Political strategist Prashant Kishor, who played a key role in victories of Narendra Modi-led BJP in general elections and the Janata Dal-United-Rashtriya Janata Dal-Congress alliance in Bihar, on Wednesday attended a meeting with Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi to craft the party's strategy for Uttar Pradesh polls.
A 14-member council of ministers was sworn in Patna by Governor Phagu Chauhan on Monday and the BJP bagged seven berths.
'When, finally, my bedroom was declared odour-proof (which it isn't -- for the record), I moved back in with a sense of relief -- only to find I couldn't sleep on a bed any more, having grown unaccustomed to such luxury after 10 days of camping out,' says Kishore Singh.
The Congress continues to decline and BJP's regional rivals are making their presence felt, even in Uttar Pradesh where Samajwadi Party consolidated anti-BJP votes to a large extent.
Opposition members, including from the Congress and the TMC, started raising slogans and showing placards to attack the government on the snooping issue as soon as the House met for the day at 11 am.
'Opening everything is not appropriate ... everyone has been saying the third wave is a couple of days away'
'If Romeo and Juliet had done the math, they might have gone their own ways without ending up dead in a family quarrel,' says Kishore Singh.
'I am listing here what life in the city with a dependent (but grown up) family is really like,' says Kishore Singh.
This is the first reshuffle in the Council of Ministers by Prime Minister Modi since he assumed charge for a second term in May 2019.
The 28 new ministers who joined the Chouhan cabinet on July 2 include 20 of cabinet rank and eight ministers of state.
'With 2017, will one shed violence, terror, rape, rage, pollution, environmental degradation and loss of humanity?' 'That may be too much to hope for, but for a while -- away from the carousing and partying -- spare a thought for hope and concord.' 'The world is still a beautiful place, if a little flawed,' says Kishore Singh.
Three officials have been suspended.
Asking the party leadership to take strict action against those involved, Surendra Singh alleged, "There is foreign hand behind the violence. The incident had taken place on directions of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Congress leaders not expressing any regret over the incident proves that."
'Modern living has added another dimension to interiors that design magazines airbrush away.' 'Almost everywhere one looks are ugly phone chargers jutting out of electric sockets to power mobile handsets, of which everyone seems to have more than one,' says Kishore Singh.
Virtually out of the play-off race, bottom-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad will hope to keep their new-found momentum intact when they face table toppers Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, in Sharjah, on Thursday.
'Phone charger, pillow and rug, Kindle, small cocktail in a carafe, a rolled up paratha...' Find out what Kishore Singh takes along for a Delhi-Gurgaon car ride, a journey that often takes three hours!
A round-up of the fourth and final day's play in the Ranji Trophy matches across the country.
Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings head into the match after identical seven-wicket wins over Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad respectively.
On a roll post the IPL's resumption, Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders will look to continue their winning streak when they meet in a high-octane Indian Premier League encounter, in Abu Dhabi, on Sunday.
'Padmavati represents the voice of thousands of Rajput women who lived and died not by their own choice.' 'Let their story be heard,' says Kishore Singh.
'On the flight back to India, four full days after I had eaten at home, I had my first -- and very welcome -- meal, and recall asking the air hostess if there were more portions of dal than the helping she had served me,' says Kishore Singh.
'When you are a vegetarian who isn't terribly fond of cottage cheese, choices become somewhat limited, but I have never understood why everyone also conspires to gang up against the vegetable eater?' asks Kishore Singh.
The BJP could win only 16 out of 57 seats where Shah campaigned.
The team will go into all the aspects and probe the incident till the CBI takes over the probe, the officer said.
Omkeshwar Singh, head, Rank MF, a mutual fund investment platform, answers your queries.
The Delhi high court's division bench has stayed the single bench order favouring the emergency award against the Future-Reliance deal and imposing a Rs 20 lakh fine on Kishore Biyani & other respondents. including FRL and FCPL.
'I'm now hoping to fly tonight, with the office threatening to organise someone to escort me to the terminal at any sign that I might be dawdling -- because while I'm still here, there's a book launch, an artist's opening, and a party to attend, all of which I'll drop in on for a while,' says Kishore Singh.
In the Union Budget presented in Parliament by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, a total of Rs 1,52,369 crore has been set aside for capital expenditure that includes purchasing new weapons, aircraft, warships and other military hardware.
A summary of Day 2 action in the Ranji Trophy matches, played at various venues across the country.
'We're coaching each other about what to say and how to behave.' 'We're hoping to ace the girlfriend test,' says Kishore Singh.
'While its people might be a little less resistant to changing for its greater good, New Delhi, unfortunately, is also evolving into an ugly city of which one must remain wary to survive its rising incidents of violence and crime,' says Kishore Singh.
Leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury while making these points however, spoke out against any need for change in the top leadership of the party, stating that both Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi have been 'trying wholeheartedly'.
Director General of Police Hitesh Chandra Awasthi had said on Thursday, "The post-mortem of the two girls was done by a panel of doctors and no injury before death or external injuries were found on their bodies.The cause of death could not be ascertained and viscera has been preserved for chemical analysis."
'The Congress can exist without (someone from) the Nehru-Gandhi family being its president.'
Wearing a dhoti isn't something you can learn with some sleight of hand, says Kishore Singh.
'Parties which supported me were all threatened. This could hardly have been called a fair election.' 'This is Modi's India.'
Dhoni's men will have to adapt to the conditions quickly to avoid any such hiccup in the play-offs.
'There was no TV, no fridge, just illumination, so at least they could avoid the occasional snake, the frequent scorpions,' says Kishore Singh.
Omkeshwar Singh, head, Rank MF, a mutual fund investment platform, answers your queries.
'Don't make the mistake that Scindia made. The BJP is unreliable. Nobody who joined it from any other party has succeeded there'
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