According to the West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress super boss Mamata Banerjee, the absence of alliance between AAP and Congress is the main reason for the defeat of AAP by the BJP in the Delhi assembly elections. But nephew Abhishek Banerjee, party’s general secretary differs. He believes that even if such an alliance had been formed, it would not have made a significant impact. According to him, at best, the alliance could have influenced the results in four or five seats, but it would not have altered the overall outcome. After 27 years, the BJP has stormed to power in Delhi, winning 48 out of 70 seats. AAP secured 22 seats, while Congress for the third time failed to win any seat. Didi voiced that if Congress had been more flexible in seat-sharing with AAP, the results could have been different. She also cited Haryana as an example, arguing that just as AAP’s actions hurt Congress in Haryana, Congress did the same to AAP in Delhi. However, Abhishek maintained that public sentiment was the most crucial factor; Delhi voters wanted change, and AAP failed to effectively counter the BJP’s narrative. Referring to West Bengal’s example, Abhishek stated that when the BJP had claimed that the central government was sending funds, but the TMC was not distributing them to the people, TMC launched a counter-campaign, challenging the Centre to release a white paper on the funds. Although Didi blamed both Congress and AAP for the lack of an alliance, she made it clear that TMC would contest alone in Bengal and return to power with a two-thirds majority.

In Maharashtra, the three-party Opposition alliance Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will have to draw its roadmap afresh since tension is growing within the anti-BJP combine, whose only game plan is to oppose the ruling Mahayuti saffron alliance. But the picture for MVA is not too bright since the NCP led by Sharad Pawar does not have much space in the state politics although it performed well in the last Lok Sabha election. The state NCP president Jayant Patil has been holding the reins for the past decade but has been retained despite vociferous demands from the rank and file for his replacement. Pawar’s recent feelers to the NDA have not gone down well for MVA. On the other hand, the Sena led by Uddhav has been losing its leading lights with frightening regularity. Still, Uddhav is not seen ready to change his style of functioning. Continuous reports about his Lok Sabha MPs deserting the party have created grave apprehensions within the organization. The third MVA partner, the Congress has appointed a new state president by choosing the relatively unknown Harshwardhan Sapkal, a Maratha leader from Vidarbha. But there is no enthusiasm seen in the organization.  In short, the Opposition in Maharashtra is in a disarray and will have to mend its house soon to mount an effective challenge to the ruling dispensation. Not surprisingly, Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray’s decision to meet Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal but not Sharad Pawar has generated fresh speculation about the future of MVA.

As members we may not see them taking an active part inside the House. However, we now find both LoPs of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha have used the Parliament-in session as an excuse to skip an inaugural investor summit in Bengaluru.  Such a decision is odd, participation of both the leaders must have been confirmed in advance. As for the Budget debate, neither the leaders nor even those who participated in Budget discussions like either P Chidambaram or Dayanidhi Maran   ever bothered to listen to FM’s reply. Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh posted on X that Kharge and Rahul Gandhi were unable to attend the ‘Invest Karnataka’ summit as they were tied in the Parliament’s Budget Session. He said both the leaders were extremely tied up on “account of the continuing debate on the Budget. Hence they have regretted their inability to attend the inauguration of the Karnataka Investor Summit.” They have sent their best wishes for the Summit and are confident that it will be a very productive and successful one in keeping with Karnataka’s unique competitive and comparative advantages.” It is not clear why Delhi leaders should hesitate to visit the state now with the MUDA scam against chief minister Siddaramaiah having receded into the background.  After a semblance of political stability was restored in the state, Karnataka Deputy chief minister D K Shivkumar seemed resigned to his fate and perhaps became the only Congress leader in high office who travelled to Prayagraj over last weekend with his family for a holy dip in Sangam. Guess, as far as the Congress high command was concerned, he realised he had nothing to lose but only his shackles!

Election strategist Prashant Kishor on Jan 10 had a three-hour meeting with actor and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader Vijay in Chennai and promised his “support and guidance” for the party’s victory in the 2026 assembly election. Kishor, who has floated a political party, Jan Suraaj, in Bihar, will take on the role of ‘special adviser’ to TVK. DMK had hired Kishor ahead of the 2021 assembly election, which it won and came to office after 10 years. “Kishor will be a ‘special adviser’ to TVK, though no formal technical agreements will be made,” said a source privy to the developments. Vijay is looking forward to periodic meetings with Kishor in the coming months as his party is keen on positioning itself against DMK and BJP, and setting the stage for an intense contest in 2026. Kishor continues to have his primary focus on politics in Bihar. Kishor would act as a special adviser to TVK similar to his role for TDP, which swept the 2024 Andhra Pradesh assembly elections. Incidentally, the meeting between Kishor and Vijay was facilitated by Aadhav Arjuna, who himself heads a political strategy firm, within a fortnight of the latter joining the TVK.  As founder of Voice of Commons and a political strategist, Arjuna had worked closely with Kishor when he was roped in by DMK for the 2021 assembly election. The meeting between the two and the outcome signify the importance Vijay attaches to the 2026 assembly polls, his first elections after a grand entry into politics in October 2024. Vijay has identified the BJP as his ideological enemy and DMK as his political enemy. Arjuna was suspended from Dalit outfit VCK following his outbursts against DMK.

Even as PM Modi promised to repay the trust Delhi voters placed in his party by vowing  to turn Delhi into a “developed capital of a developed country” and said he will fulfil BJP’s poll promises, clean the Yamuna and ensure accountability for corruption under the AAP regime by promising to present all pending 14 CAG reports in the  assembly, many within the party wondered if it was enough to oust AAP out of the  Delhi state assembly. Or more needs to be done. As Modi said “This is not an ordinary victory. The people of Delhi have driven out AAP-da. The mandate of Delhi is clear.” BJP insiders pointed out that when the new Delhi government will begin its work on making the city garbage free, it is quite possible that AAP could still put a roadblock on its work via the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). That is because AAP controls the MCD with its 134 councillors; the BJP has 104 councillors. Elections to the civic body were held in December 2022. A section in the BJP feels Modi government should go in for fresh MCD polls in the light of assembly poll win, if it must clean up Delhi. Party sources, however, feel there is no need for any drastic step as many AAP MLAs and councillors may want to cross over to the BJP seeing the public mood. Sources also acknowledged that the BJP hugely benefited getting the lion’s share — an estimated 67% of women’s vote. It was clearly the Haryana effect of Rs 2100 payout under Lado Lakshmi Yojana that had swung the Delhi women to the BJP. They were no longer enamoured by AAP’s free bus rides.

