Odisha politics is now witnessing a rare twist with BJD joining hands with Congress, CPI(M) to block BJP in forthcoming Rajya Sabha polls. Political observers say the chess board for the forthcoming Odisha Rajya Sabha election battle is almost getting ready. Sources say, this week’s joint appearance of BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik with Congress and CPI(M) leaders, signals a potential shift in BJD and Odisha’s political alignment beyond forthcoming Rajya Sabha polls. The speculation so far is BJP’s Odisha state President Manmohon Samal will make it to Rajya Sabha and so too BJP’s sitting Rajya Sabha MP Surjeet Kumar. Similarly, BJD’s Santrupt Misra who has declared Rs 595 crore assets is also expected to have a smooth sailing. The fight between BJD-Congress candidate Dr Datteswar Hota against Dilip Ray a hotelier turned politician is getting intense. Ray had earlier worked under three Prime Ministers including handling the portfolio of Union Minister of Steel, Coal & Parliamentary Affairs. Expressing confidence, Dilip Ray said he expects to win the contest despite not having the required magic number of 30 first-preference votes in his favour. The election is on March 16 and the results will be declared the same day.

Veteran leader Sharad Pawar’s unopposed election to the Rajya Sabha became a reality for two reasons. Firstly, he himself had never indicated that he wasn’t interested in another term in the Upper House of Parliament. Pawar is now 86. So, when he retires, he will be 91. At that time, he will be among the oldest parliamentarians in the world. Secondly, the party statistics in the Maharashtra legislative assembly is such that had there been an election, the ruling Mahayuti could have won six of the seats comfortably and could even have attempted for the remaining seat if the combined Opposition were to field anyone except Pawar. In fact, such a message was sent to the Opposition. Ultimately, the power play went in favour of Pawar. The outcome is that Pawar and his grandson Parth Ajit Pawar (35) will be facing each other from the two sides of the Rajya Sabha, perhaps a unique occurrence in the annals of Indian democracy. Already, Supriya Sule, sole child of Pawar, is in the Lok Sabha. At the state level, late Ajit’s wife Sunetra is the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra. Pawar’s another grandson, Rohit, is a member of the legislative assembly. Thus, five members of the Pawar clan are law makers. Blood is thicker than water, it is said. Once again it has been proved how true it is.

Even as planning for a Third Mumbai is underway in the vicinity of the Navi Mumbai international airport, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced the government’s intention of developing a Fourth Mumbai around the upcoming Wadhwan mega port. He made this announcement while presenting Maharashtra’s 2026-27 budget in the state assembly on Friday. This endorses his repeated resolve to make the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) the economic powerhouse of the country although Mumbai has been recognised as the Economic Capital of India for over a century. Vadhvan will be among the top 10 ports around the world. The vast area around the port is totally undeveloped, offering immense opportunity for the government to exploit its potential. As Navi Mumbai is already saturated with housing and industrial activity, it has become inevitable for the planners to explore other options. Vadhvan will thus become a crucial link between Maharashtra and North India, via Gujarat. Fadnavis is confident of translating his dream into a reality since he has completed the ambitious Mumbai Aqua Underground Metro and the Coastal Road projects in record time, combating the various roadblocks in their way. Fadnavis announced a slew of projects and budgetary provisions for them. The emphasis of the budget is on infrastructure development and generation of wealth and employment. Thus, he has reiterated that the economy of Maharashtra will exceed $ 5 trillion by 2047, when India celebrates its centenary as a free nation.

Choosing to make a statement on his personal life ahead of Tamil Nadu assembly elections, TVK (Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam) chief Vijay decided to bring his status with actor Trisha out of the closet. He chose to attend a wedding reception in Chennai with Trisha amid his on-going divorce case with wife Sangeetha Sornalingam. Images of him and Trisha arriving at the wedding, dressed in twinning traditional outfits have apparently gone viral. It is being said Vijay’s decision to go public about his relation with co-actor Trisha could have been inspired by the way his wife Sangeetha levelled charges of adultery, infidelity and mental cruelty against him. She accused him of having an extra-marital relationship with an actor, without naming Trisha. Politically, the divorce case filed in Dec 2025, seems to be caught in the shadow-boxing between Vijay and TN deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin. The buzz is that it was Udhayanidhi who got details about wife’s petition in a district court and had it leaked to the Chennai media in the run-up to the assembly polls. TVK leaders feel the leak of the divorce of the news was more an effort by the DMK’s dirty-tricks department to harm Vijay’s fan base among women voters. It is felt the deputy CM may be disappointed now that the divorce news is not impacting Vijay’s following among women. As of now, nothing seems to be working on the women voters who get euphoric when Vijay arrives on the scene. The women in the state apparently don’t  care about Vijay’s status with Trisha or his wife, he remains  popular with them.

The High Commission of India in London hosted an event at India House on 3 March 2026 to mark the return of several important antiquities to India. The gathering was attended by representatives from the Ashmolean Museum, Homeland Security Investigations at the Embassy of the United States of America in London, and the London Metropolitan Police Service, along with members of London’s arts and culture community. The artefacts being repatriated include a 16th-century bronze idol of Saint Thirumankai Alvar, idols of Dancing Child Saint Sambandar/Bal Krishna, Seated Ganesha with Parasol, Dancing Ganesha and a pedestal. The return of the Thirumankai Alvar bronze idol began in 2019 when the Ashmolean Museum informed the High Commission about it and requested verification of its provenance. Following inquiries by the Archaeological Survey of India, the High Commission formally requested its return and facilitated consultations between the museum, authorities from Tamil Nadu, and the Soundararaja Perumal Temple, from where the idol had originally been removed. A metal analysis commissioned by the museum supported the provenance findings. After confirmation, the Ashmolean’s Board of Visitors and the University Council approved the claim and referred the matter to the Charity Commission for England & Wales which authorised the transfer. The idol will now be handed to ASI for its return to the temple. Separately, information from India’s Directorate of Revenue Intelligence led HSI to investigate antiquities smuggled to the United States, resulting in arrests and seizures. The probe also identified artefacts in the UK. Working with the Met Police and the High Commission, authorities seized four statues in London, whose provenance was confirmed with ASI support.

When Nitish Kumar, JDU president and Bihar Chief Minister, filed the nomination papers for the March 16 Rajya Sabha election on March 5 making a big shift from the Assembly to the Parliament after two decades of leading the Bihar Govt there was a sense of unease. On X, Nitish gave a very odd reason to quit the state political scene. He said wanted to become a Rajya Sabha MP after having been a MLA, MLC and Lok Sabha MP. It is being said that the JDU chief who has been elected as Bihar CM for 10 terms, had begun to feel the pressure to move on soon after the November 2025 Bihar assembly polls. JDU sources concede that Nitish’s fate was written into the script of Bihar results. Collapse of the RJD at the hustings, where it won a humble 25 seats, left Nitish with very little option to do a flip-flop or do a paltu ram. It was also said during the polls, the JDU strongholds had not backed the BJP adequately. Notwithstanding this, the BJP finished first with 89 seats and JDU bagged 85. To resist BJP pressure, Nitish began exploring an alternative in January itself. He tried to persuade Upendra Khushwaha to merge his party RLSP with 4 MLAs with JDU. Khushwaha didn’t respond as he may merge his party with the BJP. “To get a majority in Bihar Assembly, a ruling combine must have the support of 122 MLAs. Nitish realised he was getting nowhere near the magic figure. That is when he threw in his towel,” pointed out an old colleague. The BJP, had its own reason to effect change. The most important being Nitish was increasingly moving away from governance. Blame it on his failing health, power and decision-making was apparently being left to the state Chief Secretary.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi may be a die-hard critic of PM Modi but also seems to be his closet admirer. At least, he has admired the way Modi along with Home Minister Amit Shah — the top BJP duo — have been running BJP affairs. It is in keeping with this Modi-Shah playbook that Rahul Gandhi has attempted to pick Congress nominees for six Rajya Sabha seats across states. Rahul’s choices have surprised partymen. Except in Telangana where Rahul has opted to go along with CM Revanth Reddy’ choice — nominating   Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Vem Narender Reddy — and in Himachal too he has relied on CM  Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu’s choice of district level party office bearer Anurag Sharma. What has surprised Congress leaders is the way Rahul has played Dalit card in both Haryana and Tamil Nadu. In Haryana he has fielded a former state Govt employee Karamvir Singh Boudh. It is being interpreted as a message to feuding Congress leaders. That is Boudh is probably the one person who may be able to bring together former CM Bhupinder Hooda and senior leader Kumari Selja. What happened in TN takes the cake. After P Chidambaram managed to improve the seat offer from 25 to 28 and get one Rajya Sabha seat, expectation was that the party would field a high-profile candidate like Rahul’s close aide Meenakshi Natrajan. However, choice of Christopher Tilak, AICC Secretary, handling North East, has come as shock. It is being said Tilak had made phenomenal rise in the party. Party circles are stunned that Tilak moved from being office assistant to a AICC functionary to Rahul’s core group. The moot point is why has Rahul chosen to play  Dalit  Christian card in TN? That too after playing footsie with TVK’s Vijay?  Is Congress trying to checkmate TVK? ” At this rate 2029 is out of bound for us,” rued a Congress leader.

