On 13 May 2026, 23-year-old Councillor Tushar Kumar was elected as the new Mayor of Elstree & Borehamwood, thus becoming the youngest ever Indian-origin Mayor in the history of the United Kingdom. His appointment was confirmed during the Council’s annual Mayor Making Ceremony, attended by councillors, civic leaders, faith representatives, community organisations, residents, friends, and family members. Mayor Kumar, who represents the Labour Party, has been widely praised for his dedication to public service and his strong commitment to supporting local residents and community initiatives. Seen by many as a youth icon and role model, he reflected on his political journey during the ceremony, recalling how he was first elected as a councillor at the age of 20 while studying Political Science at King’s College London. Speaking after his appointment, Mayor Kumar said he hoped his achievement would encourage more young people to take an active role in local democracy, community engagement, and public service. He emphasised that age should never be viewed as a barrier to creating positive change within society. His rise in local politics has also been inspired by his mother, Councillor Parveen Rani, a former Deputy Mayor, whom he described as his political mentor and greatest inspiration.

With West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari relinquishing his Nandigram seat and taking oath as the MLA from Bhawanipore seat, speculation has intensified who will hold the state’s most crucial portfolio, finance.  For quite some time in the social media the name of economist Sanjeev Sanyal has been doing the rounds. A member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Economic Advisory Council, Sanyal is widely known for his work in international economics and policy making. He has also been associated with global institutions and forums such as the G7 and the OECD. Party insiders claim that Sanyal’s name had earlier been discussed even for the CM’s post. However, the BJP’s central leadership ultimately chose Adhikari, citing his role as the face of the anti-Trinamool movement and his organisational influence in Bengal politics. If Sanyal is inducted into the cabinet, he would need to become an MLA and Nandigram seems the safe option. Currently serving as Chancellor of the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics in Pune, Sanyal previously worked with Deutsche Bank. After joining the Union Finance Ministry in 2017 as Principal Economic Adviser, he played a significant role in preparing several economic surveys and policy frameworks. He has consistently advocated industrial growth, infrastructure expansion, port-led development, urban modernisation, and ease of doing business reforms. A BJP-linked economist mentioned that Sanyal combines strong Bengali roots with a global economic outlook, where he could play a transformative role in Bengal’s revival through industrial growth. However, Sanyal remains a polarising figure, while supporters view him as a visionary reformer, critics have questioned some of his interpretations of history and his perceived ideological proximity to Hindutva narratives. Looks like the Modi government is looking for a figure capable of tackling Bengal’s long-period of industrial stagnation.

As May 30 nears, political activity in Maharashtra is bound to intensify over the issue of the 2026 Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, especially against the backdrop of the assembly election in West Bengal. For a variety of reasons, Maharashtra ‘s electoral rolls have become a major point of political clash. BJP leaders in the state have been demanding SIR’s implementation “to clear up bogus voters” on the electoral rolls. On the other hand, major Opposition parties have expressed concerns about the process and its impact on their own vote banks. Trading allegations of manipulation ahead of upcoming elections is expected to begin any moment now that the EC has come out with its timetable. But it will have the imprint of the apprehensions raised by the so-called Bengal Model. For instance, the Maharashtra Congress has expressed concerns that the SIR, being implemented after 22 years, is a “hurried” attempt to follow the pattern in West Bengal, where millions of names were deleted, raising doubts about fairness of the process. Certain Opposition leaders have alleged that the revision is aimed at selectively removing voters from specific communities and constituencies, particularly in major cities. The state-wide exercise will deploy over 3.94 lakh Booth Level Officers (BLOs). There is unease since the logistical hurdles that can occur as it runs parallel with census work will have to be handled by the government. The SIR to take off on May 30 will conclude on October 14. This door-to-door verification aims to clean up the electoral rolls. The BLOs will conduct house-to-house visits between June 30 and July 29, 2026.