BJP’s Delhi win has bolstered its Lok Sabha plan to up the numbers from the earlier 272 target to 289 plus in coming days. Decks are being cleared to usher in three long pending legislations before Parliament to include Uniform Civil Code, Waqf Board reforms and finally the One Nation One Poll (ONOP) political reform. Several MPs from the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) Sena and Sharad Pawar led political formations are keen to enroll with BJP in Maharashtra but, Shiv Sena DCM Eknath Shinde and NCP DCM Ajit Pawar want to embrace them into respective party folds delaying the process. Giant killer of Delhi assembly elections Parvesh Verma (former Delhi CM Sahib Singh Verma’s son), a Jat leader, also credited with ensuring 12 assembly seat victories in Delhi, is frontrunner for CM’s post. “Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were the first to call, congratulate Verma immediately after his victory. Also, following the Haryana assembly win by BJP, influential Jat leadership was upset for being overlooked for CM’s post. Delhi may install Jat CM to compensate Haryana and build for Punjab and Bihar state assemblies,” a senior BJP leader says. Before the results the candidature of Dushyant Kumar Gautam, a senior BJP national general secretary was being considered as the Dalit CM face for Delhi but, Gautam lost a close fight for Karol Bagh seat to Vishesh Ravi of AAP by just under 8000 votes. Ravi clinched the seat twice before with winning margins exceeding 25000 each time.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has reaffirmed its stance on party discipline, taking decisive action against three leaders whose public statements embarrassed the party. However, the party’s inaction against three prominent actor-turned-legislators and parliamentarians despite their controversial remarks has raised questions about a perceived selective approach to discipline. TMC’s disciplinary committee acted against MLAs Humayun Kabir, Narayan Goswami and Madan Mitra. Kabir’s call to appoint the party’s National General Secretary and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee as Deputy Chief Minister with control over the police department did not sit well with the leadership. Goswami faced scrutiny after making incoherent statements and singing at a public event. Mitra triggered controversy by accusing the party’s advisory agency, I-PAC, of extortion. All three leaders either faced show-cause notices or issued public apologies to mitigate the damage. However, the party has remained silent on controversial statements made by Chandipur MLA Soham Chakraborty and MPs Rachna Banerjee and Shatrughan Sinha. Soham contradicted the party’s official stance on the high-profile rape and murder case at R G Kar Medical College by suggesting that the convicted individual may not have acted alone. Sinha, on the other hand, stirred controversy by advocating for a nationwide ban on non-vegetarian food, aligning with the ideological stance of the BJP. The disciplinary committee’s swift response to one group of leaders while ignoring others raises questions about selective approach. Is the party hesitating to take action against its celebrity MPs due to their public appeal? Or is there an underlying strategy to maintain a delicate political balance?

The antics of Tamil Nadu Congress MP Manickam Tagore have not gone unnoticed in the wake of the Delhi poll results. Displaying what was clearly his delight at the AAP taking a tumble in the Delhi elections, the MP had posted on X just two words – ‘Delhi Results’ – along with a video of Arvind Kejriwal declaring that there be no tie-up in Delhi. While schadenfreude is understandable, what the post tries to make is a case that Kejriwal was to blame for the Congress not agreeing to adjustments and the grand old party going ahead to contest in all 70 seats and playing the spoiler. In fact, it was Congress, which often accused the AAP of being the BJP’s B team, ended up playing the role of ‘BJP B’ in the Delhi polls by clearly affecting the results in 14 seats, including that of Kejriwal, and turning the contest around for a BJP sweep. If the INDIA alliance had been in place and Congress contested only a few seats to keep up its Delhi identity and poll ambitions, the verdict may have been totally different with the AAP prevailing in a close contest. What happened in the end was that Congress scored a triple bagel – 000 – in three successive Delhi polls and Kejriwal lost power and Congress spokespersons were looking at the crumbs of the poll verdict and predicting the party’s comeback in 2030.

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has described the BJP’s spectacular victory in Delhi assembly election as one more example of Ek hai toh Safe hai. Welcoming the verdict, Fadnavis recalled how Maharashtra voters had supported the NDA in the recent assembly election, scripting the first instance of Ek hai toh safe hai after BJP’s poor show in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. Fadnavis explained how the BJP had lost the Dhule Lok Sabha seat since it had hardly received any votes in the Malegaon assembly segment in which Muslims are in majority. In all the five other segments, the BJP was leading but had to accept defeat due to the substantial anti-BJP voting in Malegaon alone. He termed it as the ‘Love Jihad’ effect and said a dozen Lok Sabha seats were lost by the NDA due to the same reason. Fadnavis said that for the assembly election, PM Narendra Modi toured Maharashtra and spread the message of Ek hai toh safe hai and the impact was magical. After Maharashtra, the message has shown its power in Delhi, he observed. Fadnavis had campaigned in the national capital assembly election, too. He had held several meetings in the Marathi-speaking population of Delhi and mobilised their support. The CM has ridiculed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for alleging that a sudden spurt in the registration of new voters was noticed in Maharashtra just before assembly polls. He advised Rahul to introspect and learn to accept the popular mandate.  

Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare has hit out at AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and held him responsible for his party’s resounding defeat in Delhi assembly election while analysing the pro-BJP outcome in the national capital. Anna said about his one-time ardent disciple that Kejriwal was influenced by power and money so much that he was not ready to listen to alarm signals voiced time and again against his style of functioning. Anna’s recent video clip, released on the eve of the election, had told Kejriwal in no uncertain terms to mend his ways. The message was mostly ignored by the media though shortpost.in had uploaded a news item about it just before the polling. Reiterating his stand, Anna said after the results were declared, “Ideology and actions should be pure in public life. An individual should not carry any stigma so that the electors develop confidence in that leader. I repeatedly conveyed this message to AAP but it was ignored.” An exasperated Anna had asked the voters not to support AAP in this clip. In fact, there are many in Maharashtra who feel smug, ridiculing Anna and supporting Kejriwal. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledged Anna’s stand while addressing a BJP victory rally in party headquarters in Delhi. Modi also focused on AAP’s corruption by pointing out that all its top leaders had been in custody. Modi said Anna’s anti-graft crusade had catapulted Kejriwal to become the Delhi CM and expressed happiness that Anna’s stand had been endorsed by the people of Delhi. “Finally, Anna has been liberated from the AAP shroud,” the PM said to a huge applause.

Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi is firing on all cylinders as he is in a hurry to cross several milestones. Plans are afoot to set up a new city near Bhubaneswar. In fact, his development basket for Odisha now goes beyond ‘Viksit Gaon-Viksit Odisha’ (Developed Village, Developed Odisha) scheme for which Rs 5,000 crore has been earmarked to be spent over the next five years. Majhi, it is learnt, is putting pressure on District Collectors to deliver quick results; toward meeting this objective he has asked the District Collectors to submit a prospective development plan of villages block-wise to his office by February 18. Besides this, the CM has outlined Greater Bhubaneswar Economic Region (GBER) plan. He is now adding Puri and Paradeep to Cuttack and Bhubaneswar encompassing a sustainable economic zone spanning 8,500 sq km creating a size greater than Bengaluru and Chennai metropolitan areas. This ambitious Greater Bhubaneswar project having one of the largest urban development initiatives in Odisha’s history is aimed to transform the region into a major economic hub as Odisha aims to be a developed state by 2036.

The rout of the AAP in Delhi assembly polls was best summed up by PM Modi on X: “Development wins, good governance triumphs. It is our guarantee that we will leave no stone unturned in improving the overall quality of life for the people and ensuring that Delhi has a prime role to play in building a Viksit Bharat”. For the  BJP which rode to power in Delhi after a gap of 27 years with 48 seats win on the basis of Modi’s guarantees, home minister Amit Shah’s hard work and the unstinted support of RSS network, the results were more or less on expected lines .The Congress which half-heartedly went into the electoral battle at the eleventh hour drew a blank for the third time. INDIA bloc partners like J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah and Samajwadi Party were blaming the Congress for lack of unity in the Opposition alliance. A miffed Congress leader Jairam Ramesh insisted that “2025 Delhi Vidhan Sabha election results reflect nothing more than a referendum on Arvind Kejriwal and his 12 years of misrule.”  and asserted that it was not a vindication of the policies of PM Modi as the AAP had decisively won in Delhi in 2015 and 2020 at the height of the PM’s popularity”. Clearly the Congress which propped up Kejriwal when he was short of numbers in 2013 after defeating Sheila Dikshit to keep out BJP is getting defensive. It is quite possible some of AAP’s top losers like Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Saurabh Bharadwaj may have been spared the defeat if there had been a AAP-Congress alliance. BJP’s Parvesh Verma polled 30,088 votes against Kejriwal’s 25,999 while Congress’s Sandeep Dikshit polled 4568. Sisodia’s defeat by 600 odd votes was more stark. He had shifted his constituency from Patparganj to Jangpura to avoid defeat.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut’s spree of making audacious allegations one after another is reaching new heights now, with his latest shocking claim. According to Raut, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is not shifting to the CM’s official residence ‘Varsha’ since during previous CM Eknath Shinde’s tenure, a he-buffalo’s horns had been interred in the premises of the bungalow. The horns were that of an animal sacrificed at Guwahati’s famous Kamakhya temple, Raut had said, adding that the ritual was performed to ensure that no Shinde successor should continue in CM office for long. Fadnavis has ridiculed the slur. He has clarified that he would continue at ‘Sagar’ bungalow as his only daughter’s 10th standard examination is due soon and that she has requested him to stay there till it is over. The family will shift afterwards, he has clarified. Deputy CM Ajit Pawar has lambasted Raut for the insinuation, telling him that it was none of the MP’s business to ask such a question. Raut had also asserted that Fadnavis was not shifting to Varsha for fear of such a black magic. Raut’s reference to Kamakhya temple relates to the Shiv Sena’s split and a majority of Sena MLAs aligning with Shinde at Guwahati, where they went for a pooja at the temple. Raut is in the news for making a claim in the Rajya Sabha about the number of casualties at the ongoing Maha Kumbh at Prayagraj.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat is set for an unprecedented 11-day visit to West Bengal from February 6 to 17, marking the longest stay of an RSS Sarsanghchalak in the state’s history. He will attend multiple programmes in Kolkata and Bardhaman, with two days reserved for the RSS’s top committee, the Akhil Bharatiya Toli’s meeting in Kolkata. Bhagwat’s extended stay comes amid reports of alleged atrocities against minorities in Bangladesh, fuelling speculation about its timing. Some analysts believe his prolonged presence is linked to these developments. However, RSS spokespersons deny any connection, emphasizing that the Sarsanghchalak’s schedule is set annually and isn’t influenced by external events. They clarified that Bengal is divided into three organizational regions — North, Central, and South — and Bhagwat will focus on South and Central Bengal, not staying in one place continuously. RSS functionaries downplayed the significance of the high-level meeting in Kolkata, calling it a logistical decision aligned with Bhagwat’s tour. Political observers however remain sceptical, noting a three-day gap between his engagements in South Bengal (ending February 10) and Central Bengal (starting February 14). He could have attended the meeting at the RSS headquarters in Nagpur or Delhi before returning but instead chose to stay in Bengal. Sources close to the RSS suggest that developments in Bangladesh have significantly impacted public sentiment in Bengal. They believe Bhagwat’s extended stay will help shape strategic responses while strengthening the RSS’s influence in the state. The organization is expected to leverage prevailing sentiments to expand its outreach.

Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde’s repeated clarifications that he is not unhappy in the cabinet headed by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis have failed to stop the surge of speculations about his next move. The reason for such discussions is Shinde’s frequent absence from important state meetings. As a result, Shinde continues to generate suspense for the ruling coalition. The discussions revived after Shinde skipped a “war room” meeting held by Fadnavis to discuss some important schemes and projects. These included the departments like health, housing and water supply and sanitation under Sena ministers. Though Shinde failed to turn up, another deputy CM Ajit Pawar was present for the marathon meeting. Shinde had also cancelled some other official engagements and a cabinet meeting last week. Fadnavis has time and again tried to explain that there was no complication for his dispensation and that Shinde was working wholeheartedly with him. Shinde also has reiterated that he is not unhappy. “When I was the chief minister, Fadnavis worked under me. Now that he is the CM, I am working under him. For both of us, the interests of Maharashtra are paramount,” Shinde told the media. Despite this, certain signals from the BJP side are interpreted to be making Shinde uncomfortable. His supporters recall how he consented to join the Fadnavis cabinet at the eleventh hour, keeping the Mahayuti on tenterhooks. BJP strategists feel that Shinde will yield at a proper time.

Ahead of PM Narendra Modi’s meeting with the U.S. President Donald Trump next week, both the Houses of Parliament erupted in protest over the manner in which 104 illegal Indian immigrants from the U.S. landed in Amritsar in a U.S. military aircraft– shackled and restrained. External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar sought to downplay the issue and said that such expulsions were routine. “It has been there for years. Hundreds of Indians have been deported annually, with figures ranging from 530 in 2012 to over 2,042 in 2019,” Jaishankar informed the Rajya Sabha.  He pointed out that handcuffs were used on deportees since 2012. Asserting that it was “the obligation of all countries to take back their nationals if they are found to be living illegally abroad”, he said efforts were being made to talk to deportees to track agents who sent them. The Opposition felt the government must stand up to the Trump Administration just as Columbia had done. “Why can we not fly back our citizens just as Columbia had done?” asked CPI(M) MP John Brittas. Colombia balked at the U.S. military flights and sent its own Air Force jet to pick up 110 deported Colombians. U.S. deportation flights are not new but the use of military flights is new, with the agency previously using commercial and chartered flights to deport people. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said while the U.S. may have a legal right to deport people who are illegally in their country, “but the manner in which it was done, in handcuffs, squeezed into a military aircraft, in such an abrupt manner, is not acceptable.” He pointed out how under the Biden administration last year, 1100 Indians were deported but there was no such humiliation.

In his reply to the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address in the Lok Sabha, PM Narendra Modi was at his aggressive best as he savaged LoP Rahul Gandhi. From mocking the Congress leader and two members of his family for becoming MPs — mother Sonia and sister Priyanka — at the same time to turning “certain spaces into personal museums”. He was referring to the manner in which the Gandhi family maintains control over Indira Gandhi Memorial and had refused to share documents pertaining to the Rajiv Gandhi era with the Prime Ministers’ Museum. The PM said we have established the Prime Ministers’ Museum, where the legacy of every Prime Minister—from the first to my predecessors—has been honoured. “I urge their family members to visit it.” Taking a swipe at the three Gandhis who are all MPs, Modi said, “I pose an important question to the citizens through this House — have there even been three MPs simultaneously from the same family of SC community? I also ask, tell me if there ever were three MPs simultaneously from the same family belonging to the ST community…” There is a vast difference between their words and actions. However, the harshest jab was when Modi felt leaders have compulsions to raise questions on foreign policy to be taken seriously — he was referring to questions raised by both Rahul and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on tensions with China. He asked them to read Bruce Riedel’s book JFK’s Forgotten Crisis— as it details discussions between India’s Nehru and the U.S. President John F Kennedy, revealing how foreign policy was handled during challenging times and the games played in its name. Congress leaders are apparently not amused by this suggestion.

