Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s unwholesome attack on IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti dubbing him as “gaumutra expert” as part of her effort to target the Centre’s newest high-powered expert panel to reform India’s examination system was not only way off the mark but also raised serious questions about her speech writers. She was speaking over the introduction of the Public Examinations Amendment Bill 2026 in the Lok Sabha. How on the earth could she cheerily dumb down a scientist known for his work on microprocessors, not medicine? Questioning the composition of the newly constituted task force, she said its members included “a former IB chief (Tapan Deka), the owner of an IT company (Nandan Nilekani) and even an expert on gaumutra.” The flippancy of her remark, offered without elaboration, was unmistakably aimed at IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti. It revived a controversy that first surfaced in January 2025, when Kamakoti claimed cow urine had antibacterial and digestive properties, a comment that drew swift criticism from scientists and opposition leaders alike. Kamakoti Veezhinathan, who joined IIT Madras faculty in 2001 and took over as Director in January 2022, specialises in computer architecture, information security and VLSI design, which is the process of packing millions of tiny electronic switches called transistors onto a single silicon chip. He heads the institute’s Microprocessor Development Programme and its Information Security Education and Awareness Programme. He led the team behind SHAKTI, India’s first indigenous industrial grade microprocessor, a homegrown chip meant to reduce the country’s reliance on imported processors in areas such as defence and communications. His other roles include membership of the National Security Advisory Board and, earlier, chairmanship of the Artificial Intelligence Task Force set up by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

At the peak of Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protests at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi last week, an embarrassing episode unfolded at Kerala House, the state guest house run by the Kerala Govt located close to the protest site. Congress leader from Bihar, Kanhaiya Kumar, who earned his spurs in Left-oriented politics as student leader of JNU, experienced some embarrassing moments. It may seem odd that Kumar faced trouble when he tried to avail facilities at Kerala House. That too when the Congress led UDF is heading Kerala. So how come Kumar, a member of the influential Congress Working Committee, faced trouble? Apparently, Kumar got detained by the Delhi Police on July 24 following an altercation at Kerala House. Kumar, who is in charge of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) at the AICC, and considered close to Rahul Gandhi, was taken into custody after the Resident Commissioner of Kerala filed a complaint against him. He said he was told that Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar was expected to visit Kerala House later in the day. It seems it is the Governor problem again. “Governor was coming, and Governor is King,” Kumar was quoted as saying. The Congress leader said he had only gone to meet a friend at Kerala House and alleged that his detention reflected the functioning of the Union Govt and blamed HM Amit Shah and the Delhi Police for it. Reportedly, Kumar had gone to Kerala House to stay in a room booked under his friend’s name. However, officials informed him that no rooms were available. He then approached Kerala Resident Commissioner Puneet Kumar to seek clarification. The conversation reportedly turned into an argument, after which the Resident Commissioner called the Delhi Police and requested that Kumar be removed from the premises.

When Dharmendra Pradhan declared himself as a “street fighter” during a brief but sharp exchange with Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on July 27 in the Parliament, it just seemed as if the former HRD minister was all geared up for a long haul. At every step, the BJP leadership had been trying to cushion the blow for him. Two days ago, when he had put in his papers over NEET paper leaks, who’s who of the Union Cabinet – from HM Amit Shah to Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh to FM Nirmala Sitharaman—had visited his residence to express solidarity with him. When he reached Parliament’s Makar Dwar, NDA MPs waited to receive him. As he entered the complex, party colleagues greeted and escorted him inside. Pradhan was apparently seen smiling as his colleagues welcomed him. What moved everyone was the fact that Pradhan had resigned without facing any personal allegation or any direct involvement in the NEET paper leak. After all, those who leaked the papers were three Pune-based Chemistry professor and teachers. Interrupting Pradhan’s interaction with NDA MPs, Jairam Ramesh reportedly approached Pradhan and expressed sympathy over his resignation. “It happens,” the Congress leader told him. “Nothing happened,” Pradhan shot back and snappily added: “I am a street fighter. Not an AC room activist.” The sharp exchange was seen by BJP leaders as a signal that Pradhan remained politically confident despite stepping down. One of the party’s tallest leaders in Odisha, Pradhan played an important role in BJP’s West Bengal campaign, where the party formed its first government; a successive Govt in Haryana. It is likely he could work in Punjab or head for UP. For some odd reason the Congress is trying to block passage of law in Parliament to enhance punishment for those leaking papers. It is more focussed on peripheral issues like use of excessive force against students.

In a surprise move, Dharmendra Pradhan quit as Union Education Minister on July 25 saying the decision was driven by the need to protect the future of students and prevent “anti-national forces” from exploiting the massive youth protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. Clearly, his exit must have been on the advice of PM Modi. The nearly month-long protests by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) had virtually affected traffic movements in central business districts of Delhi. Some Congress leaders pointed out that student protests weren’t just confined to India. “We were told Indian students abroad were also planning to protest in the U.S. campuses to seek Pradhan’s ouster. Guess, that’s why PM Modi must have stepped in and asked Pradhan to put in his papers,” says Telangana Congress leader Madhu Yaskhi. Pradhan is the first senior minister of the Modi government to step down bowing to street protests and political pressure. He quit ahead of the government’s second round of talks with CLP. Normally, no minister quits when the Parliament is in session. Guess, PM Modi must have found one week of the Monsoon Session lost in obstructionism too much of a waste of time. Besides Pradhan is such a good political manager for elections, Modi and Amit Shah may have better use for him in a poll-bound state such as Punjab then to subject him to political sledgehammering in the Parliament. As for the pumpkin of the anti-NEET campaign, the crown will certainly go to Rahul Gandhi—who on July 25 morning tweeted that the minister would be moved to another ministry. As for Abhijit Dipke who made cat calls to 7 Lok Kalyan Marg upon Pradhan’s exit, it is being said he must now worry about his return home.  It’s not going to be easy.

Officially speaking, PM Modi’s two emissaries, JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh convinced activist Sonam Wangchuk to end his 26-day hunger strike on Thursday night (July 23) by providing three specific written assurances regarding the NEET-UG paper leak controversy. This was after a four-hour high-level meeting chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah. Union Health Minister JP Nadda and Minister of State Dr Jitendra Singh met Wangchuk at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram where Nadda read out and handed over the government’s official commitment. The Centre promised not to register cases or launch punitive action against students who participated in the “Chalo Sansad” march on July 20, or those protesting peacefully at Jantar Mantar. The government officially committed to holding discussion in Parliament regarding accountability in the failing examination system and implementing urgent educational reforms. Lastly, the government agreed to positively consider suitable financial compensation for the families of students who committed suicide following paper leaks. Was there any commitment to Wangchuk on sacking Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan? The answer is not a clear “Yes”. Wangchuk was told that trouble-makers were gathering in strength to unleash violence and he would be blamed for the aftermath. Therefore, Wangchuk agreed to pause his fast despite his initial core demand for the resignation of Pradhan remaining unmet. He stated that protecting the future of peaceful student protesters from legal jeopardy took higher priority. Wangchuk cited that the decision was heavily influenced by appeals from 65 MPs across political parties. Wangchuk was told that a decision on a new Education Minister was not ruled out. It might take some time.  Prior to Wangchuk’s meeting, the Centre attempted to address student grievances by replacing Education Secretary Vivek Joshi and establishing a fast-track court. The ministers also conveyed that the government...

Why is PM Narendra Modi refusing to sack Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan despite intense pressure from Opposition parties and student groups? Is it because of a calculated political strategy focused on maintaining his authority? Or is it to prevent a domino effect of ministerial accountability? Modi’s aides say PM Modi probably thinks that the demand for Pradhan’s exit will not stop with him. There is a good chance the protesters will change the goal-post to next seek the exit of Home Minister Amit Shah citing the police action of some unruly elements near Jantar Mantar. Can Modi afford to allow that scenario? Already, Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal and all those opposed to Modi may be toying with such a possibility. But it is well known that PM does not crack under political pressure. Sacking Pradhan would invite a “chain reaction” of “accountability” prompting the opposition and public to aggressively target other senior leaders such as Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari or Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. Also, many senior BJP leaders believe forcing a high-profile minister to step down under public duress will be viewed as an explicit admission of failure of the Modi government. The BJP also thinks that elected governments with a parliamentary majority should not be forced into submission by street marches or hunger strikes. Till date the Modi administration has not capitulated to agitations, preferring to choose its own timing for changes or reshuffles rather than reacting to public ultimatums. But this time, can Modi resist the brewing storm?

Why did PM Modi choose a selfie-mode to convey his message to Gen-Z in the middle of a persistent protest by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar in Delhi? After Modi’s video promising tough action over paper leaks went viral, everyone was talking about something other than the fast-track courts he promised. It was about how the thing was shot. Modi put the message up at 11.52 pm on Thursday (July 23). He started by calling viewers “Friends” and speaking straight into what looked like a phone’s front camera, held at arm’s length. No podium, no studio, no formal backdrop. For a leader whose addresses are usually announced days ahead and treated as events, the vertical selfie seemed unusual. Modi wanted to appear to be speaking to the youth. “Is it Gen Z style to impress the Gen Z audience?” asked the Twitterati. Of course, CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka noted that the Prime Minister had to release a selfie video at midnight and that showed that the pressure was very high to act on the demand to sack Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. As expected, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge objected to Modi’s selfie approach on X saying, “When Parliament is in session, the Prime Minister has to give a statement on the floor of the House; he should not make a late-night video and do a one-sided ‘Mann Ki Baat’ outside Parliament!”. He demanded that Pradhan be axed before Modi walks into Parliament next. Rahul Gandhi thinks that Modi is trying to outsmart his style of reaching out to the youth. While he has been wearing polo T-shirts, is Modi trying his outreach by selfie posts. “The PM’s promise is, as usual, hollow and only a headline-grabbing exercise…The fast-track courts are an eye-wash, an attempt to show responsiveness when there is none,” said Jairam Ramesh.

