Most defections originated from three major parties -- the Congress, BJP and BSP.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi apologise to students for alleged police brutality and resign along with Home Minister Amit Shah. Gandhi criticised the government's handling of student protests concerning the education and testing system, highlighting the use of force against demonstrators near Parliament.
DMK MLA G V Markandeyan was arrested for allegedly making defamatory remarks and threatening Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, leading to strong condemnation from DMK president M K Stalin, who accused the ruling TVK of political vendetta.
Two days after a 36-day student agitation concluded at Jantar Mantar, the iconic protest site in New Delhi is already witnessing new demonstrations, including calls for Gorkhaland and women's reservation, alongside curious visitors documenting the aftermath.
The FIFA Fan Festival in Toronto was cancelled due to lightning risk, disappointing fans on the eve of Canada's first World Cup game.
Maharashtra's Ladki Bahin Yojana has seen 81 lakh registered beneficiaries removed following a multi-month e-KYC verification drive, with the state's Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare clarifying the process was mandatory to filter out ineligible individuals, income-tax payers, and government employee families.
When dialogue fails, protest becomes inevitable.
In a democracy, protest is often the only language left once institutions stop listening, explains Ramesh Menon.
Amidst widespread student protests and allegations of paper leaks, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi's dharna outside the Prime Minister's residence has prompted the government to declare its willingness for a comprehensive parliamentary debate on the contentious NEET examination.
Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi has launched a scathing attack on the Modi government, accusing it of responding to student demands for accountability and educational reforms with 'cowardice and wanton cruelty,' treating them as 'enemies of the nation.' She further alleged that the government has degraded India's education landscape and routinely chooses violence over dialogue.
Several protesters alleged they were detained or manhandled during the march, with some claiming they suffered injuries.
Indian wrestler Jaspreet Kaur has been sanctioned by the International Testing Agency (ITA) after testing positive for prohibited stimulants, octodrine and heptaminol, during the Asian Beach Games. She accepted the anti-doping rule violation, leading to disqualification of her results, with further sanctions from United World Wrestling possible.
Activist Sonam Wangchuk has decided to continue his indefinite hunger strike despite appeals, stating that ending it without government response would send the wrong message. He is urging supporters to join the Cockroach Janta Party's Parliament march on July 20 to press for accountability regarding alleged NEET irregularities.
The Madhya Pradesh BJP has dispatched senior leaders to Datia to consolidate support for its bypoll candidate, Ashutosh Tiwari, following protests by supporters of former home minister Narottam Mishra, who was denied a ticket. The party is working to project unity ahead of the July 30 by-election, which was necessitated by the disqualification of the incumbent Congress MLA.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has accused the Modi government of 'destroying' India's education system, expressing full support for protesting students and their demands, including the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
West Bengal's annual July 21 Martyrs' Day observance has transformed into an unprecedented political contest, with three rival camps - Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress, a breakaway TMC faction, and the Congress - holding parallel programmes in central Kolkata, each vying for legacy and organisational strength.
Argentina assistant coach Roberto Ayala has apologised for his altercation with Spain midfielder Dani Olmo following the chaotic World Cup final, an incident now under investigation by FIFA.
Senior Trinamool Congress leader Chandrima Bhattacharya has resigned as the party's West Bengal president and from all other posts, citing a loss of trust after an admonishment from Mamata Banerjee. She has since been seen meeting with the Ritabrata Banerjee-led rebel faction, further deepening the organisational crisis within the TMC following its recent Assembly election defeat.
The Calcutta High Court has directed the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress to hold its July 21 Martyrs' Day rally near the Birla Planetarium instead of its traditional venue in front of Victoria House, citing concerns over traffic flow and law and order.
The Delhi High Court has refused to allow activist Sonam Wangchuk to be shifted from Safdarjung Hospital to a private facility, stating that doctors are closely monitoring him and his removal from Jantar Mantar was not arbitrary. The court noted that his family has round-the-clock access and the petition will be heard further on July 24.
The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), which on Monday attempted to march to Parliament to register its protest on the NEET exam leak, said that its founder Abhijeet Dipke had been "picked up" by Delhi Police as protests intensified.
Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra and Grandmaster Nihal Sarin have voiced concerns over the ongoing NEET exam irregularities and student suicides. Bindra called for a transparent and merit-based education system, while Sarin highlighted the immense pressure students face. The protests, supported by activist Sonam Wangchuk, have seen students attempting to march to Parliament.
