All along, we were told SIR was an essential exercise carried out as part of the Election Commission's regular duties. But now that the ideological mentor of the ruling party has declared that SIR is a means of detecting infiltrators, one understands the unseemly haste with which it is being carried out, notes Jyoti Punwani.
A close associate of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar claims that Pawar was actively pursuing a merger of the two Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) factions before his death. The associate, Kiran Gujar, stated that Pawar had indicated the merger was imminent just days before a fatal plane crash.
A policeman in Erode, Tamil Nadu, has been transferred to the Armed Reserve after a video surfaced showing him verbally abusing and allegedly slapping a migrant worker at a roadside eatery. The incident, captured on CCTV, sparked outrage and prompted swift action from authorities.
The Election Commission has allotted the 'whistle' symbol to actor Vijay's political party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), for the upcoming 2026 Assembly elections. Party workers are enthusiastically promoting the symbol across Tamil Nadu.
The Washington Post Guild, the union for staff members, had appealed to the public to send a message to Bezos: "Enough is enough. Without the staff of The Washington Post, there is no Washington Post."
This comes after Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee hinted at foul play behind the plane crash and demanded the Supreme Court's probe into the incident.
Like the realisation on the failure of development, we have also internalised the failure on democracy, argues Aakar Patel.
Trade deals ease risks for Indian equities, but weak demand and stretched valuations raise questions over whether optimism -- especially in smallcaps -- can turn into a sustained bull run, points out Debashis Basu.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has declined to comment on reports claiming he held discussions with CPI(M) members in Dubai. CPI(M) dismisses speculation about Tharoor joining, while Congress denies he is leaving.
The Milano Cortina Winter Olympics commenced with a vibrant opening ceremony, showcasing Italian culture and athletic spirit, while also highlighting global political tensions through crowd reactions and protests.
S A Chandrasekhar, father of actor-politician Vijay, has appealed to the Congress party to form an alliance with his son's party, TVK, in the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has nominated corporator Ritu Tawade for the Mumbai mayor election, while its ally Shiv Sena declared Sanjay Ghadi as its candidate for the deputy mayor's post.
Biren Singh relinquished the post on February 9 last year amid rumblings within the state BJP seeking a change of leadership in strife-torn Manipur.
Pakistan's cricket team has been told by the government to skip the February 15 game in Colombo after Bangladesh were replaced by Scotland for refusing to play its games in India.
On reports of the BJP opposing the NCP merger, Fadnavis asserted that his party hasn't opposed anyone.
'Critics say the political leadership abandoned the army chief or did not back him. I disagree. 'Military leaders are trained to take decisions when given a free hand.' 'This was a clear go-ahead from the prime minister to the army chief.'
President's rule in Manipur has been revoked, paving the way for a new government led by Y Khemchand Singh. The move comes after months of ethnic violence and the imposition of President's rule in February 2025.
Popularly known as 'Ajit Dada', he was known to say things as they were, without couching it in any soft padding.
The BJP and Shiv Sena are leading in the early trends of the Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti polls in Maharashtra. Counting began on Monday morning for elections to 12 Zilla Parishads and 125 Panchayat Samitis.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's remarks come ahead of a high-level summit where India and the European Union are expected to formally announce the conclusion of negotiations on a comprehensive free trade agreement.
The Bharatiya Janata Party Parliamentary Board on Monday appointed party national general secretary Tarun Chugh as the central observer for the election of the legislature party leader in Manipur, indicating the possible formation of a popular government in the Northeastern state.
This year's Economic Survey and the Union Budget were more closely followed for more reasons than one.
Pakistan on Sunday announced a boycott of its high-profile men's T20 World Cup group league match against India, a move that is likely to have repercussions, even as the government cleared the national team's participation in the rest of the global event, starting February 7.
The incident took place in the morning, a senior police official from Jalandhar said over the phone.
The Supreme Court has directed states to consider deploying additional staff to ease the workload on booth level officers (BLOs) engaged in the special revision of electoral rolls, following concerns about extreme work pressure and related issues.
'President's Rule has already been extended twice and one cannot keep the assembly in suspension for much longer.'
Sunetra Pawar, who is not a member of either house of the Maharashtra legislature, will be elected as leader of the legislature wing of the Nationalist Congress Party at a meeting in Mumbai on Saturday, after which she is likely to take oath as deputy CM.
Former England captain Nasser Hussain slammed the International Cricket Council for its decision to exclude Bangladesh from the T20 World Cup for their refusal to play in India.
'Let's hope all other Kuki-Zo MLAs are also on the same page. But I will not be a part of this government unless our demands are met.'
As the Bharatiya Janata Party is falling short of a majority in the municipal corporations of Sangli and Akola in Maharashtra and needs the support of other parties or elected members, the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar has emerged as one of the decisive factors with three seats in its kitty in each civic body.
'Because of him, we learned how to work for people, how to take responsibility, and how to stand by our decisions.'
The legislature wing of the Nationalist Congress Party in Maharashtra will hold a meeting in Mumbai on January 31, where Deputy Chief Minister late Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra is set to be named as its leader, state minister Chhagan Bhujbal said on Friday.
The talks about the reunification had already started when Ajit Pawar was alive. In fact, the two parties even contested the civic polls in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad together.
As it gains commercial viability, the food will likely become a powerful political currency.
'This is purely transactional politics -- there exists no family reunion as such.'
The US said India will lower tariffs on a "vast array" of American industrial and agricultural goods, such as "fruits, vegetables", to zero per cent under the trade deal announced by President Donald Trump.
"It is high time India traded dynasty for meritocracy. This would require fundamental reforms, from imposing legally mandated term limits to requiring meaningful internal party elections, together with a concerted effort to educate and empower the electorate to choose leaders based on merit," Tharoor said.
Alankar Agnihotri, a 2019-batch Provincial Civil Service officer, resigned from service citing deep disagreement with government policies, especially the new UGC regulations.
Iran has formally appealed to the United Nations Security Council and the UN Secretary-General, accusing the United States of inciting violence, interfering in Iran's internal affairs, and threatening military action, according to an official letter circulated by Iran's Permanent Mission to the UN.
A bewildered world is at a loss to find bilateral and multilateral measures to stop President Trump from pursuing his vision of a world unabashedly dominated by the United States, points out T P Sreenivasan.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances