The high-pitched campaign for the first phase of West Bengal assembly elections concluded with the BJP and TMC focusing on electoral rolls and dietary habits, while making promises to voters. Voting is scheduled in 152 constituencies across north Bengal and southern districts, with over 3.60 crore electors eligible to vote. A record number of Central paramilitary forces have been deployed, and several districts have been identified as highly sensitive.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to Lok Sabha members to vote for the women's reservation bill, emphasising the need to empower women and rectify decades of political inaction.
Opposition leaders are demanding swift justice and alleging administrative indifference in the case of a teenage girl's death in Ghazipur, even as police report an arrest and ongoing investigation.
Senior DMK leader KR Periakaruppan lost the Tiruppattur assembly seat by one vote to Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam's Seenivasa Sethupathy R in the Tamil Nadu elections. The defeat highlights the impact of individual ballots and the rise of actor Vijay's TVK.
West Bengal's chief minister-elect Suvendu Adhikari announced the beginning of 'Sonar Bangla' with the formation of the first BJP government in the state, heralding an era of 'peace and prosperity'. The oath-taking ceremony, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other prominent figures, marks a significant political shift for West Bengal.
Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee challenged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to resign, citing hypocrisy in Shah's call for 'clean politics' given his past arrest. Banerjee also criticised the Election Commission and defended his party's record.
An explosion at a firecracker factory in Madhya Pradesh's Dewas district resulted in multiple fatalities and injuries, prompting investigations and government action.
Punjab's Leader of Opposition, Partap Singh Bajwa, has criticised the government's conflicting statements regarding recent blasts, calling for transparency and accountability instead of political theatrics.
Following their success in the West Bengal assembly elections, BJP leaders are now focusing on winning the Punjab assembly polls in 2027, promising to rid the state of corruption and drugs under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The BJP has secured significant victories in the Haryana municipal corporation elections, winning in Ambala and Sonipat, and leading in Panchkula. The party also won the president's post in Sampla, a stronghold of former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, where the Congress did not field a candidate.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has accused BJP MPs of securing their seats through 'vote chori' and claims the BJP would struggle to win even 140 seats in fair elections.
Suvendu Adhikari's personal assistant, Chandranath Rath, was shot dead in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district. The incident has heightened political tensions in the state.
NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar defends the Congress party's right to contest the Baramati assembly bypoll, criticising his grandnephew Parth Pawar's remarks against the Congress candidate. Pawar cites the importance of electoral contest and questions Parth's political maturity.
The West Bengal State Legislative Assembly has been dissolved by Governor R N Ravi, marking the end of its term after the recent elections where the Trinamool Congress was defeated by the BJP.
Two former Chinese defence ministers, Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, were sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve over graft charges, official media reported.
For over a decade, the TMC's dominance in districts such as Murshidabad, Malda and Uttar Dinajpur rested on a near-complete consolidation of Muslim votes, a bloc that accounts for 50 per cent or more of the population in large parts of this belt.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has appointed Radhan Pandit Vettrivel, an astrologer and spokesperson for the Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), as his Personal Secretary. The appointment has sparked controversy, with questions raised about the need for an astrologer in such a role.
The BJP's landslide victory in West Bengal has not merely redrawn the electoral map but overturned the operating logic of politics in the state, breaching the TMC's entrenched fortress despite a decade-and-a-half of dominance, minority consolidation, and a sustained "outsider" narrative.
A special MP-MLA court in Prayagraj sentenced former legislator Vijay Mishra and three others to life imprisonment in a 46-year-old murder case. The court convicted them under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on each convict.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini criticised Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for blaming the BJP for recent blasts in Punjab, accusing Mann of losing his mental balance and making irresponsible statements.
A BJP government in Bengal inherits more problems than it might care to admit at its moment of triumph, points out Ramesh Menon
Bangladesh is preparing for elections and a referendum on reforms, but the absence of the Awami League and rising political tensions are raising concerns about the legitimacy and stability of the process.
Five BJP supporters were injured in a bomb blast in Panihati, West Bengal, following the shooting of a BJP leader's aide. Police are investigating the incident and have increased security in the area.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Punjab Industries Minister Sanjeev Arora in connection with a money laundering case involving alleged fake GST purchases and round-tripping of funds. Raids were conducted at multiple locations, and Arora was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). This follows previous actions against Arora and other politically connected individuals in Punjab.
The driver of the car targeted in the attack that killed a BJP leader's aide is in critical condition in a Kolkata hospital, having sustained bullet injuries and undergone multiple surgeries.
Aam Aadmi Party MLA Kuldeep Kumar's car was vandalised in east Delhi's Madhu Vihar. Police have registered a case and are investigating the incident.
Courts cannot be the only hope for those fighting hate speech. Countering its effects on the ground takes more effort. With our political parties unwilling to put in that amount of effort, it's left to citizens to do so, points out Jyoti Punwani.
Kerala BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar expressed confidence in the party's future in the state, drawing parallels with the BJP's growth in West Bengal. He highlighted the party's focus on development and its commitment to addressing people's issues in the Assembly.
Businessman Robert Vadra unconditionally withdrew his petition in the Delhi High Court challenging a trial court order that summoned him in a money laundering case linked to a land deal in Haryana's Shikohpur.
'Narendra Modi -- a man with deep and vital experience of Indian politics -- has seen the BJP lose many elections between 1975 and 2015, and with every defeat, he learned lessons that made sure he would never allow his party to be defeated so easily again.'
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has voiced his support for the TMC and DMK after their losses in recent assembly elections, while criticising the Congress party.
Himanta Biswa Sarma has been elected as the leader of the BJP-led NDA in the Assam assembly, paving the way for his second consecutive term as chief minister. The NDA secured a two-thirds majority in the recent assembly polls, with the BJP winning 82 seats and its allies AGP and BPF securing 10 seats each.
The opposition in the Maharashtra assembly has alleged that teak wood smugglers in the Chandrapur district are receiving political protection, hindering efforts to combat illegal logging.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi felicitated senior BJP worker Makhanlal Sarkar at a swearing-in ceremony in West Bengal. Sarkar, 98, is an early grassroots figure associated with the nationalist movement. Suvendu Adhikari took oath as the state's first BJP Chief Minister after defeating Mamata Banerjee.
West Bengal's appointment of Manoj Agarwal, the former Chief Electoral Officer, as the new Chief Secretary has ignited a political firestorm, raising concerns about the fairness and impartiality of the state's electoral processes.
West Bengal Police have appealed for peace in North 24 Parganas after the murder of a BJP leader's aide. Security has been increased in sensitive areas following protests by BJP supporters demanding the arrest of the assailants.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced the state government will introduce an anti-drug law allowing for the confiscation of drug smugglers' properties. Mann criticised previous administrations for enabling drug trafficking and highlighted the enactment of an anti-sacrilege law, promising stricter measures against sacrilege and drug-related offences.
'Remember Vijay had never spoke of himself as a Christian when he was a film star.' 'The BJP strategy is they want the Christian minority constituency to move away from the DMK.' 'That is what the BJP wants so that it will be very easy to mobilise Hindu votes.' 'This strategy is to weaken the Dravidian ideology and bring in religion based politics into Tamil Nadu.'
West Bengal's final phase of assembly elections focuses on the TMC's southern stronghold, where the BJP aims to make inroads. The outcome will determine whether Mamata Banerjee's party retains its dominance or if the BJP can secure a path to power.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches in Punjab and Chandigarh, targeting realty groups and individuals linked to an official in the Chief Minister's Office, as part of a money laundering investigation into fraudulent land use changes and investor fraud.
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