Congress bossman Rahul Gandhi told Parliament that External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar’s USA visit only sought an invite for PM Narendra Modi for the U.S. President Donald Trump’s oath ceremony. Jaishankar refuted RaGa’s averments, without revealing the true purpose after having accomplished never before witnessed outcomes. Highly placed sources reveal, “India’s MEA secured distinction of only nation’s representative holding bilateral discussions with the newly installed U.S. government both, before and after, official transition of power.” Dr Jaishankar didn’t elucidate beyond dismissing Gandhi’s tall tales to the Lok Sabha, but actually established grounds for PM Modi to ink U.S. deal for technology transfer regarding fifth/sixth generation fighter engines deliberately kept in abeyance over two years by erstwhile Biden administration. India will be on par though F35 fighter was doled out to Pakistan and, even poised to counter Chinese aviation capabilities with next generation fighters. Dr Jaishankar also held discussions with newly installed FBI director Kash Patel, National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard over sensitive issues regarding Indian nationals targeted by earlier dispensation. Another positive outcome: Funding cut off for Gurpatwant Singh Panun, separatist pro-Khalistani rebel, creating aviation scares in India through threats of blowing up Indian commercial airliners. More covert results were achieved to become apparent sooner than later even as Rahul Gandhi termed Dr Jaishankar’s international statesmanship as mere kow-towing to U.S. hegemony.

Ever since mid-January when Bihar CM Nitish Kumar was accompanied by his son Nishant Kumar at a political function in Bakhtiyarpur, there has been a buzz that the JD(U)leader’s son would be taking a political plunge.  The event was to pay tributes to freedom fighters, including Nitish’s father Ram Lakhan Singh, who too had participated in the freedom movement. Soon after the function, 50-year old Nishant, the only child of Nitish and his late wife Manju Sinha, told the local gathering that his father had put Bihar on the fast track of development and appealed to them to make him CM again. Nishant’s appeal came in the midst of reports that he was keeping indifferent health and had reduced public interaction. An engineer by training, Nishant had so far kept away from public glare. Raised by his mother, he is known to have spent time away from his father and dabbled in spiritualism. He came to live with his father only after his mother passed away in 2007. Those who have known the JD (U) supremo personally as well as politically feel with an indifferent health Nitish may no longer be in a position to even oppose entry of his son into politics much as he has always opposed dynastic politics. A section of JD(U) dominated by Kurmis is reportedly rooting for Nishant’s entry to perpetuate Nitish Kumar’s legacy; this section doesn’t care if it fits with Nitish Kumar’s vision of politics. It is being argued that JD(U) can’t survive without Nitish’s legacy. As for those competing against the towering stature of Nitish Kumar in Bihar — both the BJP and RJD — are also keen that a bumbling newbie and dynast Nishant does take the plunge and salvage JD(U). Ahead of assembly polls, JD(U) is likely to witness a churn.

An estimated 30% of the IAS administered Indian bureaucracy actively considers the VRS option. According to well-placed sources, “Last three years registered a spurt in the number of pending applications to exercise the VRS option, most officers still having over five years of service left. The handsome pension amount appears lucrative to many, including those put on notice by the Union government (and respective state governments like Maharashtra) for low productivity, efficiency and delinquent public service.” Majority of the pending applications seek the cushy handshake option, while those who fell foul of GOI evaluation parameters were told to consider exit plans sooner than resignation options later. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 1.0 and 2.0 tenures (between 2014 and 2024) had witnessed not only weeding out of senior officials through shortening of tenures under government service but also witnessed the lateral entry of professionals and industry domain specialists into government service. Similarly, several officials continue to perform government service notwithstanding their respective retirement from service due to their diligent and outstanding performance till retirement to include Pravin Pardeshi (CEO of MITRA). Others like former Chief Secretary of Maharashtra Dr Nitin Kareer are also expected to be tapped for active post-retirement service to the nation, sources reveal. As pen-pushing, non-productive Babus opt for early retirement the Maharashtra IAS fraternity anticipates similar cleansing of Maharashtra’s state secretariat that may be on the cards once again.

Manoj Ahuja, the upright well experienced IAS Odisha cadre Chief Secretary since June 2024 is making headlines in Odisha. Reason: He has now been entrusted with the additional responsibility as Chief Resident Commissioner in New Delhi as well.  Senior journalist Ruben Banerjee, based on his feedback from the state retired bureaucrats, has questioned the logic of this move. Banerjee argues that Odisha already has two persons — one Principal Residential Commissioner and an Additional Resident Commissioner in Delhi for liaisoning work with the Centre, so what’s the need to assign Manoj Ahuja with the additional responsibility of Delhi?  Ruben raises a whole lot of questions: Does this mean Manoj Ahuja can do two jobs effectively? Does this mean he doesn’t have enough work in the Odisha Secretariat? Is he super-efficient in delivering two jobs? or is it that the government understands the importance of Ahuja spending time with his family in Delhi on an official visit?  But bureaucrats have different views. They say, the Odisha Government is betting big time on Chief Secretary Ahuja for dual responsibility as he will be able to effectively promote cooperation and investments between the state and the Central government without any delay.  Before moving into the current position Ahuja was Secretary – Agriculture; Joint Director (Personnel Training/Personnel & General Administration); Commissioner & Secretary (Steel & Mines, Sports & Youth Services); and Chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education.  

Big parties like the AIADMK and BJP have boycotted the February 5 Erode East bypoll to the Tamil Nadu assembly, leaving the Opposition space for the rabble rouser Seeman who heads his Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK). And he has enjoyed his moment in the sun by taking potshots at the DMK and its ideological patriarch EVR Periyar, the social reformer who stood up for the classes oppressed in the old Hindu caste system. Known as much for his atheist views, EVR had left himself open to criticism for his Brahmin-baiting ways that denigrated Hindu gods. No one in Tamil Nadu, a major portion of whose people deify Periyar as an ideologue who showed the path to political power for the Dravidian classes even though he himself was not for electoral politics, would like to see their idol’s ideas and actions challenged thus.  Seeman has continuously sniped at Periyar’s ideas while promoting his brand of Tamil nationalism that deifies the terrorist Marxist Prabhkaran of the LTTE who was gunned down by Sri Lankan armed forces after 30 years of civil strife in 2009. Seeman’s tactics may not improve his vote share but since his candidate is certain to finish second to the DMK, he is having fun mocking Dravidian claims. The ruling DMK’s cadre were told to ignore him as Seeman will become politically insignificant again when the State goes to the polls and there will be two or three major fronts with the DMK+, BJP+, AIADMK and actor-politician Vijay’s TVK in the fray.

The government charged LoP Rahul Gandhi of trying to falsely portray in the Lok Sabha that External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar’s visit to Washington in December 2024 was an effort to wangle an invite for the U.S. President Donald Trump’s swearing-in ceremony. In a strongly worded contradiction, Dr Jaishankar charged the LoP of deliberately spreading falsehood about his visit to the U.S. “Rahul ‘s lies may be intended politically but they damage the nation abroad”.  The swift rebuttal comes amidst reports that PM Modi is scheduled to visit the U.S. for a meeting with his friend President Trump later this month. In a post on X, Dr Jaishankar said “I went to meet the Secretary of State and NSA of the Biden Administration. Also to chair a gathering of our Consuls General. During my stay, the incoming NSA-designate met with me. At no stage was an invitation in respect of the PM Modi discussed. It is common knowledge that our PM does not attend such events. In fact, India is generally represented by Special Envoys.” Mocking the Central government, Rahul had claimed that if it had taken economic policies seriously, then the government would not have had to seek an invite and “the U.S. The President would come here and invite the PM”. While Union Minister Kiren Rijiju had strongly objected to the LoP for making such unsubstantiated statements about the relationship between two countries, Rahul had merely apologised for ” disturbing your peace of mind.”  Return of President Trump to the White House is being viewed as a setback to  Rahul Gandhi and his  patron George Soros.

