September 17, 2025: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the underground Metro-3 corridor from Cuffe Parade on September 30. He announced while addressing the BJP’s Vijay Sankalp Melava in Worli, where he also underlined the government’s focus on infrastructure and emerging technologies.
Highlighting Maharashtra’s readiness for the future, Fadnavis said, “60% of the country’s data centre capacity was in Maharashtra and the state was preparing for challenges in artificial intelligence and quantum computing.” He added that alternative road links, including the Worli–Versova and Versova–Bhayandar corridors, were being developed to ease congestion on the Western Express Highway.
Fadnavis also recalled the events after the 2017 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections when the BJP emerged as the second-largest party. “I still remember, I received a call from Eknath Shinde, who is now our colleague, and Milind Narvekar (a close aide of Thackeray), who requested that since the BJP and Shiv Sena were allies, the mayor’s post should be given to Sena as Uddhav Thackeray was highly disappointed,” he said.
“Without any second thought, I discussed it with my colleagues and decided to let Shiv Sena have all the key posts,” Fadnavis added. At that time, the undivided Shiv Sena, led by Uddhav Thackeray, retained the mayor’s post despite the BJP jumping from 31 to 82 seats.
Targeting the opposition, Fadnavis remarked, “While the BJP was reimagining Mumbai, others were only reimagining the chair. I am telling them, they will never get the chair.” He further asserted that the ruling Mahayuti alliance would have its own mayor in the upcoming civic polls.
Source: CNBC TV18