The nearly month-long protest that had intensified at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi with Sonam Wangchuk announcing indefinite fast to secure justice for NEET students has drawn to a close. Reportedly, two Union Ministers, JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh met fasting Sonam Wangchuk at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram on July 21. The ministers conveyed to the activist that the doors of communication were “open”, signalling the government’s willingness to hold a dialogue with the protesting students. Wangchuk who had amplified  the  agitation of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) led by Abhijit Dipke, by his indefinite fast on June 28 announced that he would end his hunger strike if the government assured him that no punitive or retaliatory action will be taken against students and protesters who took part in the July 20 “Chalo Sansad” march  to the Parliament. Clearly, it was the entry of this Ladakhi leader that had amplified the protest and made political parties such as the AAP hitch its bandwagon to the agitation. With CJP leader Dipke being a former AAP volunteer, it was only natural that senior AAP leaders like Manish Sisodia were found mobilising support for CJP’s protest march.  AAP leaders wanted to use the Delhi protest outcome to influence Punjab Assembly elections early next year where the Congress is seen to have an upper hand. The Congress which had initially kept away acquired a competitive interest in highlighting NEET issues only after Rahul Gandhi picked up the gauntlet. As the Lok Sabha LoP himself put across succinctly at a presser on July 22, that he did not mind any attack on him. He said, “The very cops who dragged me away whispered in my ear…‘Get rid’ of this government.” Sources say the Delhi police was forced to lift him and other Congressmen as they had tied “zip tags” to their wrists meant to deter cops from picking them up.

Union Minister of State in the PMO, Dr Jitendra Singh along with Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, went across PM Narendra Modi’s official residence at — 7, Lok Kalyan Marg — on July 21 afternoon to have a chat with Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi and Rajya Sabha MP Mallikarjun Kharge, to end their sit-in protest.  He was apparently instructed to reach out to senior Congress leaders by PM Modi. Inspite of being very vocal about a discussion on NEET-related issues in the Parliament, Dr Singh disclosed that “The Congress Party had not given any notice to date for a formal discussion on this serious matter as per rules.” The minister was sent by PM Modi ‘in view of the dignity of the senior delegation”. A request was apparently made to Rahul Gandhi to end his sit-in, as the site – in the high security zone – was not meant for protests. Rahul Gandhi put forward the demand that if the government agrees to discuss in Parliament all issues related to NEET, he would immediately end his sit-in. Within a few moments, after taking permission from the government’s top leadership, Rahul was assured that his demand has been accepted. When this information was conveyed to Rahul, he said that he would not agree to this alone but also sought assurance for the resignation of the Union HRD Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan. Clearly, government’s move to reach out to the Congress on NEET irked the AAP which had lent a lot of support to Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) dharna at Jantar Mantar. AAP MP Sanjay Singh alleged that PM Modi had got Rahul Gandhi to sit in front of his house only to weaken the thrust of the youth movement of that got a boost with recent protests.

Will the wave of street protests unleashed in the central business district on a working day in Delhi by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) achieve its goal? The disruptors may not have managed a regime change in the country but it now seems they will have the satisfaction of having some of their goals being partially met. It is now likely that the student community could perhaps have a new HRD minister. In fact, emergence of Union Health Minister and former BJP president JP Nadda as points man is being seen as a sincere move by Modi government to open the dialogue with student community. Nadda met with CJP representatives a day ahead of the protest at his official residence. The buzz is that while Nadda could take charge of the HRD Ministry, the much-reviled Dharmendra Pradhan could be shifted to some significant portfolio or they could be possibly swapping departments. It is being said that the emergence of Nadda as a trouble shooter is not accidental. Nadda brings a combination of political stature, organisational experience and a reputation as a consensus-builder in the party. Within the BJP, Nadda has cultivated the image of a low-key organiser rather than an aggressive leader. A Himachal-born leader who has worked in Bihar, Nadda is often deployed when the party wants to lower the political temperature. Colleagues describe him as accessible, patient and willing to hear out opposing viewpoints before responding. His appeal to the CJP delegation reflected that approach. Instead of rejecting the demands outright, he assured them that the government leadership would deliberate on the issues raised by them. Significantly as Health Minister, he reached out to the injured in hospitals. Rahul Gandhi, LoP in Lok Sabha, and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi also met the injured at Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.  

Why did Union Home Minister Amit Shah suddenly replace Delhi police commissioner Satish Golcha? Senior IPS officer Anurag Kumar was asked to take charge as the new Commissioner of Delhi Police on July 17. A 1994-batch IPS officer, Kumar was serving as the Special Director in the Intelligence Bureau (IB) before being entrusted with the top post in Delhi Police. Golcha was removed before his scheduled retirement in 2027. Golcha had taken over as the city police chief in August 2025. Delhi comes directly under the Union Home Ministry because it is a UT. Does his removal have anything to do with the Cockroach Janata Party’s 20-day-old sit-in at Jantar Mantar? An MHA order stated that Golcha, a 1992-batch AGMUT cadre IPS officer, will report to the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi for his next posting after Anurag Kumar formally assumes charge. That means he was removed without a new posting. The new police chief Anurag Kumar is one of the senior officers with extensive experience in both policing and intelligence. Before his stint at the IB, he served as DCP in several districts of Delhi. At IB he held several important assignments related to internal security and intelligence operations. His appointment comes months after the Delhi Police underwent a major administrative reshuffle on March 3. In one of the biggest transfers in recent years, 70 officers, including 50 IPS officers and 20 DANIPS officers, were shifted to new postings with immediate effect after approval from the Lieutenant Governor. The exercise covered appointments and transfers across several senior ranks, including Special Commissioners, Joint Commissioners, Additional Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs). The reshuffle impacted key wings, including district policing, crime, traffic, security, and other specialised units.

If an Army General is the Governor of a state, this is bound to happen. A guard of honour for the President, a Governor or a CM is a ceremonial — typically military or police personnel — arranged in a row to greet, escort, or pay respects to a distinguished guest, dignitary, or deceased person. But many police personnel are found not doing it properly. Recently, Bihar Governor Lieutenant General (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain had to teach the word of commands to a Bihar Police officer during an inspection of a guard of honour at Nalanda Open University. The Bihar Governor was seen correcting the police commander who he said, was rushing through the guard of honour procedure. “You are moving too fast…That should not be the case,” he could be heard saying in Hindi. Hasnain, a former General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Army’s Srinagar-based 15 Corps and the Bhopal-based 21 Corps, reached the university on July 15 for a function. He then went on to salute the commander twice as part of the ceremony, as the latter followed his instructions, shouted out the commands aloud, and sheathed his sword in the end to signal the end of the ceremony. Hasnain was further seen briefing the commander and the Superintendent of Police regarding the process. “Respect Guard, Wait…National Salute, Salami. Yes. Not Cut. Cut. Cut…No need to end so soon,” he apparently said.

A private school in Hyderabad with mostly Muslim students had to terminate a teacher after she allegedly assigned religious homework to a Class 2 Hindu student, triggering a controversy and protests by the parents of the Hindu student. “Success, The School,” in Saidabad, Telangana issued a termination letter to teacher Shaik Aisha Parveen, stating that she was permanently disqualified from teaching in any of its schools. “The teacher acted in violation of the school’s policy and has been terminated. The parents are satisfied and no police complaint has been filed,” said a senior Hyderabad cop. The school apparently is a secular school run by Muslims. It is open to children of all faiths. For some bizarre reason Shaik Aiisha Parveen had asked the non-Muslim students to also work on Kalma and Surah Fatiha. The Kalma is the Islamic declaration of faith, while Surah Fatiha is the opening of the Holy Quran. Cops acknowledged that the teacher had violated school policy which was why she lost her job. Initially the school had said that the homework was only for Muslim students who opted for a subject about Islamic teachings. According to the cops the Muslim students outnumbered the Hindus. BJP Telangana President N Ramchandra Rao however felt since Success School came under Telangana’s Department of Education, the department must survey schools across the state for such insidious attempts to convert Hindus. Rao feels that the issue that has cropped up in-Success School — wherein two Hindu students were asked to write the Kalma may not be an isolated instance. The government should take action against the management. The management says that they have terminated the teacher. But terminating the teacher is not sufficient. We feel it is not an isolated case. It is a larger plan by some schools and some management to convert people…” feels Rao.