Both PM Modi and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Aditynath are in a deep state of shock after the stampede at the Maha Kumbha mela at Prayagraj on January 29. Despite the best arrangements, things came under stress because of an influx of more than 5 crore pilgrims. The number of pilgrims who came to Maha Kumbh crossed 18 crore in the last 16 days. Imagine the population right now in Prayagraj compared to the populations of some of the world’s most populated cities like Tokyo, Delhi and Shanghai. Since it was Mauni Amavasya on that day, pilgrims started marching towards the Sangam point in large numbers after midnight, and the barriers broke down. The crowd became unmanageable for the overworked police force. PMO has found out that entire families consisting of four generations had come to Prayagraj to take the holy dip. From the states people from a whole village or a locality had come. There are three main reasons behind this huge influx. One, the level of devotion and enthusiasm among the pilgrims; Two, videos and images on TV and social media of people coming to Maha Kumbh for the last two weeks, acted as a big influencing factor. Three, since the Maha Kumbh was taking place after a gap of 144 years, most of the devotees felt that they might not get another chance in their lifetime. Several buses, trains and vehicles had to be stopped away from Prayagraj town. Lakhs of people had to walk several kilometres to reach the bathing ghats. PMO feels that authorities should curb the number of VIP vehicles entering the Kumbh Mela area for a few days to tame public wrath.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray has invited ire of the ruling saffron alliance in the state due to his controversial claim that the votes his party had received in the recent assembly election had ‘vanished’ somewhere. Addressing his first public rally after the election, Raj also attacked the NCP led by deputy CM Ajit Pawar as well as the BJP in general. This is one more example of his ambivalence since Raj has time and again either praised PM Narendra Modi or criticized him, never taking a firm stand. Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar has castigated his old friend Raj for the offensive remark, telling him that the BJP has never indulged into politics of adjustments. On the other hand, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant has congratulated Raj ‘for speaking out the truth.’ But the most pointed barb against Raj has been fired by NCP(Ajit) leader Anand Paranjpe. “MNS contested 138 assembly seats and secured only 1.55% votes without a single win,” he has taunted Raj. The NCP is chagrined since Raj has raised doubts about its winning 41 seats. This free for all will impact the local body elections, likely to be held later this year. Raj has been advised to study the situation seriously and introspect about the defeat of his own son in the Dadar-Mahim constituency in which his family resides.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s newly released book, Banglar Nirbachon O Amra (Bengal’s Elections and Us) has squarely blamed the Congress party for the BJP’s return to power in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. With the book’s release at the 48th Kolkata International Book Fair, it has become clearer that Didi has decided that her party TMC will go alone in the 2026 West Bengal State Election. In the book, Didi argues that the Opposition alliance, INDIA Bloc, failed due to the grand old party’s rigidity and weak leadership. She further claims that the Congress won its seats in 2024 only because of support from other INDIA Bloc allies. She accuses the Congress-Left alliance in West Bengal of secretly helping the BJP by creating a larger anti-TMC front, which ultimately benefited the saffron party in the state. The 2024 Lok Sabha elections saw the BJP losing ground in West Bengal. The party, which had secured 18 seats in the state in 2019, saw its tally reduced to 12 in 2024. On the other hand, TMC improved its performance, winning 29 out of 42 seats. The Congress managed to win only one seat, while the Left failed to open its account. Incidentally, Mamata has stuck to her policy of supporting the strongest party against BJP, by sending its MP, actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha, to campaign for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections. Political analysts see this as Mamata’s indirect message to Congress. TMC’s participation in AAP’s campaign indicates its commitment to the INDIA Bloc but also highlights the friction between the Opposition allies, especially after Didi’s criticism of Congress dominance within the coalition.

Is Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan walking into a trap over his government’s sanction of a controversial brewery unit in Palakkad? Joining hands with the BJP and the Congress, CPI has published an article in its mouthpiece Janayugom, suggesting that promotion of businesses that exploit agriculture and food security was against the interest of the state. The opinion piece, written by senior CPI leader Sathyan Mokeri, said the government’s approval for the brewery unit raised the question of whether paddy or alcohol should be made from the land of Palakkad. “From where did they get the water needed for the brewery unit? Once the (private) company starts exploiting the water resources, there won’t be enough water for agriculture,” he wrote. The Chittoor region of Palakkad district, where Madhya Pradesh-based alcohol manufacturer Oasis Group is set to establish the unit, has one of the lowest groundwater levels in Kerala, the CPI leader said. The state government approved the setting up the Rs 600-crore grain-based distillation and brewery unit on January 15. The Congress, which leads the UDF, however, alleged that the firm, embroiled in Delhi’s liquor policy controversy, got the permission without a proper tendering process. Like CPI’s Mokeri, it said that the setting up of the unit would worsen the water crisis in the agrarian region. Earlier this month, the UDF-ruled Elappully panchayat, where the unit is proposed to be set up, also requested the government to reconsider its decision given the water concerns. The Kerala government has been reiterating that the unit will not affect the availability of water in the area as its primary source would be harvested rainwater. With the state headed for polls in 2026, it is quite likely that the brewery scam could come to haunt Vijayan just as the excise scam has cast a shadow on Kejriwal in Delhi polls.

Signing on poll advisers is not new to Tamil Nadu politics, but there have been some changes of late as the parties are getting serious about the 2026 Assembly polls that are nearly 15 to 16 months away. TN’s Dravidian parties may have entered into agreements with poll consulting firms later than other regional parties though Prashant Kishor was the first to take on a TN party when he signed up with the DMK. Now that he has started a political party of his own, the DMK has signed on Robbin Sharma’s Showtime Consultancy for the consulting and poll strategy role for 2026. Sunil Kanugolu has been advising the AIADMK party on poll matters and he continues in that role. One of the new political personalities on the TN horizon is Aadhav Arjuna, son-in-law of the lottery king Martin, who is now signing on with Vijay’s party as consultant even as TVK prepares for its electoral debut in 2026. He will also be formally joining the party on February 2. After falling out with the VCK, Aadhav has shown keen interest in Vijay’s party, and he will be on hand as poll adviser as well with his company to do data crunching and other tasks. An intriguing feature of the 2026 polls is that all the major parties are already gearing up for it well in advance with strategy sessions, preparation for booth-level presence and the regular matter of organising rallies and tours of their leaders. Party confabulations are already heavy over what are seen as very important elections coming up.

Looks like AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal is caught in a deep mess of his own making by claiming that the BJP government in Haryana had “poisoned” Yamuna waters. Clearly, on a backfoot and out of desperation he sought to paint a scary scenario to Delhi voters. Now it seems these words will come to haunt him post February 5. The Haryana government has filed a case against him for creating a “false alarm” among the people. Meanwhile, Haryana chief minister Nayab Saini to reassure people took a sip of Yamuna to indicate it was safe to drink. Though Kejriwal dismissed Saini’s action as a stunt, what he does not realise is that the Haryana case could prove to be a ticking time-bomb for him. It may explode once elections are over in Delhi. Haryana has filed in the CJM’s court in Sonipat under sections of Disaster Management. The court has summoned Kejriwal to appear before it on February 17. In an explosive claim, Kejriwal had asserted that Haryana was mixing “poison” in the Yamuna water it supplies to Delhi. The reference was to the high levels of ammonia — over 700 times the permissible limit. He said it was because of the vigilance of Delhi Jal Board engineers that this water was stopped. Endorsing Kejriwal’s charge, Delhi CM Atishi even wrote to the Election Commission and sought action against the BJP for “water terrorism”. The Delhi Jal Board, which Kejriwal said stopped the alleged “poisonous” water coming to the national capital, however rubbished the AAP leader’s claim. “These statements are factually incorrect, without any basis and misleading,” Delhi Jal Board Chief Executive Officer Shilpa Shinde said in a letter to the Chief Secretary. Meanwhile, the EC has asked Kejriwal to submit proof of poisoning of Yamuna waters.