As the news of the likelihood of the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)merging is gaining ground, the role of veteran leader Sharad Pawar has once again come into focus. Pawar had asserted after his nephew and Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s death in a plane crash that the talks for merger of the two sides had been blessed by Ajit. However, Ajit’s widow Sunetra soon thereafter joined the Mahayuti government led by CM Devendra Fadnavis. Expectedly, the issue was pushed to the backburner. However, over the past week, reports that Sunetra and her two sons, Jay and Parth, have concentrated all statutory powers of the NCP (Ajit) into their hands in submissions to the Election Commission have once again revived the power struggle. Both NCP (Ajit) senior leaders, Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare, have been totally sidelined by Sunetra. Tatkare’s sudden call on Sharad Pawar a couple of days ago after a gap of two years has added grist to the rumour mill. Interestingly, Pawar has once again thrown a rider with his support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for fuel economy. Many of his supporters recall how Pawar had responded to Modi’s appeal to play cymbals during the Covid-19 pandemic. Pawar’s unopposed recent re-election to the Rajya Sabha has only added another tangent to the intrigue. Hence, his next step is being watched with a baited breath by both sides.

Tamil Nadu’s new party in power and chief minister’s Joseph Vijay’s black dress code is much talked about. Coincidentally, Suriya’s 45th film titled Karuppu is in the news not for this colour or dress code but for several roadblocks that have made director RJ Balaji literally shed tears and producers S R Prabhu and Dream Warrior Pictures express deep concern about the film being leaked even before it’s formal release on May 14. CM Vijay even announced that two extra shows at 9 am could be screened as there was much excitement for Suriya’s screen presence after two years. Online and pre-bookings did brisk business. Imagine the sore disappointment when fans were told that Karuppu has been stalled. The usual carping that producer Prabhu had reneged on contract dues with financiers, that the KDM (key delivery message ) of Quebe Cinema had made some major mistakes …matters that defied fixing the blame on anyone. But troubles come bundled in jumbo packs …even as the team went into frenzied midnight huddles, news of Karuppu being screened in UP, Maharashtra and other markets sent shock waves …how could the film be released without its formal screening in Chennai? Was it a sabotage leak or a system failure …human error or digital outage? Director Balaji who had dedicated 32 trouble filled months in getting Karuppu with a budget of Rs 140 crore ready, broke down. A lot is riding on this film….Suriya, after the failure of Kanguva and tepid reception for Retro was hoping that Karuppu would break the jinx. Often insurmountable roadblocks are overcome by Divine grace. Even as Balaji apologised to the audience for the delay, he was optimistic about Karuppanna Sami’s compassion in rewarding those who worshipped him.

The Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan seems to be in deep trouble once again, following the cancellation of May 3 NEET-UG examination. The massive paper leak allegations have happened for the third time under his watch. At stake hangs the future of over 22 lakh NEET-UG 2026 medical doctor aspirants. The latest feedback as per the CBI report, is the alleged leaked paper was handwritten, scanned, converted into PDF files and then circulated among students at coaching centres in Rajasthan’s Sikar district for Rs 2-5 lakh. NEET-UG 2026 re-examination will be held on June 21. Congress leader Sachin Pilot, BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik and student bodies have asked for a 360-degree review of the NEET-UG paper leak. They have also demanded Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, citing repeated exam irregularities- they have also asked for a JPC probe and judicial investigations. Arvind Kejriwal said this is not the first time the NEET paper has been leaked…it happened in 2017,2021,2024 and now in 2025. Anxious parents are now questioning Dharmendra Pradhan’s role and why he has been kept as Education Minister”? A senior politician from BJD took a swipe at Pradhan alleging that recurring NEET paper leaks shows Pradhan’s lack of focus; physically he is in Delhi but mind is in Odisha as he is nursing this ambition to become the Odisha CM. Even though Pradhan has this ambition of becoming CM but Modi has other plans for him at the Centre.