Ahead of Monsoon Session of Parliament beginning on July 20, the Women’s Reservation Bill and the Delimitation Bill received unusual support from NDA ally, the Shiv Sena and its leader, Maharashtra deputy CM Eknath Shinde. Making a case for its passage, Shinde said that the population of many Lok Sabha constituencies has now reached between 2 million and 2.5 million, making it increasingly difficult to effectively undertake development works across such vast constituencies. He said ” that the delimitation of constituencies is therefore essential to ensure justice and equitable representation for the people.” He made a case for the Delimitation Bill while interacting with media persons at his son Dr Shrikant Shinde residence in Delhi. A number of party MPs were also present. It is significant that the Shiv Sena leader who has been tapping extra numbers and bolstering NDA strength in the Parliament came out publicly in support of the Delimitation Bill, after interacting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Shinde also made it clear that although there had been discussions for years about providing 50% reservation for women in Parliament, it was PM Narendra Modi who demonstrated the political will to introduce the legislation. He alleged that the Women’s Reservation Bill had failed to pass in the previous parliamentary session– April 2026– because of the opposition parties. According to him, the opposition paid a political price for this in the West Bengal elections. Interestingly, NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule had also voiced her support for the Delimitation Bill provided it assured a gender quota. As for meeting with Shah, Shinde said they held positive discussions on a wide range of development-related issues, including irrigation projects in the constituencies of Shiv Sena MPs.

With Punjab set to go to polls in early 2027, PM Narendra Modi’s visit to state capital and Union Territory Chandigarh on July 17 to inaugurate healthcare projects, a renovated railway station in Jalandhar, and flag off a train from Chheharta (Amritsar) to Varanasi seems to have rankled the ruling Aam Aadmi Party government. Predictably, the AAP leaders are miffed that Modi is stoking poll fever a bit too early. As a counter strategy, the AAP government has begun to endorse the bizarre U.S. line in the gangster Lawrence Bishnoi case. It has gone so absurd as to accuse the Modi government of deliberately ignoring Punjab and “aid a gangster, lodged in Sabarmati Jail of Gujarat, to spread his drug business in the state.” Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh is upset that PM Modi will inaugurate health projects in Punjab. “The Centre is not even allowing our flagship health insurance scheme to be implemented in PGI, Chandigarh—a project set up for Punjab several decades ago. If this is not discrimination, what else is?” he said. 80% of drugs being smuggled from across the International Border are being dumped in the state. That is why new drugs like ICE and cocaine are increasingly coming into Punjab,” said Balbir Singh, on the sidelines of a press conference called to speak about the initiatives being taken by the AAP government to tackle the drug menace in Punjab. Bragging about AAP government’s capabilities to stem the rot, Singh  claimed that if only the “person sitting in the Sabarmati jail of a state which has a double-engine government is now accused by an international agency like the FBI of running a global drug racket “were to be  sent by the Centre  to a Punjab jail, “we will not only treat him but also reform him.”

As Cabinet Secretary and senior IAS officer T V Somanathan’s tenure is scheduled to end on August 29, he pens a note on having brief meetings. Upon the conclusion of his term, the 1987-batch Tamil Nadu cadre officer will superannuate from the IAS. However, before his departure, he had decided to list some dos and don’ts. In a recent communication to all chief secretaries and the directors general of administrative training institutes, Somanathan has circulated a ‘Guide on Conducting Effective Meetings’. As a first rule, he has asked the babus to “avoid long meetings” and finish them in 30 to 60 minutes. Somanathan believes that meetings consume an inordinate part of a civil servant’s working day. Many officers themselves have told him that meetings often begin late, become overstretched and directionless, and end without any “tangible takeaways”. Somanathan’s objective, however, extends far beyond shortening meetings. The guide is, in effect, an attempt to change the culture of governance itself. Along with Somanthan’s departure, nearly 300 senior IAS officers, including some of the most powerful figures in the bureaucracy, are set to retire this year. This may trigger a massive reshuffle across the Centre and states, reshaping the top echelons of governance and opening the door for a new generation of officers. Several chief secretaries of major states and senior secretaries in crucial Union ministries are also on the retirement list, making the turnover far-reaching in both scale and impact. Uttar Pradesh alone is expected to see around 30 senior officers retire, while Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and the AGMUT cadre are also slated to lose a significant number of experienced administrators. States such as Delhi, Odisha, Haryana and Meghalaya will see their serving chief secretaries superannuate, necessitating a new succession line.

Will Prashant Kishor succeed this time? The by-election for Bihar’s Bankipur Assembly seat is scheduled for July 30. The seat fell vacant after Nitin Nabin resigned as MLA following, first, his elevation as the BJP National President, and then his subsequent election to the Rajya Sabha. Ordinarily, this may have been treated as a routine vacancy in a safe seat. Jan Suraaj’s Prashant Kishor has announced that he will contest from here, marking his first entry into the electoral contests. The BJP had initially named Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) state vice-president Abhishek Kumar as its candidate. Unfortunately, just days ahead of filing of nominations, BJP had to change its candidate; Neeraj Kumar Sinha replaces Abhishek Kumar who bowed out of the race citing “family reasons”.  These developments pleased Prashant Kishor who said, “This demonstrates that no Assembly or Lok Sabha constituency is anyone’s stronghold or personal fiefdom. If the public rises, even the most prominent leaders can be made to sweat.” Regarding Bankipur, he conceded that until recently, BJP leaders boasted that their fortress was so strong that even if they fielded a dog or a cat, the public would vote for them…” Today, it appears that their own candidate has stepped away. “When the results are declared on the 3rd, a full reckoning will take place,” said Kishor. Bankipur is one of Patna’s most talked-about VIP urban areas. It is part of the Patna Sahib Lok Sabha constituency, represented by BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad. It is a seat dominated by the influential Kayastha electorate. With his entry, Kishor is seeking to make the bypoll a referendum on the NDA government in Bihar. A non-Kayastha, Kishor has opted for an intensive door-to-door campaign and neighbourhood meetings instead of large public rallies. He belongs to the Bhumihar community.

The Modi government may be relieved that the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Canadian government has not named any political leader or a senior police official for the killing of some Khalistani separatist leaders. However, the U.S. Department of  Justice(DOJ)’s indictment of the laxity in Indian jails that allows criminals to get out and pose a threat to the outside world and extort money is not flattering . In fact, it raises the extent of complicity between our jail authorities and criminals lodged in their custody. The FBI launched a sweeping crackdown named ‘Operation Hard Ball’ against jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his close aide Satinderjit Singh alias Goldy Brar. Bishnoi is lodged in Sabarmati jail, Gujarat. It took the FBI a year-long investigation targeting criminal syndicates involved in murder, extortion, drug trafficking and other organised crime activities in the U.S., Canada and Europe. In all, 24 criminals have been arrested in the US, Canada and Europe. The U.S. (DOJ) said that searches were conducted at more than 50 locations. One of the three federal indictments focuses on Bishnoi whom U.S. prosecutors allege directed a global criminal enterprise from a prison in India. Bishnoi and Brar ordered the assassination of Sikh extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada in 2023. U.S. prosecutors also named Bishnoi’s key associates Goldy Brar and Rohit Godara. They said that while Brar looked after North America operations, Godara oversaw operations in Europe. The FBI has declared a $50,000 bounty for the arrest of Goldy Brar. The FBI probe also found collusion between some Punjab police officers and the gangs. The FBI has made Gurinderjit Singh Nagra, SHO of Tanda police station in Hoshiarpur, an accused, and his extradition has been sought.

Has West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari decided to copy UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s style? The prime accused in Bengal’s Baruipur rape-murder case, Prabhas Mondal, was shot dead in a police encounter during crime scene reconstruction. Mondal, along with his friends, had raped and killed a 12-year-old girl and thrown her body in a pond.  Mondal’s mother refused to take his body, saying he had shamed the family. But, not surprisingly, political parties like the Samajwadi Party in UP, Trinamool Congress leaders criticised the police encounter, saying it seems to be the beginning of a new type of “goonda raj”. TMC MP Mohua Moitra alleged “this is jungle law” on social media. She wrote, “Bengalis, please welcome new Bengal – Uttar Pradesh 2.0”. TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee took out a protest march in Kolkata, and people threw eggs amidst shouts of ‘chor, chor ‘.  By raising questions about this encounter, Trinamool Congress leaders have invited trouble. Bengal BJP leaders are now listing out cases of rape and murders during Didi’s rule, when rapists were shielded by police and in the RG Kar Hospital rape-murder case, all evidence of the heinous act was washed away, a few hours after the act. CM Suvendu Adhikari has apparently given the police a free hand. Clearly, Adhikari is following Yogi Adityanath’s model. His supporters say, “No state can progress unless criminals fear police. No investor will go to a state where crime and extortion are rampant. In Bengal, there was ‘goonda raj’ during Mamata Banerjee’s rule; its roots were quite deep, killers and rapists were getting police protection. There is a clear change in the situation now. Naturally, Mamata will not like this.”

India has sent former Union minister and BJP leader Dinesh Trivedi as its High Commissioner to Bangladesh, marking for the first time in the NDA government’s 12-year tenure that a political leader has been appointed as an envoy. Trivedi has also been given the rank of a Union cabinet minister. Under PM Modi, this is the first time a cabinet rank has been given to a political appointee, though there have been cabinet-rank ambassadors in Congress governments. Dinesh Trivedi is a political appointee, which means someone who is not a career diplomat (an Indian Foreign Service officer) being chosen for the envoy position. There have been a number of political appointee envoys but not all are bestowed cabinet status. The present ambassador to the USA, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, was till recently foreign secretary, but was sent as ambassador to the USA post retirement. He is also considered as a political appointee. There is former Army chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag, who was appointed High Commissioner of India to Seychelles in 2019. Soon after Independence, then PM Jawaharlal Nehru appointed his sister, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit as an ambassador with cabinet rank. In subsequent years, TN Kaul was given cabinet rank when he went as ambassador to Moscow. Likewise, Dr Karan Singh was given cabinet rank when he went as ambassador to the USA, and so too DP Dhar when he went a second time as ambassador to Moscow. Giving cabinet rank indicates a direct line to the PM; the envoy will not have to go through the hierarchy of the Foreign Secretary or the Foreign Minister. Second, the indication is also to the host country where the ambassador is accredited. In this case, the signal is clearly to Dhaka that this person is held in very high political esteem by PM Modi. All this is bound to help Trivedi to have direct access with Bangladesh top brass.