The Congress party in Maharashtra is in most pitiable condition. It has neither leadership nor focus or has any agenda. Its senior leaders like former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan or Balasaheb Thorat were trounced in the recent assembly election and hence have no voice. State Congress leader Nana Patole is a former BJP MP while leader of the Opposition, Vijay Wadettiwar, has travelled from the Shiv Sena when it was unified. A staunch follower of then chief minister Narayan Rane, he has continued in the Congress but none is certain about his enduring loyalty, given his friendship with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. The party has had no major victories in western Maharashtra or Marathwada regions. As a result, the organisation is demoralised. For a change, Patole has warned of a state wide agitation against the proposed fare increase by the state transport corporation, the largest public transport undertaking in Asia. However, even Congress workers are unsure if the protest will really take off. They remember how Patole had announced a mass agitation against the state government’s decision to hand over Mahananda, the state dairy behemoth, to Amul via the National Dairy Development Board and how not a whimper was heard later. Over the past two years, the Congress in Maharashtra has shown any signs of life only when party leader Rahul Gandhi has visited. Its headquarters, Tilak Bhavan, in Dadar is an abandoned mansion now. The workers are awaiting the arrival of a saviour to rejuvenate the party.

On a day when Union Home Minister Amit Shah took a holy dip in Sangam at Prayagraj, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge took the unusual step of targeting the sacred act of a dip in the Ganga and said it would not help eradicate poverty. While a political storm of sorts was created for picking on Kumbh, many Congressmen wondered if Kharge was targeting because Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had taken a holy dip — a day before Amit Shah. His remarks that there was a competition among those taking Ganga dips simply showed he was perhaps more disappointed that leaders from the secular bloc like Akhilesh Yadav had made his way to Maha Kumbh. It is possible for Kharge to be worried about an ally like SP leader Akhilesh’s conduct, considering he is also teaming up with AAP in Delhi. Interestingly, UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath asserted in a TV interview that he “hoped to see Khargeji” soon at Kumbh. After all, both Pandit Nehru and his daughter Indira Gandhi, as PMs, have had a Ganga dip during Kumbh.  UP BJP leaders said Kharge’s remarks against Maha Kumbh and Ganga snan were bound to cast a shadow on the February 5 byelection.  It was felt though Akhilesh Yadav did make some course corrections with a Ganga dip, much could have been lost. “…We hear many Congress leaders are also not happy with Kharge’s remarks,” says Rakesh Triparthi,  UP BJP spokesperson. Many in the Bihar Congress also feel Kharge’s remarks could put off voters. “At least we must appreciate that Amit Shah did not go to Kumbh on a Shahi Snan day.”  PM Modi is scheduled to visit Kumbh on February 5.

Access to Mantralaya, Maharashtra’s state secretariat, is scheduled to get tighter in Devendra Fadnavis regime 2.0. Glass flap barrier gates are being installed at various entrances to control access of visitors along with introduction of RFID and facial recognition access in high-security zones at Mantralaya. State BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankhule has already written to his party cadres to coordinate with ministers through liaison officials, who will be sitting at the BJP office. The BJP ministers too have also been asked to hold weekly or fortnightly janata durbars at the party office. Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party too are expected to follow suit and facilitate a similar policy for their party workers from their party offices. The idea is to reduce footfalls at Mantralaya as also to rein in middle-men, who tend to approach ministers for favours like transfers of officials or to bag contracts. Ajit Pawar has already asked his cadres to not seek transfers of officials or contracts, particularly if they are going to sub-contract the work to others. Maharashtra’s earlier chief minister Eknath Shinde prided on being known as a common man’s CM and believed in open access attracting huge delegations of party workers flocking to him at Mantralaya regularly. The legislative assembly sessions under Shinde were known to be particularly crowded with ministers complaining of not even being able to walk properly in the crowded corridors of Vidhan Bhavan. Since Fadnavis’ taking over, he has first shifted the CM’s public relations officials on the lower fifth floor, already truncating access of journalists to the CM’s office. Looks like Fadnavis has taken a leaf out of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s playbook.

In a surprise move, Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav decided to take a dip at Triveni Sangam on Republic Day during the ongoing Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj. The SP leader, who was hitherto not willing to share his travel plans and insisted that many of his party leaders have been visiting the Kumbh and not publicising it, was found sharing video of his holy dip in the party’s X handle. It is not clear if Akhilesh had rushed to Kumbh ahead of the prestige battle of Milkipur byelection on Feb 5 after the wipe-out he faced in November byelections losing majority of the seats to the BJP. Sharing details of his Kumbh dip, he asserted that he had taken 11 dips. In the run-up, he had even lashed out at UP CM Yogi Adityanath for holding a Cabinet meeting in Prayagraj last week and later having a holy dip with his ministers at Sangman. What made Akhilesh take about turn to aastha? Was it the fear of drubbing in Milkipur? Giving back to the SP leader, Yogi had attacked Akhilesh for spreading false propaganda about the Maha Kumbh and playing with the faith of India. In turn Akhilesh accused the BJP of misusing the police in the Milkipur elections. Apart from this, there was also a heated exchange of words between Yogi and Kejriwal in Delhi, and not cleaning up Yamuna. Instead of praising UP’s scientific efforts in keeping Ganga clean for Maha Kumbh, Akhilesh even dared Yogi to do achaman(a purifying ritual by drinking water) in Yamuna at Mathura. All this to express solidarity with Kejriwal, who himself is seeking another term to clean up the river in Delhi.

The Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi has been on a multi-year mission of taking on the state government at every possible opportunity. Unusually, chief minister MK Stalin had made a placatory gesture by attending the Governor’s Republic Day ‘At Home’ reception at the Raj Bhavan in 2024. Much water has flowed down the Cauvery in a year and the ties could not have been in a worse state than in 2025 when Stalin, his cabinet, his party DMK and all their allies turned their back on the Governor. Using the Republic Day as an excuse to put out a message, the Governor slammed the state’s economy, its ability to draw investments and the room it gives anti-national elements. This wasn’t a great gubernatorial gesture as the head of state is not expected to run down his own state, which is what the former Police/intelligence official did. Just a day earlier, the CM had at least taken a humorous view of the confrontational Governor issue by pleading to Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah not to shift RN Ravi out of the Tamil Nadu Raj Bhavan. The CM said his presence and his utterances have helped the DMK grow in the state. In his constant tirade against the DMK, its Periyarist ideological roots that recognises no gods and his lambasting the law & order situation in the state, the Governor has only helped the DMK gain more popular support as it is seen as being targeted by a representative of the Centre.

