'Marathi-speaking people of Mumbai have now emerged as a consolidated vote bank standing firmly behind the Thackerays.'
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday said it held a formal meeting with a Chinese delegation openly, given the "improved" relations between New Delhi and Beijing, unlike the Congress which, it alleged, "secretly" signed a memorandum of understanding with the neighbouring country's ruling party.
Maharashtra heads to the polls for 29 municipal corporations, with Mumbai's BMC election taking center stage as the BJP-led Mahayuti faces off against the Thackeray front. Key issues include promises for women, pollution control, and the city's financial health.
Ruling allies BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena will contest 137 and 90 seats, respectively, in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation polls. A seat-sharing pact was revealed by Mumbai BJP president Amit Satam on Monday.
Breaking the nearly three-decade-old dominance of the undivided Shiv Sena, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday emerged victorious in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, and also vanquished the alliance of Nationalist Congress Party factions led by Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar in the Pune civic body.
While the DMK depends on a 'silver sieve' of welfare schemes to stay in power, its support is slowly draining away under the weight of poor governance, corruption, and voters who are no longer satisfied with benefits alone and now want basic administration to work, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
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.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the next Mayor of Mumbai will be from the ruling alliance and will be 'both Hindu and Marathi,' as political campaigning heats up for the city's top civic post.
Newly appointed Bharatiya Janata Party national working president Nitin Nabin on Monday termed his elevation as a blessing of the party and claimed that it is the only political outfit that allows its grassroots workers to thrive.
Both Mr Modi and Amit Shah like Nabin because they know he will never answer back, points out Aditi Phadnis.
In a culture where children take up the profession of their father, her becoming a politician was seen as natural and acceptable.
Twelve newly-elected councillors in the Ambernath Municipal Council, suspended by the Congress for joining a post-poll front led by the BJP, have formally joined the saffron party. The Congress criticized the BJP, highlighting the hypocrisy of welcoming defectors despite the Chief Minister's disapproval of the alliance.
The real surprise in these results came from Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM. Of the 29 Muslim candidates who got elected to the 227-strong BMC, the Congress and the AIMIM between them bagged 22.
Bharatiya Janata Party MP and former Union minister Narayan Rane has dismissed speculation about his retirement, saying his remarks made at a public rally recently were misinterpreted and reaffirming his commitment to active politics.
Authorities in Kashmir have initiated a profiling process of mosques, madrassas, and individuals associated with their management following the exposure of a 'white collar' terror module. The enumeration drive focuses on the finances of these institutions and the backgrounds of their personnel.
A 30-year-old Dalit woman was stabbed to death in Uttara Kannada, allegedly by a man known to her. The accused was later found dead. The incident has sparked tension, with Hindu outfits alleging 'love jihad'.
Madhya Pradesh minister Kailash Vijayvargiya faces backlash after using objectionable language in response to questions about contaminated water in Indore. The incident has sparked controversy and calls for his resignation.
Humayun Kabir, recently suspended from the TMC, has launched a new political party, Janata Unnayan Party, and announced candidates for the 2026 assembly elections.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has entered into post-poll alliances with rivals Congress and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen in some municipal councils in Maharashtra, even as Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday rejected the tie-ups and warned of action against party leaders involved.
While the BJP and Shiv Sena have announced a seat-sharing pact, another constituent of Mahayuti, the NCP, headed by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, is contesting the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation polls separately.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar announced that his party, the NCP, is in discussions with the Shiv Sena regarding seat sharing for the upcoming Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad civic polls. This comes as alliances blur in the state-level elections.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah criticizes Kerala's ruling Left government over the Sabarimala gold loss case, demanding a neutral investigation and accusing the government of protecting the real culprits. He also signals the start of the BJP's campaign for the upcoming Assembly elections.
State Bharatiya Janata Party presidents from across the country are likely to be summoned to Delhi after January 15 for the election of the party's national president.
Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan apologized for his remarks about 'erasing' memories of former CM Vilasrao Deshmukh after facing criticism from the Congress party and Deshmukh's family.
A controversy has erupted in Karnataka following allegations that the police disrobed a BJP woman functionary while arresting her in connection with an attack on government officials. Police deny the charge, claiming the woman disrobed herself and attacked the officers.
The BJP alleged that the move would undermine existing reservation norms and was aimed at consolidating a particular vote bank.
After weeks of negotiations over seat-sharing, the Mahayuti alliance appears to have broken down ahead of municipal corporation elections in Latur and Jalna, with partners deciding to contest the January 15 polls independently.
Iltija Mufti, Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party leader, filed a police complaint in Srinagar seeking a first information report against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over a widely circulated video showing him removing a woman doctor's naqab at an official event in Patna.
Opposition parties have accused the state government of using force and ignoring rehabilitation concerns.
The CBI will challenge the suspension of life sentence and bail granted to former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the Unnao rape case in the Supreme Court. The decision follows a Delhi High Court order suspending Sengar's sentence. Rahul Gandhi has criticized the decision and met with the survivor.
Despite his influence, Pratik Jain avoids the spotlight. Credit is routinely passed on to colleagues. He maintains no visible faction within the TMC, no personal coterie.
Earlier, Congress leader and Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for its criticism of the IPL franchise, saying overseas players participate in the tournament in accordance with BCCI and IPL rules.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticizes the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh after at least 10 people died allegedly due to contaminated water in Indore, accusing them of negligence and insensitivity.
Nitin Nabin held a roadshow in Patna on Tuesday, December 23, 2025, marking his first visit to his native Bihar after being appointed the Bharatiya Janata Party's national working president.
Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan criticized Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's allegations of corruption in the Pimpri Chinchwad civic body, suggesting they are politically motivated ahead of upcoming elections.
The BJP has emerged as the most dominant force in the recently-held municipal council and nagar panchayat elections in Maharashtra, securing the highest number of seats in five out of the state's six administrative divisions.
A Booth Level Officer (BLO) was found dead in West Bengal's Bankura district, leading to allegations that work-related pressure from the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls may have been a factor. Political accusations have followed.
The BJP and its Mahayuti allies have won 68 seats unopposed in the Maharashtra civic polls scheduled for January 15, even as the Opposition parties alleged the ruling combine used threats and money to force candidates to withdraw from the fray.
The second phase of the Systematic Integration of Rolls (SIR) in West Bengal is causing distress among elderly, disabled, and vulnerable voters, leading to political accusations ahead of the assembly polls.
Pawar was addressing an election campaign rally in Pimpri-Chinchwad and announced the development.
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