As the Queen star found herself in the middle of a row, with the BJP distancing itself and the Congress attacking it, here's a look at some of the controversies, political and otherwise.
Deriving from Narendra Modi's continuing charisma, the proposed scheme, if and when implemented, can cut both ways. That is to say, if Modi can win, he can lose. Or, someone else in his place, later on, could lose as much as he could win in his time, points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
The decision was approved by Prime Minister Imran Khan in view of the tense situation in Kashmir, the minister told state broadcaster PTV.
On the eve of Independence Day, President Ramnath Kovind addresses the country. This will be the first speech that President Kovind will deliver to the nation.
On Sunday, under the shadow of Covid-19, several leaders and politicians, including President Ram Nath Kovind, chief ministers of various states, and several Union ministers, among others, performed yoga at their residence, along with their families. For the first time since June 21, 2015, Yoga Day is being celebrated digitally. This year's theme is 'Yoga at Home and Yoga with Family'. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation on the occasion of Yoga Day and said that due to the coronavirus pandemic, the world is feeling the need for yoga more than ever.
'The Opposition parties should seriously give thought to endorsing Kovind's candidacy and close this chapter of divisive politics,' advises M K Bhadrakumar.
The term of the 22nd Law Commission, which is without a chairperson for the past few months, ends Saturday with its key report on the uniform civil code still in works. The report prepared by the law panel on simultaneous elections is ready and is pending submission to the law ministry.
On the eve of Independence Day, President Ramnath Kovind addresses the country.
Hitting out at actor Kangana Ranaut for describing India's Independence in 1947 as bheek or alms, the Congress on Thursday said her remarks amounted to 'treason' and demanded the government take back the Padma Shri bestowed on her recently as she has 'insulted' the country's Independence movement.
Sources at the NSE as well as the President's office rejected media reports that Kovind's pulling out of the event had to do with reasons other than his packed itinerary this week.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Ajit Wadekar would be remembered for his rich contribution to Indian cricket.
The President noted that this is an opportune moment for the country to play a decisive role in the fourth industrial revolution.
In the first phase, Lok Sabha and assembly polls can be held and in the second phase, local body polls can be organised.
President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday addressed the nation on the eve of Republic Day. Watch his full speech HERE
BJP will find it tougher to push contentious Bills, especially those that would require Constitutional amendments, without the support of its allies and cooperation from the Opposition.
Sources said India and US do not want to rush in finalising a trade deal and both sides will take a decision on it considering a long-term view.
"He is also from RSS ranks. He was president of Dalit BJP Morcha... Sangh Pariwar organisation. Definitely, we will put up a candidate. Anybody from RSS... we will fight," CPI General Secretary Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy said.
Nitish Kumar wants to assure the BJP leadership that he will continue to be a part of the NDA. But he also wants to secure a larger number of seats for his party in the 2025 assembly elections in Bihar.
The President's assent to these bills comes amid the Opposition criticising the manner in which they were passed in Parliament.
Several social media users said that the red-bound Constitution is a coat pocket edition, which has been presented to top Indian leaders, including the President and the Union Home minister.
Glimpses from the At Home reception hosted by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Republic Day.
Kumar thanked the leaders of 17 opposition parties, including Congress president Sonia Gandhi, for fielding her.
A senior Congress leader said the Opposition's presidential pick Meira Kumar might also pay a visit to Lucknow to seek votes from the electoral college as the party "will not leave any stone unturned" for the election.
President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi and several other famous faces were seen at polling booths, exercising their franchise in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha polls on Saturday.
In his first Republic Day-eve address to the nation, the President also said that institutions should be "disciplined and morally upright", adding they are always "more important" than the individuals in office. The institutions should also respect their "fraternal relationship" with other institutions, he added.
The Maharashtra government on Wednesday informed the Bombay high court that it has decided to grant financial benefits to the family of an Army Major, who was killed in the line of duty in Jammu and Kashmir four years ago.
A high-level committee to explore the feasibility of conducting simultaneous elections, headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind, held its first meeting in New Delhi on Saturday and decided to invite political parties and the Law Commission to seek their views on holding synchronised polls in the country, a statement said.
The 71-year-old Dalit leader is expected to have a smooth sailing in the event of an election.
The NDA, led by the BJP, has 5,37,683 votes includes the Shiv Sena, and the shortage is around 12,000 votes.
The discussion will be about setting up various coordination committees, he said.
Born in 1924, Vajpayee entered politics during the Quit India movement in 1942. He was also the first external affairs minister to deliver a speech in the UN Assembly in Hindi. Vajpayee was elected to Lok Sabha from Lucknow in 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2004. He is the first and the only non-Congress leader who completed his full term as prime minister.
The list of guests included celebrities from across the globe, politicians, the who's who of Hindi and south Indian cinema world and almost all the top cricketers of the country.
The remarks came after former President Ram Nath Kovind was tasked with the responsibility of heading a committee to explore feasibility of "one nation, one election".
With the strain and anxiety of the longest Lok Sabha polls now behind the leaders, governance, with consensus, is the next step.
'The BJP will never do anything substantial to empower Dalits.'
The Commission, under Justice (retd) Ritu Raj Awasthi, would recommend an amendment to the Constitution to add the "new chapter or part" on simultaneous elections, the sources said.
The presidents were escorted by the President's Bodyguard -- "Rashtrapati Ke Angrakshak".
On Wednesday, July 13, 2022, the President -- who is the supreme commander of Indian's armed forces -- attended a farewell banquet hosted in his honour by the Chiefs of Staff Committee in New Delhi.
The high-level committee on 'one nation, one election' approached 62 parties out which 47 responded -- 32 in support of holding elections simultaneously, 15 against it.
Nearly Rs 3,400 crore (Rs 34 billion) in cash and other items were seized in the elections in 2022-2023, an increase of 835 per cent over 2017-2018.