The attempt to push the ruling into a corner by the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi and the saffron alliance’s retaliation is now dominating Maharashtra politics. The Modi government at the Centre has caught the Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray in a cleft stick by conferring the prestigious Padma Bhushan title on the late Manohar Joshi, who was a Lok Sabha speaker and the state chief minister. Although Joshi occupied such high posts, he was constantly humiliated by the supporters of Uddhav during his twilight years. The NDA government has thus created a quaint situation for Uddhav since he can’t either welcome the decision to decorate Joshi nor oppose it. Taking advantage of the situation, the Sena and the Congress have started a discussion of having a third deputy chief minister in Maharashtra. Although there is no basis for such a possibility since the state already has two deputy CMs, it is becoming embarrassing for the Mahayuti to discount the rumours since it could mean an indirect reflection on two of its leaders, Girish Mahajan of the BJP and Uday Samant of the Sena led by deputy CM Eknath Shinde. but it is generally felt that this is only an attempt to spread disinformation. The political game has gained significance as Sena MP Sanjay Raut has emphatically claimed that Samant has 20 party MLAs behind him. On the other hand, Samant has reiterated his total commitment to Shinde’s leadership. The Opposition has been planning to spread such confusing information to further deepen discontent in the Mahayuti quarters, it is felt.

Tamil Nadu governor R N Ravi has never spared a moment to corner TN chief minister M K Stalin and his government on their shortcomings. He has been regularly sending reports to Home Minister Amit Shah on the state of affairs in TN, much to the irritation of the ruling DMK. With the assembly polls next year, his Republic Day eve address has upset Stalin. Without mincing words, Ravi raised several critical concerns regarding TN’s socio-economic and administrative challenges. He expressed concern over the declining autonomy of universities, alleging that the state secretariat exerts significant control over university operations, including academic councils and vice chancellors’ appointments. He also criticised the curriculum and syllabus management, stating they are now heavily influenced by the State Government Council for Higher Education. Ravi highlighted the rising menace of drug syndicates in the state, frequent reports of caste-based discrimination and violence against Dalits, including their denial of access to public spaces. The Governor stated that TN is no longer a leading destination for private investment, trailing behind states like Karnataka, Gujarat, and Maharashtra. He attributed this decline to dwindling foreign direct investment. Ravi further pointed to the state’s high suicide rate, at over 26 per lakh population — more than double the national average. He referred to Tamil Nadu as the “suicide capital of India”. He also raised concerns about national security, citing the National Investigation Agency’s discovery of terrorist modules and sleeper cells linked to international terror networks operating within the state. Notably, the Tamil Nadu government boycotted the tea party hosted by the Governor on Republic Day in response to these statements.

The revolving doors of Tamil Nadu political parties have started moving furiously with faster entries and exits. Recently, the DMK welcomed 3,000 quitters from grandstanding Seeman’s Naam Thamizhar Katchi, a defection that left him speechless. A rare event for Seeman. Even as AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami held a grand meet to kick off his election prep, party managers were under pressure to bring huge crowds in all his pit stops as he undertook a whirlwind tour of 234 Assembly segments. Apart from his mega plans, he had a few tricks and turns to display even as his tour itinerary unfolded. The big story was former VCK Deputy Secretary and ThirumaValavan’s shotgun speaker, Aadav Arjuna joining the AIADMK. Just a few months back Aadav was in the news for taking on the DMK, its dynastic culture and the automatic elevation of Udhayanidhi Stalin as Deputy CM. “We need to end this born to entitlement of the top slot just because the party founder happened to be your grandfather,” said Arjuna. Arjuna’s arrows made Thiruma squirm, and he suspended his protégée for six months. Rumour mills were on overdrive asking, will it be Vijay or Edappadi whose outfit would welcome Aadav. He also earned brownie points to gently nudge poll strategist Prashant Kishor to “agree” to be the AIADMK’s Dronacharya, a deal said to have cost the party Rs 200 crore.

In Odisha, the BJP never seems to lose an opportunity to take a pot-shot or criticise the former chief minister Naveen Patnaik style of governance. Patnaik’s party, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) constantly faces BJP’s onslaught ever since it came to power. The latest accusation relates to a 16-year old case — smuggling of iron ore as a result of which the ship Black Rose sank. Reportedly, the ship was illegally carrying 23,847 MT of iron ore and sank while unloading at Paradip port, it tilted and sank. Since it was an illegal ferrying of iron ore the documents too were fake. That was September 9, 2009. This old issue was raked up after Odisha’s BJP MLA Padmalochan Panda had briefed the Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Now the Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi is expected to initiate a formal inquiry into the whole incident vis a vis expose corruption in the then BJD-run government. Even though BJP is now pushing for an in-depth inquiry but what puts BJP in odd position is that it’s present MP Bhatruhari Mahtab who was earlier ex BJD MP had gone on record stating that Black Rose ship was carrying iron ore from Haldia and was re-loading at Paradeep port when the ship tilted and sank without attributing any kind of illegalities. Though everybody knows nothing concrete is going to emerge from this inquiry, it seems BJP’s strategy is to keep embarrassing and pushing the Opposition BJD party in the hope its image will take a knock.

Social crusader Anna Hazare has released a video clip on the eve of the Delhi assembly election, obliquely criticising AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal by asking the voters to support that party and leader, who believe in public service and sacrifice. Anna had been instrumental in dislodging the UPA government in 2014 by launching an indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. Among his staunchest workers was Kejriwal, who later became the focus of the anti-Congress politics in the national capital. However, Anna had frowned at this development since it was his stand that his followers should keep themselves away from active politics and especially from power games. This position was reversed by Kejriwal in no time and after that, the two have hardly spoken to each other. In the video, which has been mostly ignored by major political parties, Anna has asked the voters to elect only such people who are having a clean character and who wish to work for the people without expecting anything in return. There is a pointed reference to alcohol consumption since Anna says, “One should not take a stand that I drink and help others to drink too.” This is considered quite vocal since Kejriwal is facing several serious charges concerning the liquor license distribution in Delhi. Anna’s decision to break his long silence just before the Delhi election, scheduled for 5 February, has raised eyebrows since Anna himself has faced charges that he was a stooge of certain forces. Anna has never responded to such criticism and has closeted himself in his village in Ahilya Nagar district in north Maharashtra. In the last many years, no political leader has called on him.

Uncertainty and instability seems to be the hallmark of Maharashtra politics these days. Over two months since a majority government took charge in Maharashtra, insecurity and uncertainty persists over further splits in the Opposition. While the Opposition is on the edge with talks of their elected representatives crossing over to the treasury, the coalition partners are equally on tenterhooks owing to their inability to work freely due to many restrictions placed. Rampant rumours of switching sides and crossing over, be it of Sharad Pawar’s men or even Uddhav Thackeray over to the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition has been doing the rounds for some time now. Just when these talks of political shifts had subsided, another buzz was created about how the BJP was engineering a split in Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena by pitchforking another of his deputy, industries minister Uday Samant, who instantly issued denial from Davos. Ajit Pawar’s deputy Chhagan Bhujbal cuddling up to Amit Shah, who regularly drops in at Maharashtra to personally oversee affairs in state, is said to be just the tip of the iceberg.   Eknath Shinde who has been sulking since his demotion from CM’s post, is now upset with his ministers being bypassed for guardian ministership in two districts, Raigad and Nashik. His supporters went on a rampage to protest by burning tyres and blocking highways demanding the posts. Constant bickering and frictions between coalition partners over ministerial berths, portfolios, bungalows and now guardian ministerships seem to have become a hallmark of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis 2.0 term. To placate forces within his own party he created new posts like joint guardian ministers to accommodate Ashish Shelar and Mangal Prabhat Lodha. Saner voices of reason like Supriya Sule have claimed that the tensions in government were deliberately being stoked in the state, to divert attention from pressing challenges facing the state like inflation, unemployment, corruption etc.