Nearly a month after the “chanda chori scam” broke involving top leaders of the Sangh, the top RSS leadership for the first time opened up on the scam involving the Ayodhya Ram temple. Looks like the Sangh first wanted to understand the extent of the theft and the persons involved. But, once the RSS realised that the loot was extensive and PM Modi and UP CM Yogi wanted a crackdown to catch all thieves, big or small, a statement was issued by RSS general secretary Dattareya Hosbale. From the statement it is clear, the Sangh was not going to protect anyone —howsoever close to the Ram Temple cause. For the first time Sangh shared a sense of hurt that has been bothering Hindus at large. In fact, there was even a sense of unease in the Sangh that Yogi’s SIT may end up ferreting out more details of the loot. For some reason, the Sangh and VHP treated the temple more as personal fiefdom and have landed in a mess. The RSS statement also assumes significance because of the Sangh’s long and central association with the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. The Sangh and its affiliates played a pivotal role in mobilising the nationwide campaign that culminated in the construction of the temple after decades of political, legal and social mobilisation. Even after the temple’s inauguration, the Ram Temple Trust had leaders associated with the Sangh. The statement marks the RSS’s first formal intervention in the controversy. The row has already claimed its biggest casualty with Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust’s general secretary Champat Rai stepping down from his post amid mounting pressure. Investigators have also arrested his former driver as part of the probe into the alleged theft.

The much-anticipated Union Cabinet reshuffle may simply get put off. Initially, there was excitement when George Kurian quit as Union Minister for Minority Affairs. It was presumed that he had set the ball rolling. With Modi government keen to push some important laws in the upcoming Monsoon Session of  the Parliament and increasing  its numbers in the House, there was a sense that a number of new ministers would soon join the government. For some reason, neither PM Modi nor Home Minister Amit Shah are in a mood to rush through this exercise and repent later.  With a series of international engagements for PM Modi beginning with a Seychelles visit at the end of June and a packed diplomatic schedule in early July, it now seems Modi is unlikely to reshuffle his team. Modi is expected to undertake visits to Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand between July 6 and 11. In addition, Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi is scheduled to visit New Delhi from July 1 to 3. In view of these international engagements, BJP leaders say the likelihood of a Cabinet reshuffle before July 11 appears remote, although they remain confident that the exercise will be completed ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament that is expected to begin third week of July. BJP sources also discount the possibility of any major change in the Finance Ministry like easing out FM Nirmala Sitharaman or getting former RBI Governor Dr Shaktikanta Das to head the ministry. Sources say significant portfolio reshuffles in the Union government are most likely when elections are held for the office of President of India in 2027.

Disturbed by reports of squirrelling away of Ram Temple funds, PM Modi made it clear to both the RSS and VHP that everyone linked to the Ayodhya Ram Temple donation theft case must face a probe. Apparently, the PMO got details that shocked both Modi and UP CM Yogi Adityanath alike. It showed a wider network of influence, with several accused staff members being close associates of former temple Trust office-bearers such as Champat Rai and Anil Mishra, both of whom resigned after the FIR was filed. Rai incidentally is also a senior office-bearer of the VHP. Most of the eight staff members named in the FIR were close associates of both Champat Rai and Anil Mishra. Two of them have been arrested by the police and produced before a local court. Yogi’s Special Investigation Team could only find CCTV footage of temple donation counting for only 45 days. Video footage recovered so far showed the accused pocketing currency notes at least 70 times inside the counting room. Several of the accused have confessed to stealing donation money, while others have returned the stolen cash. The key person among the eight named in the FIR is Ramshanker alias Tinnu Yadav, Champat Rai’s driver. Tinnu had the keys to all the boxes containing donation money. He played a key role in hiring people for the temple and also allocating counting duty. Tinnu owns properties worth more than Rs 50 crore in Ayodhya and Lucknow. He owns a plush residence and several costly sedans. What has upset top Sangh leaders is that Champat Rai showed gross negligence in running the temple’s affairs. He even tried to obfuscate PM Modi’s efforts to get ahead with the probe. His role needs to be thoroughly probed they say. Anil Mishra, the trust member who resigned, owns a big residence in Ayodhya, and his personal property has increased several times in the past five years.

After the BJP’s shocking performance in UP in the Lok Sabha polls of 2024, the central BJP and its UP unit leaders, including UP CM Yogi Adityanath are working to ensure the assembly polls next year are better coordinated and ego hassles are avoided. The latest organisational overhaul in the Uttar Pradesh BJP is a good example of a new approach of caste balancing. It is designed to counter the Samajwadi Party’s PDA (Backwards, Dalit and Minority) strategy. A lot of representation has been given for backward classes, Dalits, EBCs and women. Top leaders agree that the BJP must consolidate a broader social alliance before the 2027 electoral battle in UP. The new team reflects the party’s effort to combine caste arithmetic, regional balance and organisational experience. The newly constituted state team bears the imprint of the new national BJP chief, Nitin Nabin, and the UP organisational in-charge, Dharampal. Kameshwar Singh, who is considered close to CM Yogi has been appointed as a state vice-president. Several leaders perceived to be close to key BJP functionary Sunil Bansal, including Triyambak Tripathi and Vijay Bahadur Pathak, did not find a place in the new setup, though Archana Mishra has been included.  Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s close aide, Ankur Sharma, has been appointed as state secretary. Union minister Pankaj Chaudhary was appointed as a state chief in December 2025.  Among the 19 vice-presidents, the BJP has appointed four Rajput leaders: Suresh Rana, Ramesh Singh, Neeraj Singh, and Kameshwar Singh; three Brahmin leaders: Archana Mishra, Braj Bahadur and Shankar Girihave have been included; Kritika Agrawal and Alok Gupta represent the Vaishya community. As for non-Jatav Dalit communities, they have appointed Devesh Kori and Priyanka Rawat as vice presidents. A significant part of vice-presidential positions has gone to OBC leaders representing different caste groups. To maintain caste balance, the party has named eight general secretaries.

Ever since its defeat in the Tamil Nadu elections, the DMK’s relationship with Congress has turned frosty. As a result, it did not join the INDIA Bloc meeting held on June 8 in the Constitution Club, New Delhi. Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha Secretariat has accepted the DMK’s request to have its MPs seated separately from Congress MPs in Parliament following the alliance split. “Three of our allies (Congress, IUML, VCK) are now part of the TVK government led by chief minister Joseph Vijay. It means that they are no longer in the INDIA Bloc. AAP has already left and we are not in that alliance now,” says DMK spokesperson T K S Elangovan. He recalls that the Congress was in such a hurry to join the TVK government that they did not even have “the courtesy” to inform us. “At least, the Left Parties informed us…” What has hit the DMK hard is the Congress wishing to contest forthcoming local bodies’ elections along with the TVK. It is learnt that DMK is exploring to form a non-Congress front. What has bothered the DMK is Rahul Gandhi’s issuing a statement asking the southern regional parties to partner with the Congress for the 2029 Lok Sabha polls. It seems Sonia Gandhi’s is keen to have DMK in INDIA bloc for the 2029 Lok Sabha polls.  Sonia is convinced that Rahul Gandhi will need DMK’s support to become PM in 2029. Does it mean that the Gandhis aren’t convinced that Vijay’s TVK is enough to see the Congress through the Lok Sabha polls in TN? During his address at the INDIA Bloc meeting on June 8, Rahul Gandhi vouched that the DMK would be part of the Bloc. Will be nice to know what CM Vijay thinks about Congress keeping its option open with DMK.

The Congress has nominated party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and party spokesperson Pawan Khera who was known for taking on Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma from Karnataka. The party opted to give the sole Rajya Sabha seat from Madhya Pradesh to Meenakshi Natrajan. A committed no-nonsense Congress leader, she had impressed Rahul Gandhi with her simple lifestyle. Party sources said most of the Rajya Sabha picks were personally cleared by Rahul Gandhi. Former CM Digvijay Singh who retired as MP refused to seek another term and made it possible for Meenakshi Natrajan. The Congress has just three sitting MPs who are retiring and if the elections goes as per party strength, the party is likely to get seven lawmakers, provided the JMM offers the second seat which the I.N.D.I.A Bloc can win to Congress in Jharkhand. Besides, Pawan Khera, another person who handles media for the Congress, Pranav Jha is also being nominated to the Rajya Sabha from Jharkhand. The party also nominated Mansoor Ali Khan, son of former Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Rahman Khan from Karnataka. Meanwhile in the BJP, there was a bloodbath of sorts as incumbent Union ministers George Kurian and Ravneet Singh Bittu did not find their names in the list from Madhya Pradesh. While Bittu may still be contesting the forthcoming Punjab assembly elections, tears are not being shed for Kurian as he had lost in Kerala assembly elections. An old BJP hand, he was apparently seen as not endearing himself or the party to the community. Kurian was not liked very much by the community even though he handled minority affairs.