The Udaipur Palace wedding of Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna was much talked about not just for their arresting looks, but the weight, worth and workmanship of the gold bounty they wore…carved by the craftsmen of Shree Jewellers of Hyderabad who toiled for 10 months to handcraft some of the most exquisite ornaments. The couple were admired for their choice of traditional Bharathiya jewellery, not opting for modern minimalist trends. Coffee table books have made much of iconic temple art and architecture but this couple chose to translate our ancient traditions into stunning wedding ornament, setting a new trend. It is usual for the bride to be decked up in striking jewellery …the familiar “necklaces, diamonds, Nath and nose pins, the anklets and bangles. Rashmika wore 11 unique pieces, based on the Nakshi carvings of ancient temple ornaments with their unmistakable pearl like Rava granulation ..her kaasu malai, chocker, arm vanki , the vadyanam and forehead mathapatti would remain the envy of any bride . The antique dull matte finish made sure that these heirlooms were “real” not tinny gaudy ersatz. But it was Vijay Deverakonda who stood out like a sovereign monarch in his gold finery …of haaram, gold cummerbund, arm bands and ankle khadaas…boldly setting a new bridegroom fashion trend. His boldness in carrying off a heavy load of envy worth wedding finery was much appreciated. Oh yes, the wags and viewers were aware that this load of gold cost a whopping Rs 5-7 crore. Anamika Khanna’s outfits in bridal orange and groom’s milk cream silk dhoti vied with the adornments. The couple had branded the event Virosha …wagers are on…Netflix or Prime?

Political observers are seeing a discernible shift in the articulation and positioning of Abhishek Banerjee, general secretary of Trinamool Congress (TMC). Over the past four months, his speeches, decisions, literary references and historical analogies have echoed themes associated with the Left, prompting critics to describe the emergence of a “Bamcharitmanas,” or Left-leaning narrative. The shift first drew attention last November when two women from South 24 Parganas entered into a same-sex marriage. They were felicitated at an event organised by Trinamool MP Bapi Halder. Abhishek congratulated the couple for challenging social orthodoxy. Recently, a senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy, a member of LGBTQ, thanked Abhishek after being nominated to the Rajya Sabha. More. He posted a poem on social media invoking resistance against state power, language historically associated with Left and ultra-Left literature. In Parliament, he concluded his Budget speech by quoting poet Nabarun Bhattacharya, whose work is emblematic of protest politics in Bengal. At a press conference targeting the Election Commission, he referred to the Battle of Stalingrad, often cited by Left forces as a defining victory over fascism. On an earlier occasion he had quoted composer Salil Chowdhury: “Pathe ebar namo sathi, pathei hobe e path chena” which is known to be a Left Revolution call. Analysts feel Abhishek’s shift is very much in line with chief minister Mamata Banerjee, whose rise drew support from Left-leaning individuals disillusioned with the CPI(M).  Since 2006, several former Left leaders and cultural figures have joined Trinamool. However, the CPI(ML) Liberation has criticised the approach as “cultural appropriation”. Some argue the party is seeking to reclaim Left voters who shifted to the BJP.

Sanju Samson has been the talk of the town in the past few weeks; for a number of reasons. Cutting his teeth in a big way in the IPL for Rajasthan Royals, he promised a lot for the men in blue team. That he has not been able to establish permanency in the team, 11 years after making his debut, has baffled the watchers of the game. Challengers emerged, one by one, after Mahendra Singh Dhoni bid adieu. Rishabh Pant was the main one. He was part of the squad that won the T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies in 2024, but he did not get a game. Fate appears to be scripting the same tale with him sidelined again in the home World Cup, but a twist happens and Samson has become an Atlas ready to take on the heavy burden. That’s what he proved against the West Indies in the Super8 scrap at the Eden Gardens. His unconquered 97 was a single-handed effort that steered India past the troubled waters and finally the finishing line for the tournament semi-final place at the Wankhede. Samson’s blows were of the knockout types, a spell binder to the fans at the City of Joy venue and those watching action on the small screen. Samson was dropped for the opening match against the USA, replaced the ailing Abhishek Sharma against Namibia, but forced his way back as the team reverted to the left-right combination at the top and kept the right-hand finger spinner away in the first 36-ball power play. Samson blasted away to glory at the Eden and the man from the god’s own country, Keralam, took the centre stage. Hopefully he will continue in the same vein!