The much-discussed honey trap episode in Maharashtra has come back with a vengeance although its existence had been dismissed by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. Moreover, the CM’s Man Friday, Girish Mahajan’s one of the photographs with alleged kingpin of the scandal Prafulla Lodha has been circulating on the social media. In retaliation, Lodha’s photos with bigwigs like Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule, her NCP colleague Jayant Patil, Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray and several others are surfacing. Fadnavis has said that such pictures have no significance since in public life, it is common to be photographed with different people. It is true but Lodha’s involvement in a rape case has now been reported from Pune, changing the complexion of the so-called honey trap matter. Lodha’s premises in north Maharashtra’s Jalgaon, Jamner and Pahoor have been raided by the authorities. That is the area to which Mahajan belongs. Mahajan’s sworn foe, Eknath Khadse, has threatened to expose more details though local people remember how Lodha was always seen with an influential leader and had later levelled grave allegations against the mentor. Last year, he had filed a nomination for the Lok Sabha election but later withdrew it. Subsequently, he joined the BJP. Looks like the honey trap case is not cooling down.  Lodha was arrested earlier in Mumbai on 5 July in connection with a POSCO case. The honey trap case is discussed with references to a prominent Nasik hotelier, a top revenue official and a controversial woman seen with a score of police and government officials. The Congress party has alleged that 72 civil servants and some political bigwigs are trapped in the delicate situation.

Maharashtra’s debt has now crossed the Rs 10 lakh crore mark, revealed former Opposition leader in Maharashtra’s Legislative Council Ambadas Danve. The state is raising Rs 57,509.7 crore through supplementary demands. Danve pointed out that the state spends one-third of its revenue in servicing its debt. The state already has a per capita debt of Rs 72,761 and has already earmarked Rs 1.54 lakh crore towards debt servicing including Rs 89,798 crore for principal amount repayment and Rs 64,659 crore towards interest servicing, in the 2025-26 budget. Danve estimated Maharashtra’s fiscal deficit to cross Rs 2 lakh crore by the end of this financial year; it currently stands at Rs 1.36 lakh crore. The state has been issuing tenders though it doesn’t have the funds to pay contractors and now hopes to rely on revenue of Rs 24,000 crore expected from excise duty on liquor to sail through, he said. The state has already diverted Rs 1081.7 lakh crore from various departments to fund its Ladki Bahin Yojana. According to financial analyst Rupesh Keer of Samarthan Advocacy, this is the first time that the state has taken debts to service its ballooning debt interest which reflects poor fiscal discipline. Already, Maharashtra has slipped down to the fifth position in terms of development in the country. The state is already under fire from the Comptroller and Auditors Report (CAG) for various off-budgetary borrowings that bypass legislative scrutiny and threaten to lead Maharashtra into a cycle of debt trap.  

PM Modi responded to Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar’s resignation only after it had been accepted. In a brief message on X he said Dhankar has had “many opportunities to serve the country in various capacities” including as Vice-President of India. He wished him “good health”. What triggered 74-year old Dhankhar’s sudden resignation on the first day (July 21) of the Monsoon Session of the Parliament on July 21 evening? No one believes it has anything to do with his health. Some believe his exit is linked to the way he conducted Rajya Sabha proceedings on the first day. After years of being tough on the Opposition, he was suddenly found indulging them particularly on sensitive “national security issues”. This came as a shock to the government.  He was found allowing LoP Mallikarjun Kharge to hold forth on everything from — Operation Sindoor to Pahalgam Attack to President Trump’s role in securing India-Pak cease-fire. Leader of the House JP Nadda did lodge a protest. Kharge contradicted what PM Modi said on Op Sindoor as an incontrovertible victory over Pakistan — just outside Parliament House. BJP sources said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had conveyed the government’s disquiet — rather PM Modi’s disappointment. It is felt Rajnath’s message must have upset him.  Soon after Rajnath met Dhankhar, he was found playing the Opposition card as chairman. He mentioned that he had received a notice from the Opposition to constitute a statutory committee for the removal of Justice Yashwant Varma and that it has been signed by more than 50 members of the Upper House.  Of course, Dhankhar did ask Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal if a similar motion to impeach Justice Varma had been moved in the Lok Sabha. The buzz is Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is most likely to be next V-P– he is considered the best bet ahead of UP polls.

Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Bagade is among the frontrunners for the vacant post of Vice-President of India. Hailing from Marathwada, he has devoted his life for the BJP. A former speaker of the Maharashtra legislative assembly, Haribhau had been a member of the house for multiple terms. Known for his accommodative nature, He was fondly called by his first name, which denoted both affection and respect. Those close to him would address him as Nana. So far, the Vice-President’s office has not been graced by anyone from Maharashtra though the state’s daughter, Pratibha Patil, became the first Lady President of the country. The highest political post was occupied by YB Chavan, who became deputy Prime Minister in the short-lived Charan Singh government. Haribhau was born on 17 August 1945 in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district. He became an RSS activist at a young age in a region that was averse to the saffron ideology. Haribhau toiled for decades to spread the message of the Jan Sangh and then the BJP. Many prominent regional leaders owe their rise to the guidance and support provided by Haribhau to them. As the saffron influence increased in Maharashtra, Haribhau was invariably made a party candidate for the assembly. Coincidentally, Pratibha Patil was the Governor of Rajasthan when she was selected by the Congress party to become the President of the country. If Haribhau is handpicked to become V-P, it will be one more feather in Rajasthan’s and Maharashtra’s cap.

West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee has made it official that her party will take on BJP in the run-up to the State Assembly polls based on Bengali Asmita. Addressing a massive Martyrs Day rally in Kolkata she accused BJP of unleashing linguistic terrorism and Mamata made it categorical that another Bhasha Movement will be embarked upon to safeguard Bengali pride. She claimed that more than 1,000 Bengali-speaking individuals have been detained and jailed in BJP-ruled states such as Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh. TMC supremo stated that terror has been unleashed on the Bengali language and described the BJP’s actions as a massive conspiracy against Bengali identity. She warned that if linguistic profiling of Bengalis does not stop, the resistance movement will be taken to the national capital. Mamata also announced a statewide protest campaign against what she described as the ongoing oppression of the Bengali language. Directly attacking Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Didi said he is unable to manage his own state but continues to interfere in West Bengal’s affairs. Interestingly, she went a step further in her political critique, claiming that the present Indian government is being remotely controlled by U.S. President Donald Trump. Significantly, during the rally, Mamata introduced the gathering to the father of Jhantu Ali Sheikh and a family member of Bitan Adhikari—both victims of the Pahalgam terror attack earlier this year.

A skirmish between India and England, that’s been fascinating so far, is set to resume at Manchester from July 23. England will strive for a 3-1 lead and a series win before the teams travel to London for the fifth and final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy at The Oval. While England — given an impetus to its attack by the return of fast bowler Jofra Archer — will take the field with its tail up, India will have to do the catching up with no leeway for mistakes in the three departments of the game. The first three Tests have delivered contests that the purists of the sport would have taken delight at; so remarkable have they been. And yet it is India, shepherded by the young captain in Shubman Gill, that appears to be on the precipice before the first ball is sent down at Manchester. Gill has to get his No 3 in Karun Nair to be more productive and tell Yashasvi Jaiswal not to throw away his wicket. Then he has to find a bowling group that has the wherewithal to take 20 wickets. Jasprit Bumrah appears to be a case of “fait accompli” and lead the attack, a perforce situation for India dictated by England’s 2-1 lead in the series and an 8-day gap between the Lord’s and Manchester Tests. Mohammed Siraj, who flared up in the third Test will be his Dukes-ball partner. Seamer Anshul Kamboj has been added as a cover for the injured Arshdeep Singh. Gill has to choose from Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna and Kamboj as first change. Gill has plenty in his plate — including Rishab Pant’s finger injury — to ponder at in order to keep the series alive.

With assembly elections early next year in Tamil Nadu, major political parties in the state including the DMK and AIADMK, have begun to enlist the services of consultancy firms to devise political strategies and campaign plans for their leaders. DMK, the ruling party, has roped in the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) and Showtime Consultancy, owned by Robbin Sharma, through its in-house firm, Populus Empowerment Network (PEN), which successfully handled its 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The DMK as a political party has faith in political strategist ever since the I-PAC, then led by ace political strategist Prashant Kishor, was credited with the party’s comeback in 2021.  This time round the DMK has roped in Robbin who worked for the TDP and Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) in the 2024 Assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra respectively. TN is likely to face a four-cornered contest among DMK, AIADMK, TVK, and NTK. AIADMK, the principal opposition party has signed on Sravanth D and Hari H of the Hyderabad-based Pramanya Strategy Consulting. The firm had worked for Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena in the 2024 Lok Sabha and assembly elections. Actor-politician Vijay has been working with John Arokiasamy, a political strategist who had previously worked for Congress and PMK, for his Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK). His party colleague, Aadhav Arjuna, also owns a political consultancy firm, Voice of Commons. Current DMK President M K Stalin was the first political leader in TN to hire a political strategist, Sunil Kanugolu, in 2014. Though his strategy failed in the 2016 polls, leading to the AIADMK’s successive government, it succeeded in 2019. It is said both Dravidian parties kept political strategists away when they were led by the charismatic M Karunanidhi (DMK) and J Jayalalithaa (AIADMK), but things changed dramatically after their deaths in 2018 and 2016 respectively.