Former Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai may have the satisfaction of dominating national media discussions for a day about his possible exit from the BJP. However, after camping in Delhi for three days and even spending his birthday (June 4) by holding out a resignation threat, one hears he has still not put in his resignation. His media antics were not well-received in the PMO. In fact, as news channels obsessed about his meetings with Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief Nitin Nabin, eyebrows were raised at the highest level at the kind of level a malcontent from South was allowed to manage media coverage in Delhi. It is precisely for this reason that the former IPS officer failed to secure even a birthday wish from PM Modi or Shah. When Annamalai explained his need to float new forum to mobilise youth in Tamil Nadu, Shah told him that there was no need for it. He was told that the party would always stand with him. It is being felt Annamalai’s talk of a separate morcha to take on the TVK under Vijay could all be an idea that is being pushed probably by the DMK. The DMK needs a credible, clean face to mobilise youth against CM Vijay. It is here that Annamalai fits the bill. Annamalai had extended his stay hoping to meet with PM Modi who was tied up with the visit of Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodríguez. It is learnt the BJP did not bargain with Annamalai. A section of the RSS suggested that talks be held with him which is why Amit Shah and Nitin Nabin met with him. Meanwhile, BJP TN president Nainar Nagendran had fixed up a meeting with Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Nainar’s visit to Delhi was portrayed as if he was being summoned by party bosses at Annamalai’s behest.

Contrary to speculation, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), the new political party led by actor Vijay that has just come to power in Tamil Nadu, apparently is not bothered about getting a foothold in Delhi. That is why the party did not hesitate in allotting Rajya Sabha seat from TN to its coalition partner, the Congress party, ahead of the biennial elections scheduled for June 18. In a statement, the TVK announced that the seat – vacated by AIADMK leader C V Shanmugam that is set to be filled through the Rajya Sabha election has been allocated to the Congress as part of the seat-sharing arrangement. AICC Tamil Nadu In-charge Girish Chodankar had met CM Joseph Vijay earlier in the day. “I met the chief minister, and requested him that this seat should be allocated to us by them and then it will also help us in the Rajya Sabha,” he said. Chodankar feels the Congress has every reason to feel thrilled with TVK’s gesture as it will now have three Rajya Sabha MPs from the state.  At present the Congress has former Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Christopher Tilak (AICC secretary) who was elected to the Rajya Sabha in March 2026 with the support of the DMK. Praveen Chakravarty, a close Rahul Gandhi aide, who TN CM Vijay publicly addressed as a friend for batting for TVK-Cong alliance, will be the other PC, who is most likely to get elected from the state. “Apparently, the basis for the Congress joining the TVK Govt was the scope for improving its presence in Parliament,” says a Congress source.

Will former Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai quit the party and go on a yatra of the state to establish his leadership? A tough choice when the next assembly election in the state is five years away.  Annamalai is meeting with BJP President Nitin Nabin and other senior leaders of the party in New Delhi on June 2 ahead of his birthday (June 4) during which he is likely to submit his resignation.  Initially, it was believed that the former IPS officer was merely flexing muscle and putting pressure on Central leadership to accommodate him in upcoming Rajya Sabha vacancies. With such pressure tactics unlikely to yield results, it is more likely that Annamalai may have to have live up to his promise of mobilising Tamil Nadu youth. Rise of Joseph Vijay may have inspired him to chart his own course; he is much younger than CM Vijay. With both the Dravidian parties battered by TVK – Annamalai will probably be able to rebuild afresh from their debris. Of course, it will be a tough task. Annamalai has kept a low-profile since stepping down as the TN BJP chief to facilitate the party’s alliance with the AIADMK. He has had several run-ins with Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) of AIADMK, and they don’t share a good rapport. AIADMK may have denied Singanallur as EPS did not want Annamalai to contest and emerge as challenger to him in the region. Interestingly both belong to the powerful Gounder community. Annamalai expressed his displeasure over the constituencies allotted to the party. He is believed to have questioned why the BJP agreed to contest in three seats in Pudukkottai district, where it lacks a strong base and asked why strong efforts were not taken to get seats in western Tamil Nadu, where it has a base. Reportedly, BJP leadership is upset with the way Annamalai managed party finances during the Lok Sabha polls. Looks like he runs a trust deficit among Delhi bosses.  

BJP has given a Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) ticket for the Chandrapur-Wardha-Gadchiroli seat to a prominent industrialist Arun Lakhani, co-treasurer of Maharashtra BJP for the June 18 elections. His son Sarang Lakhani is engaged to marry Revati, daughter of Supriya Sule on June 20. The Lakhani family has been connected to the RSS. The marriage itself was arranged by political bigwigs in the state.”Supriya Tai sent me a congratulatory message. The reference to the Pawar family is natural because it is a large political family and we are related. I do not see anything unusual in that,” says Arun Lakhani. Revati Sule studied economics at St Xavier’s College, Mumbai and did master’s degree in public administration from the London School of Economics. Sarang Lakhani is currently the executive director at Vishvaraj Group, Nagpur-based group controlled by his father. A badminton player, he has studied management at Columbia Business School in the United States. The buzz around the Sarang-Revati wedding grew after senior NCP leader Sharad Pawar was admitted to a private hospital in Pune following a chest infection early this year. Sarang’s family-owned business group, the Vishvaraj Group, is a company engaged in water sustainability projects, wastewater management and road infrastructure development. He has been involved in the family business for over eight years now. Before joining the family business, he worked as a business development consultant with Modern Hydrogen.

Acting on orders of Rahul Gandhi, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah resigned very reluctantly to pave the way for D K Shivakumar (DKS). But he hoped he could pressurise Rahul Gandhi to accept his suggestions for an important role as a coordinator for the party-government arrangement, like he was during the short-lived coalition between Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) when H D Kumaraswamy was CM from 2018-2019. Siddaramaiah sought to revive the same model which would allow him to remain as an alternative power centre in the state. However, Rahul Gandhi put his foot down. Having Siddaramaiah as a coordinator would mean DKS would not be able to function as CM with a free hand. A day after he resigned as CM, Siddaramaiah met Rahul Gandhi and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi, accompanied by his son Yathindra. Siddaramaiah is also said to have pushed for giving his son the deputy CM post with a key portfolio. Yathindra is an MLC after having lost the 2023 assembly polls. It is this anxiety to find an elevated political role for his medico son —a relatively lateral entrant into politics—that could chip away Siddaramaiah’s clout with Congress leadership. He is also seeking Cabinet berths for his loyalists in the new ministry. Majority of Congress MLAs are reportedly still backing him while DKS is dependent on Sonia, Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi for his authority. Sources say besides Yathindra, DKS government could have Priyank Kharge as second deputy CM representing the Dalits. There may well be a deputy CM from Lingayat community too (M B Patil). Patil and G.Parameshwara were in Delhi for a second round of meeting with Rahul. AICC has not been able to finalise Satish Jharkhioli as PCC chief as he also wanted to be part of the government.

Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy has made a new political move to show that he is the undisputed leader of all Telugu people. His act of unveiling a 23-foot statue of NT Rama Rao (NTR) at Maitrivanam junction in Ameerpet, Hyderabad, on May 28 has raised eyebrows. NTR was no doubt a tall leader of undivided Andhra Pradesh. But he was more of an Andhra than a Telangana leader. But Revanth wants to improve his popularity not only in Telangana but also in the present Andhra Pradesh by installing a statue of NTR, whose TDP legacy is deeply linked to opposition to the bifurcation of AP. Critics of Revanth say promoting the TDP icon may alienate Congress’s core Telangana base, erode the party’s hard-won identity, and ultimately leave Congress in electoral irrelevance by 2028-29. NTR’s contributions as a cine icon and populist reformer — rice at Rs 2/kg, women’s initiatives, and the anti-Congress wave in 1983 — were achieved in united Andhra. Yet, in Telangana’s collective memory, his TDP often symbolised resistance to the demand for separate statehood. The Telangana movement gained momentum from the 1960s onward and peaked in the post-2000s period. At that time, Andhra CM N Chandrababu Naidu was in favour of Telugu unity and opposed the creation of a separate Telangana state. Gradually, the TDP lost support in Telangana and remained confined to AP. A former TDP MLA elected from Kodangal in 2009 and 2014, Revanth rose under Chandrababu Naidu’s mentorship, serving as floor leader before his 2017 switch to Congress. Some Congress critics see the NTR statue — promised during the Jubilee Hills bypoll (which was won by Naveen Yadav)— as an overture to Chandrababu, who was once his leader. While unveiling the statue of NTR, Revanth publicly urged NTR fans and TDP remnants to “bury BRS,” of K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR).

