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 apparent signs of thaw after years of bickering stemming out of internal feud in the AIADMK in the past, party chief Edappadi K Palaniswami welcomed Dhinakaran back in to the National Democratic Alliance. The AMMK founder reciprocated with a "heartfelt thanks," yet admitting there was "sibling rivalry" with AIADMK, the party he was once associated with.
The Indian Army's Eastern Command has sought the intervention of West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose in connection with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's recent allegation that a senior army officer was using the command base at Fort William and working on the SIR exercise at the behest of the BJP.
Uttarakhand Police have filed an FIR to identify alleged 'VIPs' in connection with the Ankita Bhandari murder case, following a recommendation for a CBI probe. The FIR was lodged based on a complaint filed by environmentalist Anil Prakash Joshi, highlighting concerns about concealed or destroyed evidence related to an unidentified 'VIP'.
The bullet-proof Army vehicle, carrying a total of 17 personnel, was heading towards a high altitude post when its driver lost control and the vehicle plunged into a 200-foot-deep gorge.
The Election Commission served a notice to Nobel laureate Amartya Sen regarding electoral roll discrepancies, sparking a political controversy in West Bengal. The Trinamool Congress has criticized the move as a politically motivated attack.
Political consultancy firm I-PAC has reacted to the Enforcement Directorate's raids at its Kolkata premises, calling it an "unsettling precedent." The raids have triggered political upheaval in West Bengal, where elections are due in months. The firm, engaged by the TMC, said it would continue to work in an "unfazed and unperturbed" manner.
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Thursday hinted about his chief ministerial aspirations, asserting he too has ambitions like everyone and expects a 'political promotion' this year if the Congress high command decides so.
Expelled BJP leader Suresh Rathore appeared before the SIT probing the Ankita Bhandari murder case and was questioned for over six hours. He denies allegations and claims they are baseless.
'We can't afford to fight each other.' 'We have to win the 2026 election.'
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said strict action would be taken against those misleading the public on social media about the ongoing work at Manikarnika Ghat.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi termed the Bihar Assembly results as "truly surprising" and said "we could not achieve victory in an election that was not fair from the very beginning". He added that the Congress and the INDIA bloc will conduct an in-depth review of the poll results.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, his deputy Eknath Shinde and other legislators of the ruling BJP and Shiv Sena visited the memorial of RSS founder K B Hedgewar in Nagpur. NCP legislators, including Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, skipped the visit.
'This daylight robbery of elections is happening in the commercial capital of India, Mumbai city, so you can imagine what they will do to win elections in the interiors of India.'
Nationalist Congress Party minister Manikrao Kokate has resigned from the Maharashtra Cabinet after a court upheld his conviction and two-year jail term in a 1995 cheating and forgery case. This marks the second NCP minister to resign this year.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday etched his name into the history books, surpassing the record held by late Devaraj Urs, to become the longest serving CM of Karnataka.
The Congress will launch a nationwide campaign against the repeal of the United Progressive Alliance-era rural employment legislation Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) on January 5, similar to the pushback against the three farm laws which eventually forced the Narendra Modi government to rollback its decision, party president Mallikarjun Kharge said.
The Supreme Court has expressed serious concern over the Enforcement Directorate's allegations of obstruction by the West Bengal government and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during raids related to a coal-pilferage scam. The court intends to examine the matter and has also taken note of the commotion at the Calcutta High Court during hearings related to the case.
'It would have polarised the Marathi-non Marathi divide further. 'Fadnavis had a very clear strategy: Let all Marathi people campaign for us (the BJP), and whatever results we get will be delivered by Marathi people only.'
'Rahul Gandhi's problem is that he doesn't think big.' 'He looks more like an activist, while politics is like a game of chess. You attack and then defend and have a game-plan.'
Several Congress leaders, including the state president, received tickets for the Bihar assembly polls amidst internal disputes and efforts to reconcile with allies. The distribution process was marred by protests and accusations of corruption.
Ankita's father, Virendra Singh Bhandari, and mother, Soni Devi, met Dhami on Wednesday night and handed him a letter demanding an enquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the case under the supervision of a Supreme Court judge.
Chaitanya Baghel, son of Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel, was released from jail after being granted bail in cases related to the alleged liquor scam in Chhattisgarh. The release was met with celebration by Congress supporters.
The Unnao rape case survivor expressed satisfaction after the Supreme Court stayed the Delhi High Court order suspending Kuldeep Sengar's life sentence. She voiced her faith in the justice system.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has criticized the central government's alleged attempt to block the release of the Tamil film 'Jana Nayagan', calling it an attack on Tamil culture. The controversy surrounds the film's certification and release, coinciding with actor Vijay's entry into politics.
Karnataka Congress MLA Iqbal Hussain has predicted that D K Shivakumar will become the Chief Minister of the state in early January, intensifying speculation about a change in leadership.
Senior Congress leader and former Union minister Suresh Kalmadi passed away in Pune following a prolonged illness. He was 81 and had served as Union Minister of State for Railways and was a former president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has criticized the central government's alleged attempt to block the release of the Tamil film 'Jana Nayagan', calling it an attack on Tamil culture. The controversy surrounds the film's certification and release, coinciding with actor Vijay's entry into politics.
A postgraduate student from Assam was allegedly assaulted by five peers at Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU) hostel in Madhya Pradesh. The five accused were expelled and booked. The incident follows the death of a student from Tripura in Dehradun, causing national outrage.
Opposition parties and political analysts in Karnataka believe the 'truce' between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar is temporary, a lull before the storm and a 'strategic adjustment'.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday charged the Trinamool Congress government with 'playing with national security by protecting infiltrators' for vote-bank politics, and said ending the ruling party's 'maha jungle raj' was vital to restore law and order, development and investor confidence in the state.
'It was very clear in the Parliament election that there was an erosion of Hindu votes in southern Kerala from the CPI-M to the BJP.'
Himanta Biswa pointed out that it was 'too early' for surveys to accurately capture the electoral mood, as several key developments vis-a-vis seat-sharing arrangements among NDA partners are yet to be finalised.
Expelled Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil was arrested in connection with a sexual assault case after being taken into custody from Palakkad in the small hours on Sunday, police sources said.
Amid claims of Amartya Sen being summoned over Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the Chief Electoral Office of West Bengal has clarified that the notice to the Nobel laureate was issued after the Electoral Roll Officers' Network (ERONET) portal flagged a 'logical discrepancy'.
Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government has suspended Bareilly City Magistrate Alankar Agnihotri on charges of indiscipline after he resigned from service in protest against government policies.
Maharashtra is set to hold local body elections for municipal councils and nagar panchayats, marking the first phase of a Supreme Court-mandated process. The elections are seen as a key indicator of political sentiment following the BJP-led Mahayuti's victory in the assembly elections.
The Chhattisgarh High Court granted bail to Chaitanya Baghel, son of former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, in two cases related to the alleged liquor scam. The bail was granted in cases lodged by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Chhattisgarh Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB)/Economic Offences Wing (EOW).
This is the third time the Thiruvananthapuram MP has skipped the party meeting.
A controversy has erupted in Chhattisgarh after a video surfaced showing spiritual preacher Dhirendra Shastri arriving in a government aircraft and a police officer touching his feet. The Congress party has alleged misuse of public funds, while the BJP defends the officer's actions as personal faith.
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