New York City is preparing to elect a new mayor, with Zohran Kwame Mamdani, of Indian descent, leading the race. The election features Mamdani against Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa.
Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, of Indian descent, has won the New York City mayoral election, becoming the first Muslim, first Indian-origin, first African-born, and youngest mayor in over a century. His victory is seen as a significant moment for the city and the Indian-American community.
While Zohran Mamdani captured national attention with his meteoric rise to be elected New York City's first Muslim mayor, his wife Rama Duwaji was helping orchestrate his win -- one pixel, one brushstroke, one brand decision at a time.
Zohran Mamdani has been elected as the Mayor of New York City, becoming the first South Asian and Muslim to hold the position. He defeated Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa and former New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo.
'The seats which we would be contesting have been identified. Respective candidates have also been finalised. Four non-performing sitting MLAs will be replaced with fresh faces.'
Justice Surya Kant is set to become the 53rd Chief Justice of India, bringing extensive experience and a record of significant verdicts on key issues.
Senior BJP leaders, including Amit Shah and J P Nadda, met with party leaders and allies to discuss the upcoming Bihar polls. Seat-sharing arrangements with NDA partners are expected to be announced soon.
According to political observers, the AIMIM sees a catchment area in Bihar, where Muslims are more than 17 per cent of the total population but have never got a proportionate representation in the state legislature.
Confusion prevailing in the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) showed little signs of let up on Saturday, with just two days to go before the filing of nomination papers for the second and final phase of assembly elections comes to a close.
Tejashwi Yadav and Prashant Kishore claim that a group of senior Janata Dal-United leaders and retired bureaucrats, locally dubbed the 'Bhunja Party', manages the state administration on Nitish Kumar's behalf.
The BJP's MoSha leadership are past masters in encouraging defections from their allies if it helped their party capture the chief minister's chair. In Bihar, they are not sure if JD-U MPs and MLAs would be willing to cross over to the BJP if the Nitish leadership came on top -- and the NDA crossed the halfway mark together, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Vijay, despite the loud message from his delayed arrival at the road-show/stampede venue, and more so his continued inaccessibility for fans-turned-cadres after graduating from a super-star to a political party leader with electoral ambitions, refuses to change. Or, so it seems, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
'The name will be declared at the right time.'
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP-led Union government of compromising India's prestige before foreign powers, alleging a 'dictatorial mindset' and attempts to turn West Bengal into a 'colony'.
'I disagree with much of Modi's politics, but it cannot be denied that in these years in office, he has carved more than a niche for himself in history,' points out Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, author, Narendra Modi: The Man, The Times.
'Parents only realise the trap in which their children fell after losing money. Some exploit children for sexual acts such as pornography and the narcotics trade.'
Calling itself the "custodian of the Constitution", the Supreme Court on Thursday asked if it could "sit idle" if a constitutional functionary like governor failed to discharge duties, as it reserved its verdict on the presidential reference on grant of assent to bills.
BJP-ruled states argued in the Supreme Court that governors and the President have autonomy in assenting to bills passed by state assemblies, asserting that courts cannot mandate assent.
Security forces in Manipur have launched a major crackdown on the banned People's Liberation Army (PLA) following an ambush on an Assam Rifles convoy. Fifteen cadres have been arrested, including suspects directly involved in the attack. Investigations are underway to determine if the PLA has political patronage and if weapons looted during ethnic clashes are being used against security forces.
If the TVK joins the NDA, there is every likelihood of the AIADMK winning an absolute majority in the 234 seat assembly and wanting to form a stand-alone government. In turn, it could mean that the BJP especially and the TVK equally so, will want to restrict the AIADMK's seat share closer to the cut-off figure, if only to ensure that EPS won't get the absolute majority that he desires (if the NDA won, that is) and will have to settle for a coalition government, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Chirag Paswan has warned the BJP-led NDA that it will settle for nothing less than 40-plus seats in the 2025 Bihar polls, even threatening to contest all 243 constituencies independently if sidelined.
The Centre has argued before the Supreme Court that state governments cannot use writ jurisdiction to challenge the actions of the President and Governor regarding bills passed by state assemblies, particularly concerning fundamental rights violations. The President seeks the Supreme Court's opinion on whether states can file writ petitions under Article 32 and the scope of Article 361.
Preparations are underway in Manipur for a likely visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his first since ethnic violence broke out in the state. A grand stage is being erected at Kangla Fort, and cleaning and painting activities are ongoing. The visit comes as the state grapples with the aftermath of clashes between Meiteis and Kukis.
Congress MLA H D Ranganath praised the RSS anthem after Deputy CM D K Shivakumar sang it in the Assembly. Ranganath called the anthem a "very good song" and said it promotes saluting the land where one is born.
The Supreme Court is hearing arguments regarding a presidential reference on whether fixed timelines can be imposed on governors and the president for acting on bills passed by state legislatures. The court is considering objections to the maintainability of the reference under Article 143 of the Constitution.
The Centre has told the Supreme Court that imposing fixed timelines on governors and the president to act on bills passed by a state Assembly would amount to one organ of the government assuming powers not vested in it by the Constitution and lead to a "constitutional disorder".
Kerala is facing an outbreak of Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM), a rare and deadly brain infection caused by the 'brain-eating amoeba' Naegleria fowleri. Health officials are working to raise awareness and improve diagnostic capabilities.
The Supreme Court is examining the extent to which courts can intervene when governors delay or refuse to act on bills passed by state assemblies. The court questioned the Centre on whether judicial review is barred in cases of gubernatorial inaction, sparking debate on the balance of power between states and the central government.
Churachandpur district in Manipur declared a 'no drone zone' amid speculation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit. The decision aims to strengthen security during the potential visit, which would be Modi's first since ethnic violence broke out in May 2023.
Shivakumar's recital came when the Bharatiya Janata Party legislators accused Shivakumar of being an 'abettor' of the stampede as he created mass frenzy.
EVMs can't be used in presidential, vice-presidential, or Rajya Sabha polls because they only count simple votes, not the preference-based system needed for these elections.
This divergence is likely to intensify political dynamics both within the party and across the state, particularly as the opposition Mahagathbandhan -- comprising the Rashtriya Janata Dal, Congress, and Left parties -- has been aggressively protesting the SIR and demanding its immediate scrapping.
Leading Kuki-Zo groups in Manipur welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi's likely visit, hoping he will address their aspirations for a separate administration and lasting peace in the region affected by ethnic violence.
'It must become faceless, just as the entire direct tax assessment system has already become fully online, without any human intervention in the normal course,' recommends A K Bhattacharya.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar offered to apologize if anyone was hurt over his rendition of the RSS' prayer song in the state assembly. He reaffirmed his loyalty to the Congress party.
The Centre told the Supreme Court that governors are not indefinitely sitting on bills passed by state legislatures, and that barring a few exceptions, most have acted in a way which the apex court would have perhaps desired. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued that a Governor is "not a rubber stamp" and has a duty to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution.
The Supreme Court has ruled that a Governor cannot send bills to the President for consideration if the state assembly has already cleared them for a second time. The court was questioning the Centre over the powers of the Governor when it comes to granting assent to bills.
The Supreme Court has scheduled hearings starting August 19 for the Presidential Reference concerning constitutional issues related to timelines for handling bills passed by state assemblies. The court has directed the Centre and states to submit written arguments by August 12.
The Centre has opposed the imposition of fixed timelines on governors and the President for decisions on bills passed by state legislatures, arguing that such constraints were intentionally omitted by the Constitution's framers.
'No one can ignore PK's prediction about Nitish Kumar's party.'
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