Hyderabad-based Midwest Ltd has become the first Indian private company to secure overseas critical mineral mines, sealing a deal with Indonesia's state-run PT Perusahaan Mineral Nasional (PERMINAS) to ensure a long-term supply of rare earths.
The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the BJP has served a legal notice to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, demanding a retraction and public apology for his allegations that the BJP attempted to bribe National Conference legislators to destabilise his government. The BJP has called the claims "false, baseless and defamatory" and warned of civil and criminal proceedings, including a Rs 100 crore defamation suit, if their demands are not met within seven days.
The Calcutta High Court has appointed a retired judge as a special officer to manage the day-to-day expenses of the Mamata Banerjee-aligned Trinamool Congress (TMC) from three debit-frozen bank accounts. The accounts were frozen following a complaint by a rival TMC faction alleging they held proceeds of crime. The court allowed transactions for party expenses and legal costs, noting that the initial freezing lacked specific material basis and that the complainant had previously benefited from these accounts.
The first thought Ajay Duggal had when he saw his nephew, his eyes shut, his face, neck and chest pockmarked with tiny red perforations, was this: "What if the 19-year-old loses his sight completely." Sahil Lochab was allegedly hit by a pellet gun in his right eye during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest in Delhi on June 20. His uncle asked him what he could see from the eye. The reply chilled him - there was nothing. No blur, no haze, only darkness.
The Rapid Action Force (RAF) has initiated an inquiry into allegations of its personnel using disproportionate force and firing pellet guns during recent student protests in Delhi, following social media footage and reports of injuries.
The dramatic postponement came while members were voting on the committee's five principal recommendations, making it an unprecedented moment in the functioning of a parliamentary committee.
A recent meeting between veteran politician Sharad Pawar and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has ignited a fierce internal conflict within the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, with Shiv Sena-UBT expressing strong disapproval and NCP-SP defending Pawar.
Incessant overnight rainfall has triggered severe flash floods and landslides in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch and Rajouri districts, resulting in at least eight fatalities and six people missing, prompting Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to cut short his Delhi visit to personally monitor the situation.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has criticised the DMK for allegedly trying to gain 'political mileage' from the 2025 Karur stampede that killed 41 people, and also faulted the police for failing to alert him about the swelling crowd or cancelling the event.
Three former Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MPs, including Sushmita Dev and Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday and, within hours, were named the saffron party's candidates for the Rajya Sabha bypolls from West Bengal, underlining both their political rehabilitation and the party's calibrated shift in inducting leaders from the erstwhile ruling dispensation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded young Indian innovators for the country's first privately developed orbital rocket, Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1, which made India the third nation with private orbital launch capabilities. While praising the 28-year-old average age of the Skyroot team, Modi made a veiled remark about a "56-year-old young man," widely understood to be a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who recently turned 56.
India's fair trade regulator, the Competition Commission of India (CCI), has dismissed a complaint alleging anti-competitive conduct against Reliance Jio Infocom Ltd and over 4,500 other firms across various sectors, citing a lack of specific evidence.
Police in Agra have registered a case regarding a death threat allegedly received by Samajwadi Party MP Ramji Lal Suman via WhatsApp. An investigation is underway.
Argentina's hopes of securing back-to-back World Cup titles were dashed after a 1-0 extra-time defeat to Spain in the final, leaving fans in Buenos Aires with a "bitter sensation" despite acknowledging Spain's strong performance.
Rupert Lowe, leader of the far-right Restore Britain party in the UK, has sparked controversy with anti-immigration posts targeting Indian and Pakistani immigrants, leading to a social media backlash and raising concerns ahead of a crucial by-election.
The Jan Suraaj Party has requested a meeting with Bihar's Chief Minister to discuss the murder of a Bihar resident in Delhi and to ensure a fair investigation and support for the victim's family.
Activist Sonam Wangchuk's wife has said she has moved the Delhi high court seeking permission to shift him from Safdarjung Hospital to a private facility, and will seek an urgent hearing on her plea on Sunday.
Many of them travelled to Delhi in groups or connected with other participants through WhatsApp groups and activist networks. These networks helped them coordinate their travel, decide meeting points and stay in touch during the protest.
India is the only significant power that all parties trust, or at least do not distrust, notes former defence secretary Ajay Kumar.