For once it was senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi who emerged as the mover and shaker in Karnataka politics as she came to taking the right call. She took the initiative of calling off Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah’s bogey that majority of the 137 Congress MLAs were backing him. She made it clear that there would have to be a regime change in Karnataka, no matter what. This tough message could not be conveyed to Siddaramaiah via her son Rahul Gandhi or AICC Gen Secretary K C Venugopal. She was clear that the promise to install deputy CM D K Shivakumar as Karnataka CM in this assembly had to be kept. She also made it clear that troubles that DKS had endured for the sake of the party — he was arrested in a money-laundering case in 2019 by the ED and was lodged in Tihar Jail. That was enough to prove his loyalty and commitment to the party. He has also been looking after son-in-law Robert Vadra’s realtor interest in Bengaluru. For these reasons and more DKS had to be rewarded. Party sources said Sonia was also firm that if any change in the CM were “to affect the Congress prospect in 2028 Karnataka assembly elections”,  the party leadership should not be unduly worried.  This message somewhat disturbed party stalwarts. But then it was this big push from Sonia that got the Congress to make the big move on Siddaramaiah. Of course, it is not clear if Siddaramaiah will accept a role in Delhi as Rajya Sabha LoP. He had out right refused a deputy CM role for his son Yathindra in the next govt. It is not clear what will be Mallikarjun Kharge’s role? Will he just remain Congress President and a Rajya Sabha MP?

There is a lot of speculation about who will Tamil Nadu chief minister Joseph Vijay send as his first member to the Rajya Sabha as the Election Commission has announced the by-elections for the lone Tamil Nadu seat vacated by former AIADMK minister C V Shanmugam after he won the Assembly elections. TVK is expected to win the seat comfortably.  Speculation is that Vijay is most likely to make a pick between his two political advisors – Vishnu Reddy and John Arogyasamy. Vijay desperately needs a person in Delhi to interact with the Centre. His choice will be firmed up when he visits the national capital for the first time on May 28 to call on PM Modi and other Union Ministers. Last date for filing nominations is June 8. TVK which currently has 107 MLAs is the single largest party, with support of 22 rebel AIADMK MLAs. Four AIADMK MLAs have resigned are hoping to seek re-election on a TVK symbol; this could increase TVK’s numbers in the assembly. The Congress is not happy with the TVK’s this approach of augmenting its numbers. At the same time, the Congress is keen to augment its own presence in the Rajya Sabha and hopes Vijay will allot the Rajya Sabha seat to it. If TVK allots the seat to the Congress, the party’s next chance to enter Rajya Sabha independently will only come in 2028 when six members from the state retire. Rahul Gandhi’s aide Praveen Chakravarty has been hoping to make an early entry into RS even it is only for two years. Of course, these issues Vijay will perhaps thrash out when he calls on Sonia and Rahul Gandhi at 10 Janpath on May 29.

When Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah received a call from the Congress high command to visit New Delhi on May 26, it brought a lot of cheer in Congress top brass in the state. It was felt the high command was finally providing clarity on the leadership dispute between Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar (DKS). Siddaramiah’s visit to Delhi reignited a state Cabinet reshuffle and transition of power. He was informed about the meeting by AICC General Secretary (org) K C Venugopal. He dismissed as speculation his visit to Delhi as “an imminent leadership transition”. Though there was buzz that he was being called for a Cabinet reshuffle, party sources were still hoping that there would be some change; a new CM, possibly DKS aided and assisted by 3-4 deputy CMs. Of course, sources close to the Sidda camp felt the CM will resist it by pushing for Parameshwara, a Dalit as CM. Congress sources were hoping that DKS could pull off what veteran BJP leader B S Yediyurappa had managed in 2019 with three deputy CMs. “From CM’s son to Kharge’s son, our list of deputy CM hopefuls is quite large”, said a party source. It is possible, Siddaramaiah is being called for deliberations on the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections. Given its legislative majority, Congress is comfortably positioned to win three of the four seats heading into the polls. Four Rajya Sabha vacancies have risen upon the completion of the terms of AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, Janata Dal (Secular) supremo H D Deve Gowda and BJP MPs Iranna Kadadi and K Narayana. While the Congress will certainly re-nominate Kharge seat, the BJP is likely to re-nominate the former PM. Meanwhile, there is much speculation that the Congress may bring in former MLA Dr Anjali Nimbalkar into the Rajya Sabha. A physician, she is much remembered for saving the life of an American passenger last year on Goa-Delhi flight.

Soon after returning from his 5-nation foreign tour PM Modi on May 21 chaired a marathon meeting of the Union Council of Ministers at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. The high-level meeting, which began around 5 pm, lasted nearly four and a half hours and focused on governance reforms, administrative efficiency and the government’s long-term “Viksit Bharat 2047″ vision. Ministers whose departments disposed of files at the fastest pace were specially highlighted during the review exercise. Of course, while wrapping up the discussions PM Modi didn’t want the ministers to rest on their laurels. He told ministers that the time had come to focus on the future instead of revisiting past achievements. Emphasising on “Viksit Bharat 2047″ as national commitment, he directed ministers to ensure quicker decision-making and reduce bureaucratic delays. A key highlight of the meeting was that for the first time the high-level ministerial meeting organised by the PMO struck an austerity note. Endless cups of chai and bottled mineral water were of course served. What was missing were the usual round of snacks — biscuits and cashew nuts Imagine having endless cups of chai through the four hours. Ministers who were hoping that the meeting would end up with a dinner with PM Modi were clearly in for a shock. They didn’t expect PM Modi to administer a dose of austerity on his own Council of Ministers. Perhaps, PM Modi must have been aware that the ministerial meeting was being held amid the conflict in West Asia, rising fuel prices and the government’s efforts at mitigating these challenges. On May 11, PM Modi had appealed to the people to save the country’s foreign exchange reserves by cutting down on the use of fuel, postponing foreign travel and purchases of gold. He must have thought it is best to begin at home.

Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay expanded his cabinet on May 21 — coinciding with the death anniversary of former PM Rajiv Gandhi – by including his post-poll ally the Congress. Two of the five Congress MLAs, K Rajesh Kumar (Nadar Christian) and P Vishwanathan (Dalit MLA) became part of Vijay’s government. Ahead of the reshuffle, the Congress party said, “This is a historic occasion for us, as the Congress joins the Tamil Nadu cabinet after a long gap of 59 years.”. Congress leader Praveen Chakravarty wrote on X “Share in governance, Share in power”. It is not clear if the Congress is happy with their portfolios – Rajesh got Tourism and P Vishwanathan given Higher Education. What came in for a surprise is the way veteran leader K A Sengottaiyan was stripped of the Finance portfolio just five days after entrusting him with it. The Finance portfolio has now been given to first-time MLA N Marie Wilson. It is not clear if Sengottaiyan has been downsized as a signal that TVK has lost interest in breaking the AIADMK. It is also being presumed that his close aide Adhav Arjuna may have raised a red flag. Taking a cue from Keralam, Vijay has also carved out a separate AI-focused department to be headed by Velachery MLA R Kumar. Kumar is among the few qualified professionals who have got elected on TVK ticket. What has earned Vijay the kudos from the Hindus is the way he has allotted the Ministry for Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments (HRCE) to his Brahmin MLA Ramesh from Srirangam — a temple town. This is perhaps happening for the first time in Tamil Nadu history.

Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay is expanding his cabinet on May 21 which will see his post-poll allies the Congress, VCK and IUML joining his government. Two of the Congress MLAs, K Rajesh Kumar and P Vishwanathan will be part of Vijay’s government. In its official statement, the party said, “This is a historic occasion for us, as the Congress joins the Tamil Nadu cabinet after a long gap of 59 years.” The last Congress government was in 1967.  Congress leader Praveen Chakravarty wrote on X “Share in governance, Share in power”. Chief minister Vijay had publicly greeted Praveen as his “friend” in Rahul Gandhi’s presence. It was Praveen who had been pushing for an alliance with the TVK. Will entry of Congress ministers solve Vijay’s problem of managing temples in the state? Difficult to say. Congress sources said the majority of its five MLAs are Christians including Rajesh.   Meanwhile, Sivaganaga MP Karti Chidambaram seemed relieved that Vijay had steered clear of rebel AIADMK MLAs.  In an article in The Week, he admits that “those who had suggested an alliance with the TVK before the election were proven right…And, the Congress adds great value to the TVK by giving it a national endorsement and a secular sheen. So, in my estimation, it is a win-win situation.” At the same time, he feels that the Congress could have managed DMK exit better. By joining the TVK government will it motivate young people to join the Congress? “The Congress is not going to be their first choice; the TVK is a more logical choice”, feels Chidambaram. He feels, Rahul Gandhi with his rapport among the young will prove positive when it comes to a national election. It will probably work in the 2029 Lok Sabha polls.

It seems the DMK has still not come to terms with losing elections. Or else why would the former chief minister M K Stalin take a jibe at TVK leader Joseph Vijay. Speaking at a wedding reception in Thanjavur, Stalin said, “TVK leader Vijay became CM by influencing children through Instagram, without even appointing booth agents properly.” Why is the DMK behaving like a sour loser? Is it because CM Vijay has already drawn up a plan to act against corrupt DMK ministers? It is being said that the DMK is very upset not so much with the TVK winning 107 seats but TN voters that had chosen to decisively move away to a different kind of politics after accepting electoral gifts from it. The DMK would have accepted the verdict if the people had voted for the familiar alternative — the AIADMK. What has unsettled the DMK is that the people voted for an untested TVK.  Vijay was offering to start afresh with a clean slate and had refused to offer voters any incentive for voting him in, except the freebies such as a whopping unemployment allowance and improving allowance for women. Voters had gladly accepted their electoral gifts from the Dravidian parties and yet voted for TVK. In fact, in an angry outburst, DMK Tiruchendur MLA Anitha Radhakrishnan said the TVK administration would not last six months. He insisted that his DMK boss would return soon. Upset about Stalin’s defeat to a TVK candidate from Kolathur, Radhakrishnan blamed voters for defeating Stalin. “Our boss had changed Kolathur to Singapore,” and called the voters “worthless”. Meanwhile actor Rajinikanth’s clarification that he is not jealous about Vijay having made the cut as CM is a bit odd.  Old timers recall his influence on Tamil politics — how his one call vote for DMK-Tamil Maanila Congress alliance in 1996 had brought down J Jayalalithaa government!