The Kolkata-based Hindustan Motors Ltd plant which once rolled out the iconic Ambassador cars has been leased out by the West Bengal government to Titagarh Rail Systems Ltd to manufacture rail coaches. The 40 acres of its long-defunct land has been leased out for 99 years. The Rs 126-crore deal will see the plant produce Vande Bharat and Metro train coaches. Hindustan Motors, part of CK Birla Group, began operations in 1957, producing both the Landmaster and Ambassador cars. The latter becoming a symbol of Indian roads for decades. The plant, which ceased operations in 2014 after a “suspension of work” notice post-Lok Sabha elections, struggled for survival amid growing competition and dwindling production; from 700-750 cars per month to 250-300.  Even though the then Left Front government supported by making it mandatory, the use of Ambassador cars as taxis it failed to revive the plant. Titagarh Rail Systems, already operating a wagon unit nearby, has bagged major contracts to manufacture Vande Bharat and Metro coaches. And this plant’s strategic location — just 3 km from Delhi Road and close to rail lines — makes it an ideal expansion site. During the company’s 25th anniversary three years ago, chief minister Mamata Banerjee had hinted at land allocation, which has now received official cabinet approval. However, concerns persist over legal and compensation issues for former workers. The Supreme Court recently upheld a Calcutta High Court verdict allowing the state to reclaim 395 acres from Hindustan Motors for public use, including this project. This development brings a ray of hope to Hooghly, a district that has witnessed major industrial exits over the years—from Tata’s Nano in Singur in 2008 to Hind Motors shutdown in 2014 and Dunlop’s closure in Sahaganj.

She seems to hate the media — journalists and paparazzi. And the 77-year old actress-politician Jaya Bachchan makes no bones about it. At every event the paps get a taste of her snide remarks or sarcasm. Recently, at an event she was waiting for her car along with her daughter Shweta. When the car arrived, she sarcastically turned around asked the waiting media, “Chalo, aap log be saath mein, aajayeaa.”  A seasoned film journalist say she got the first glimpse of the veteran actress reacting negatively towards media way back in 2013 at Subhash Ghai’s birthday bash at a Andheri pub when a photographer addressed Aishwarya Rai as Aishwarya. Even before the Bachchan bahu could react an angry Jaya Bachchan asked, “Kya Aishwarya Aishwarya bula rahe ho, tumhare class mein padhti thi kya? ‘‘. The ‘Gudi’ actress historically loved by all seems to have surprised media by her rude behaviour.  Again, at a public event when an elderly female fan patted her, she immediately shrugged her hands off. One may have noticed she seems to avoid media in general. At the premiere of her grandson Agastya Nanda’s The Archies she even refused to pose for the media and had to be persuaded by the family to do it. At the prayer meeting of Rono Mukherjee, uncle of Kajol and Rani, she muttered something in Bengali at the paps covering the event. Most paps are wondering why she hates their tribe. By her own admission in her granddaughter Navya Naveli Nanda’s podcast she said “I despise the people who interfere in your personal life and fill their stomachs by selling those products. I hate it …”

At a time when there is a big question mark on the future of football in India and Indian Super League (ISL), Kerala government is laying the ground for a Sports League for colleges in the state. Modelled on the lines of popular collegiate sports leagues in the U.S., specific league competitions will be held for football and volleyball to start with. The first season of College Sports League-Kerala (CSL – K), organised by the Directorate of Sports & Youth Affairs and Sports Kerala Foundation will start from July 18, 2025 at Calicut University. “It has come to our notice that students tend to move away from sports after passing out from school,” according to Kerala Sports Minister V Abdurahiman. Through CSL-K, Kerala aims to develop a competitive and interesting sports environment in colleges, he said. “We have constituted specific sports councils in almost all colleges, which will take charge of conducting the league in their campuses, he added. The inaugural season’s events will kick off with football league from July 18 to 26, featuring 60 teams from all UGC approved colleges in the state. From next year, the organisers plan to expand the league into a three-tier event. The preliminary screening will involve 168 district-level leagues from 14 districts. This will be followed by 48 matches in zonal level league featuring district champs and wild card entries. Finally, there will be a state-level league with knockout rounds leading to the grand finale to crown the champion College. The volleyball league will take place on the MG University campus next month. The project is being implemented with a seed capital of Rs 60 lakh.  The league is expected to be self-sufficient financially in the coming years with sponsors like Decathlon and local banks.  Students will be encouraged to participate via incentives like stipends, performance bonuses and scholarships.