and television channels, purportedly feature Chaudhary making offensive remarks about former Nandurbar MP Heena Gavit and Union Minister Raksha Khadse. The clips triggered strong protests from supporters of both leaders.

Chaudhary said his conversations were "altered using artificial intelligence (AI)".

Meanwhile, the Nandurbar police arrested his personal assistant Yash Tipre for leaking the recordings on social media.

The controversy has put the state's Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan in a tight spot. Chaudhary is known to be close to Mahajan, a key aide of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. A couple of the leaked tapes feature Chaudhary in conversation with Mahajan, who recently said he sometimes feels it is time to hang up his boots.

Alliance Friction Over Dipke

Tensions are rising between NDA allies BJP and Shiv Sena. Shiv Sena Minister Sanjay Shirsat and legislator Bachchu Kadu separately visited Cockroach Janata Party founder Abhijeet Dipke at his Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar house. They met Dipke to congratulate him on recent protests that led to the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Shirsat even told the media that he knew Dipke’s parents well.

BJP Legislator Pravin Darekar publicly criticised the move on Saturday and demanded that Shiv Sena clear its stand. “How can an NDA partner congratulate Dipke? They may have done it for publicity. This was not proper. The Sena needs to make its stand clear,” Darekar said.

Darekar, a close aide of Fadnavis, made the remarks on the day Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited Maharashtra. While Sena leaders said Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had already rapped the duo, BJP leaders suspect the visits were orchestrated to remind the BJP of the ally's nuisance value.

NCP Merger Talks Stall

Speculation about a merger between the two Nationalist Congress Party factions intensified after NCP (SP) Chief Sharad Pawar met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Pawar subsequently held a meeting in Delhi with Senior NCP Leader Praful Patel and Parth Pawar.

However, the talks have hit a roadblock. Parth Pawar conveyed that his mother, Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, refuses to compromise on her stand that she will continue as the party chief. She is also not keen to let Jayant Patil, a senior legislator from the Sharad Pawar faction, join the state cabinet to take charge of the crucial finance department.

With talks making little headway, Pawar may choose to maintain friendly relations with the BJP. This could also mean his faction will vote in favour of the delimitation bill in Parliament.

Thackeray Confession Goes Viral

Amit Thackeray, son of MNS Chief Raj Thackeray, had an embarrassing moment during the foundation day of the MNS students wing. He forgot his speech, stopped and confessed his mistake to the crowd.

He returned to the dais shortly after to resume his speech. “I had not memorised my speech,” Thackeray said, explaining his stumble. He also admitted he was in politics only because he was the son of Raj Thackeray.

The video of the incident went viral, drawing mixed reactions. Some social media users labelled him a nepo kid, while others appreciated his honest effort.