Efforts of the Congress leadership to include Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay in the swearing in ceremony of United Democratic Front CM V D Satheesan in Keralam on May 18 has apparently not succeeded. Taking a cue from PM Modi who makes it a point to showcase NDA strength whenever BJP forms government in a state, the Congress too thought it would showcase the long-standing bond between TVK supremo Vijay and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.  Though Vijay has accepted post-poll support of five Congress MLAs in TN and even visited Satya Murthy Bhawan in Chennai, he is yet to formally expand his cabinet to include those MLAs who backed his government during trust vote. Congress sources said CM Vijay would not be attending the Keralam swearing in. He is clearly too focussed on governance issues. If at all he travels, his first trip will be only to Delhi to meet with PM Modi and other leaders in Delhi. That leaves only three Congress CMs — Siddaramaiah (Karnataka), Revanth Reddy (Telangana) and Sukhvinder Singh Sukku (Himachal Pradesh) — who will be present at the function at Thiruvananthapuram. Both Rahul and his sister Priyanka who is Wayanad Lok Sabha MP will attend, so too Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. Karnataka’s deputy chief minister D K Shivakumar will also be present.

Efforts to get DMK supremo M K Stalin back into Tamil Nadu assembly are reportedly on. But right nowhe is reluctant — more in “once bitten, twice shy mood”. His manager Sekar Babu who got elected from Harbour Constituency and had managed Kolathur seat from where former chief minister Stalin lost by about 8000 votes is reportedly offering his seat for the party boss. Stalin is also being persuaded to contest the Trichy (East) seat — which has been vacated by CM Joseph Vijay.  Sources say Stalin is reluctant to try his electoral fortunes — either in Harbour or in Trichy once again.  Both he and his wife Durga feel very gamed by all those who were trying to assist them — from Sekar Babu who managed Kolathur to P.E.N, the election management company run by their son-in-law V Sabareesan. When internal assessment of the loss of Kolathur was done within the DMK, one nagging question was: How did Sekar Babu win while Stalin lost?  The Stalins were equally stunned that P.E.N also gave wrong inputs about Kolathur. Not just that. Durga Stalin was particularly surprised that P.E.N gave inputs matching with state police feedback and intelligence unit reports –it was as if the professional agency was coordinating with government agencies. On his part, Stalin is resigned to the DMK playing constructive opposition, and did not mind some of his alliance partners like the Left Partners and the IUML extending support to the TVK government. At the same time, he was bitter about the manner in which Congress dumped the DMK. He found its MLAs who were elected as part of the alliance did not visit DMK headquarters Anna Arivalayam after the result and alleged that the party severed ties with DMK within a day.

It may have taken Rahul Gandhi a good 10 days to finalise the name of V D Satheesan as Kerala CM but the fact that he managed to do so resisting the pressure to pick his close aide K C Venugopal is commendable. Satheesan’s elevation as CM is largely being viewed as succumbing to pressure from a key ally, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) with 22 MLAs. In view of IUML’s influence in the crucial Wayanad Lok Sabha seat held by Priyanka Gandhi, many in the Congress feel Rahul may have possibly rewarded the man who was the face of the United Democratic Front (UDF)’s emphatic victory. The UDF won 102 of the 140 seats in the assembly. Even on May 14, the day of announcement Venugopal was prevailing on his boss to rethink his decision. AICC in charge Deepa Dasmunsi apparently had to reschedule her flight to Thiruvananthapuram as Venugopal was playing his mind games. Meanwhile the BJP tried to drum up sympathy for Venugopal saying the Congress had succumbed to pressure of Muslim League. Party spokesperson Shehzad Jai Hind wrote on X that the Kerala CM face had been done under two pressures – pressure from Jamat/IUML, Muslim vote bank, and Priyanka Vadra who did not support Venugopal. But then what does it mean for thousands of Congress leaders who were hoping a Kerala win will take a manipulative Venugopal away from the AICC. A senior Congress leader from South remarked: “It is bad luck for us…we will have to learn to live with this. But the Congress will suffer because of him.  As for Venugopal, it is karma…payback time for him. He was denied a chance to be CM precisely for the torture he has put many Congress workers through.”  Venugopal who has played gatekeeper made Rahul Gandhi inaccessible to party leaders/workers. In sharp contrast, Satheesan is an accessible Congress leader.

Radhan Pandit, a high-profile political astrologer, lasted as OSD to Tamil Nadu CM Joseph Vijay for barely 24 hours — appointed on May 12, removed the following day. Yes he was removed from the office as soon as Vijay overwhelmingly won the confidence vote— with a thumping 144 votes way beyond the support of his 106 MLAs. So, what is it with Rickey Radhan Pandit Vettrivel as he calls himself these days that he dominated the TN confidence debate proceedings? Political analysts are surprised that DMDK leader V Premalatha who first flagged the issue of Pandit’s appointment, should call for vigil to maintain “scientific temperament”. Her call may not reflect popular belief in astrology that prevails in the state where annual or decadal planetary transits usually makes headlines. In fact, there are temples dedicated for various planets and people from North India specifically travel to these spots such as Shani Dev Temple in Thirunallar for “griha shanti”.  Is the call for rationalism, a plan to kill astro spiritual tourism of Tamil Nadu under the TVK regime? Is it the design of Christian church against Hindu temples? Once close to the late AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa, Radhan Pandit had to flee to Singapore to save himself from her wrath. He had predicted she would get relief in the Disproportionate Assets case. When she was convicted, Jayalalithaa was livid. It was at that point Vettrivel – then known as Erode Vettrivel—moved to Delhi and changed his name. He then tried to hoodwink BJP stalwart LK Advani by telling him that he would be next PM. It was Congress MP Karti Chidambaran who first questioned Raadan Pandit elevation with a subtle post on X “Caligula-Incitatus” referring to the 4th century Roman emperor Caligula’s affection for his favourite horse, Incitatus. Caligula had intended to make his horse consul.

In an interesting move, Tamil Nadu CM Vijay appointed his astrologer Radhan Pandit Vettrivel as his OSD. The appointment reveals Vijay’s dependence on Pandit; it also shows how he values his advice—from the black tilak on brow to the green ink pen he uses for signing files. Meanwhile, in Kerala, where Christians constitute about 18.4 % (Census: 2011) and where the Congress has given at least two Christian chief ministers, this time the party is battling to make a choice from Hindu community of Nairs. The party deliberately decided to project a Hindu CM to break the support base of LDF among the Hindus. The Congress-led UDF was known for a pro-Christian bias. “The days of Christian CMs are over,” says a Kerala Congress leader. Ironically, to break the tie among the three Nair choices, Sonia Gandhi has consulted veteran leader A K Antony. The buzz is Anthony has cast his weight behind popular leader V D Satheesan, even as Rahul Gandhi’s heart is with K C Venugopal. In sharp contrast, Tamil Nadu voted in a Christian CM Joseph Vijay. It is a state where the state manages by law revenues of nearly 36,000 temples and has a ministry to oversee it. What however takes the cake is when DMK leader and LoP Udhayanidhi Stalin once again said, “Sanatana must be eradicated.” This time inside the Tamil Nadu assembly. Udhayanidhi won’t dare to repeat this outside the House as cases are pending outside Tamil Nadu against him on this issue. But what stood out even more was that CM Vijay did not oppose the statement at all – instead, he greeted Stalin respectfully with folded hands. If Udhayanidhi had said “Christianity must be eradicated,” would Vijay have still remained silent? Guess for now, Tamil people are only bothered about Vijay’s freebies. That is if he can deliver!

Nothing has stunned Tamil Nadu political circles more than chief minister Joseph Vijay’s grand gesture of a political outreach on May 11 afternoon. Yes, on the first day of the new Tamil Nadu assembly session, Vijay did the unthinkable, reached out to his political rivals across the political aisle. Beginning with his predecessor and DMK supremo M K Stalin, on whom he called at his Alwarpet residence, Vijay reached out to nearly everyone on the broader spectrum of Dravidian parties. For once Vijay seemed – as if he was either God’s good man or at least a man without any guile. In doing so, Vijay was quite clearly following the great traditions of Tamil Nadu political tradition that was followed by veteran Congress leaders such as Rajaji and Kamaraj. Such leaders were known to maintain good relations with DMK patriarch C N Annadurai.  Apparently, relations between the ruling and the Opposition side turned for the worse only when MGR who led the AIADMK came to power in the 70s. MGR and Karunanidhi of the DMK could never see eye to eye. DMK could never come to power when J Jayalalithaa led the AIADMK. Political analysts believe Vijay is being well-advised to change political tradition and follow the path taken by Kamaraj. In many ways Vijay seems to be taking a cue from PM Modi. After vanquishing Congress, Modi in 2014 had called on Dr Manmohan Singh. Interestingly, Udhayanidhi, who ignored CM Vijay in the assembly, more than made up by warmly receiving him at his house when he came to meet his father Stalin. Vijay also called on MDMK stalwart Vaiko and PMK leader Dr Anbumani Ramadoss. Ramadoss’s wife Sowmya is an MLA. Vaiko hailed Vijay’s gesture as a “healthy tradition”. With the Speaker’s election set for May 12, it remains to be seen if Vijay’s grand gesture helps the TVK government come out with flying colour in its first test.

Even before he was sworn in as Tamil Nadu chief minister, C Joseph Vijay did the unexpected. He landed up at the venue nearly an hour before the oath-taking ceremony. He was perhaps determined to shatter myths that film stars are not punctual. Interestingly, he dropped his trademark white shirt paired with grey trousers— a sartorial idea he had picked up from his close friend and ex-Andhra CM Jagan Mohan Reddy and opted for black suit with crisp white shirt. It is not clear if Vijay was advised by a designer or as it is being said these days, he only listens to his astrologer who has a big influence on him. Like it was on his astrologer’s advice Vijay has been greeting everybody with yellow shawls – TN Governor Rajendra Arlekar to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. In his speech after oath-taking ceremony CM Vijay, who enjoys a great bond with Rahul, warmly referred to the Congress leader as “my brother”. He also referred to Rahul’s close aide, Praveen Chakravarty “as my personal friend”. One of the toughest messages of CM Vijay was that he would reach out to anybody—meaning seek Centre’s help — to serve the state’s interest. Shocked by gaping holes in TN’s fiscal management when officials initially briefed him, Vijay is having nightmares about how to implement his poll sops. It is for this reason that as soon as he was sworn-in Vijay made it clear that he would first bring out a white paper on the state’s financial status. DMK has not taken kindly to this swipe. One of the moving images of the swearing in was the picture of Vijay’s parents –filmmaker S Chandrashekhar and singer Shoba Chandrashekhar. Vijay is close to his mother who is a Hindu Mudaliar. He had built a Saibaba temple in Chennai in 2024 for his mother.

Political uncertainty that prevailed in Tamil Nadu over the last few days ended on May 9 evening with Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president C Joseph Vijay calling on Governor Rajendra Arlekar and staking claim to form the government with the support of 120 MLAs-elect in the 234-member House. This meeting resulted in the Governor okaying his swearing-in on May 10 at 10 am at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai. It was Vijay’s 4th meeting with the Governor spread over four days. The TVK chief met the Governor only after the VCK and IUML extended unconditional support to TVK. Could these former DMK allies not have extended support right at the beginning? Who was holding them back? Did the DMK first family deliberately delay the formation of Vijay’s government? It is quite an irony that Vijay who raved and ranted against – thiya shakti or evil forces of the DMK — has now become a puppet of the Stalin family. Udhayanidhi Stalin, it is being said, had opposed lending help to Vijay; he fears Vijay opening files against him after becoming CM. Only former chief minister M K Stalin and Lok Sabha MP Kanimozhi K batted for democratic support to TVK. Though all DMK allies have technically extended unconditional support, it is possible Vijay will find his hands tied. Left Parties have been told to protest any action against the Stalins. Which in a way means Vijay’s mandate will eventually be subverted by these do-gooders! They will ensure Vijay becomes a puppet in the hand of DMK. Meanwhile, in a post, M K Stalin noted how the Congress did not care to visit Arivalyam and had rushed to sever ties with DMK. Other allies like the Left Parties and the VCK had at least   thanked the DMK for its support.

In spite of a clear mandate in Keralam, the Congress has not been able to finalise its CM candidate. It seems to be a problem of plenty where the Congress leadership is struggling with how to impose its choice – K C Venugopal. There was so much distrust between the MLAs and AICC in-charge Deepa Dasmushi that many legislators did not want to air their views about the CM choice in her presence as they feared she would snitch about their preferences to Venugopal. They were not even willing to speak to AICC observers in her presence. In these circumstances, Rahul Gandhi with no genuine feedback may feel free to thrust his closest aide, Venugopal, to become the CM. The UDF won 102 seats in the recently held Kerala assembly elections. The Congress emerged as the single largest party, with 63 seats. Other than Congress, the alliance includes the Indian Union Muslim League, the Kerala Congress (Jacob), the Revolutionary Marxist Party of India, the Janadhipathya Samrakshana Samithy and others. Rahul is said to have finalised two names. One is Venugopal, the Lok Sabha MP from Alappuzha and also the general secretary of the Congress (for organisation). He has the backing of over 40 MLAs. Venugopal belongs to the Nair community, so do the other 2 contenders—Ramesh Chennithala and V D Satheeshan. Rahul is partial towards Venugopal for revamping the Congress organisation. As for Chennithala, he has served as Kerala’s home minister and also the LoP. Chennithala, who is the Congress’s Maharashtra in-charge, is regarded as an organisation man. However, Venugopal may still edge him out as he can arrange funding easily whenever the Gandhi family or the AICC needs. It is being said that big business groups in Keralam are rooting for him. But party workers are fully with Satheesan who was the LoP in the outgoing Keralam Assembly. A social media campaign credits him as the sole architect of the party’s victory. Can Rahul ignore Satheesan?    

Close on the heels of the Congress severing ties with the DMK in Tamil Nadu and extending support to TVK led by Joseph Vijay to form a government, DMK leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi sent a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla asking for a separate seating arrangement inside the House. In her letter, she said that in view of the changed political circumstances and in view of the fact that our alliance with the Congress has come to an end, it may not be appropriate for us to continue sitting alongside them in the House. She sought separate seating arrangements for her MPs. Kanimozhi’s requests for separate seating arrangement was reposted on X with interest by BJP national secretary BL Santosh; he had predicted that the Congress surely would end up “with egg on its face”. Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav took to social media to take a veiled swipe at the Congress after the party’s dramatic political shift in Tamil Nadu triggering fresh questions over the stability of the INDIA bloc. Sharing a photograph from his recent meeting with Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee and another picture with DMK’s MK Stalin, Yadav posted on social media: “We are not the ones who abandon each other in times of difficulty.” Though he did not name any party, the timing of the remark quickly drew attention in political circles, especially after Congress walked out of its long-standing alliance with the DMK in TN and extended support to actor-politician Vijay’s TVK. Yadav’s post also came just a day after he met Mamata Banerjee and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee in Kolkata following the Trinamool Congress’ setback in West Bengal. The meeting was seen as part of broader opposition efforts to reassess strategy after recent assembly election losses.

Who is behind the violence in Bengal? Since the day election results were declared, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee has not conceded defeat. She is apprehensive about her supporters, who might opt to lie low after the debacle. The face of her bhaipo or nephew Abhishek Banerjee, who had challenged Home Minister Amit Shah to come to Bengal after May 4, appeared drained and pale.  The Centre has apparently received intelligence reports of TMC supporters donning saffron clothes and ’tilak’, and holding BJP flags while indulging in violence. In some places, some BJP supporters have also indulged in vengeful action. Videos of most of these acts of violence are available, and it is up to the authorities to take corrective action immediately. It is a good sign that the police have swung into action and incidents of violence have declined. For the BJP, it will be a challenge to ensure peace, end fear in the minds of the public and establish the rule of law. Suvendu Adhikari’s personal assistant, Chandranath Rath was shot dead triggering strong political reactions and intensified scrutiny of post-poll violence in West Bengal. Till now, nearly 200 FIRs have been filed and 433 persons have been arrested. Bengal police, along with central paramilitary forces, are raiding hideouts of anti-social elements, and large quantities of arms and ammunition have been seized. In Sandeshkhali of North 24 Parganas district, more than 20 country-made bombs were seized. Bengal police have set up a helpline for people to dial in case of violent incidents. On May 5, a Trinamool Congress temporary office in Kolkata’s Dharmatala locality was demolished by some BJP supporters, using a bulldozer. BJP leaders claimed that the party office was built illegally in the middle of a busy road.

After Bengal, Telangana is the BJP’s next target in the South? Is it laying the ground to flip a Congress-ruled state? The failure and rejection of BRS, and the unfolding saga of Congress’s rule, ridden by corruption and the non-delivery of promises, have paved the way for the BJP to gear up to set a narrative against the rule of both these parties. In this context, Union Minister Bandi Sanjay’s return has not been ruled out. Sanjay, president of the Telangana BJP in 2023, was considered a powerful orator and succeeded in creating an anti-incumbency wave against the ruling BRS in the state. However, it is believed that his abrupt removal from the post cost the BJP a chance at performing better in Telangana. A long-term plan for Telangana that would carry the party forward beyond any individual is in the works. The BJP is hoping to position itself to capitalise on a possible victory in Karnataka, which goes to the polls just six months before Telangana. Sunil Bansal, master strategist and the BJP’s national general secretary, who is among those credited for delivering Bengal for the party, is expected to visit Hyderabad to give the state leaders a blueprint for 2028, sources say. Nearly a month before Prime Minister Modi’s scheduled visit to Hyderabad on May 10, BJP national president Nitin Nabin and national general secretary Tarun Chugh visited Hyderabad in April, just as Tamil Nadu and Kerala were going to polls. The two leaders met with senior party functionaries and the Telangana Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) sangathan mantri, Chandrasekhar Tiwari. In his maiden visit to the state after assuming office for a third consecutive term, PM Modi will launch infrastructure and industrial projects worth nearly Rs 9,000 crore. At present, the BJP has eight MLAs in Telangana and the same number of MPs from the state.