A population explosion occurred in Maharashtra over the last three years, apart from the natural births registered, with over 60,000 citizens mostly Rohingyas and Bangladeshi nationals belonging to the Muslim community, issued birth certificates by the Maharashtra government as Indian citizens. The scam came to light Tuesday (Jan 21) when deputy collector of Akola, Vijay Patil, provided data confirming 15,845 people (mostly in the 30 to 70 years age group) were issued birth certificates in Akola district alone. Another 10,273 applicants on the verge of physical delivery of the certificates were put on hold. “Ninety nine percent of 1,50, 000 applicants, over 60,000 issued birth certificates already, illegal Muslim Bangladeshi/Rohingya immigrants into India. In majority of cases only photographs were provided as supporting documents,” BJP leader Kirit Somaiyya has said. In Akola city 4849 (3953), 1899 (896) in Akot, 468 (1164) in Balapur, 1070 (787) in Murtijapur, 1262 (938) in Telhara, 3978 (1576) in Patur and 1319 (959) in Barshitakli already secured government endorsed birth certificates while similar number (in brackets) were pending physical delivery when the scam came to light. Senior BJP leader Mahendra Jain says, “This is organized crime with 99% applicants found to be foreign nationals. Government officials found complicit in crime must be booked under the provisions of terrorism laws applicable in India.” Suspensions of concerned officials complicit in issuance of certificates to even fictitious entities as Indian citizens and its terror implications is still being assessed. Ironically, the Special Investigation Team ( SIT) formed to tackle the illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in Maharashtra years ago has not met a single time since its inception or. at least rarely.

In an interesting political twist, Tamil Nadu Industries Minister TRB Raaja who was pitching for Tamil Nadu to the investors at World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos was found heaping praise on Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis. He described Fadnavis as an amazing leader and expressed his deep respect for him. Son of DMK Lok Sabha leader TR Baalu, it was refreshing to hear the DMK Minister say that while “I am going to fight for an investment to Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra is trying to pull it for Maharashtra, I don’t mind as long as it comes and stays in India. We don’t want to lose out to Vietnam, Indonesia or Malaysia. That is the whole story when we are aggressive”. While sharing stage with Fadnavis, Raaja praised India’s growth story and described TN and Maharashtra as double engines. He also described Fadnavis as a people’s leader.”I have a huge respect for him”, said Raaja, perhaps referring to the huge mandate he recently received. He also acknowledged that Mumbai was beating TN in terms of numbers anyway. In a bid to attract investment six states — UP, Maharashtra, Telangana TN, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala fiercely competed for attention at the WEF (Jan 20-24). While Maharashtra aimed to sign MoUs worth $7 trillion, TN which had launched a global campaign under the slogan “Bullish on TN” for four days had scheduled meetings with 50 potential leaders. While it may be good optics for a DMK leader which is part of the INDIA bloc to bond with BJP CM but it does open the possibility for DMK to explore its political options beyond INDIA bloc.

Delhi has BJP worried over outcomes considering 12 of 70 MLA constituencies are dominated by the minority community enjoying majority vote count. Rahul Gandhi, keen on BJP losing even at own party’s cost, predictably commenced campaigning from Muslim dominated Seelampur assembly constituency that counts over 50% voters from the minority community. Gandhi targeted PM Modi as usual, consciously launched broadside against Arvind Kejriwal under pressure from Congress local leaders Ajay Maken, former Delhi CM, Sheila Dikshit’s son Sandeep. For once Congress high command heeded local leaders’ advice to fight alone rather than according AAP walkover on pain of losing out erstwhile political bastion, even suffer further in Punjab like it did for general elections and was trounced. In Delhi 3:4 ratio of coalition drew a blank with BJP clinching all seven Lok Sabha victories. Gandhi’s sudden detour to meet RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav in Bihar Saturday surprised some but was to smoothen political relationship for next-up, Bihar state assemblies at instance of Sonia Gandhi notwithstanding Tejashwi’s hard stance against Congress. Delhi Lieutenant Governor granted prosecution permission against AAP leaders putting Kejriwal in a bind even as conditional bail pre-empts his CM post assumption if AAP wins. NCP leader and Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar preferred fielding 30 candidates for Delhi polls, including 13 Muslim aspirants, than settling within NDA coalition that accorded solitary seats to Nitish Kumar, Chirag Paswan.  Pawar’s gambit is similar to 30 assembly candidates he fielded in J&K, 24 in Jharkhand although the impact of his national foray is yet to register a winning mark.

The BJP was in a dilemma regarding the Erode East Assembly bypoll in Tamil Nadu for a seat that became vacant with the death of Congress leader EVKS Elangovan. Having promised a seat to GK Vasan’s TMC, the party did not wish to go back on its word and take over the seat. At the same time, it was fearful of Vasan’s party being wiped out in the poll and finishing far behind Seeman’s NTK. A very poor performance by an ally would not have suited the national party either, which is why it decided not to contest and announcing it was following the AIADMK in boycotting the poll because the election would be fixed by the ruling DMK in bringing hordes of voters into nearby meeting places and then transporting them to the booths. AIADMK had decided to withdraw from the poll to give BJP the chance of putting up what could be a common candidate representing the opposition to the DMK in the state. The BJP boycott means the contest would be a walkover for the DMK that will face the only recognised party in the LTTE leader Prabhakaran-loving Tamil nationalist party NTK that has not won a single election so far. In any case, the seat will only be for a little more than a year as the Assembly elections to all 234 seats are to be held in the summer of 2026.

A crucial meeting between RSS functionaries and BJP members of the Maharashtra cabinet in Mumbai will go a long way in charting the future path to be adopted by the state government led by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. The two-day conference was attended by Fadnavis and state BJP president Chandrakant Bawankule, who is also the revenue minister. The ministers were told in no uncertain terms that their priority will be to serve the public and to maintain a clean image. Moreover, special arrangements should be in place to cater to the work connected with various individuals and organizations under the Sangh Parivar umbrella. The NDA’s unprecedented success in the state assembly election held recently is mainly attributed to the ground work done by RSS activists all over Maharashtra, especially to mobilise pro-Hindutva vote. Although the RSS has not taken any credit for this spectacular feat publicly, those working for the BJP candidly acknowledge the saffron organisation’s debt. A tentative agenda for the way ahead has been prepared for the ministers and discussed with them by top RSS representatives. Subsequently, it will be finalized as its importance will impact the local body elections, likely to be held in the near future. Like the assembly election, the BJP will dominate the candidate lists for the local bodies, too, it is expected. Accordingly, the two partners, the Shiv Sena led by deputy CM Eknath Shinde and the NCP under deputy Ajit Pawar, will have to be accommodated in the Mahayuti formula for the ensuring electoral bout, it is suggested.

In the absence of a leader of opposition in Maharashtra, the ruling Mahayuti’s dominant party, the BJP seems to have taken up the mantle of the Opposition’s role upon itself. Leading the attack against the lawlessness in Beed and raking up issues of corruption and extortion is none other than BJP’s own legislator, Suresh Dhas. Beed has been on the boil for weeks after a campaign against Dhananjay Munde and his aide Walmik Karad met up with large-scale violent reaction. Sanjay Raut (Uddhav Sena) has alluded that the entire Beed saga is a Fadnavis operation to cleanse the local political scene there. Local police officers have been transferred, gun licenses cancelled, corruption cases dug out as part of this operation. However, the central party leadership of the BJP particularly Amit Shah continues to be in the loop and maintains a hawk’s eye about the ongoing situation in the state. That the entire political situation playing out in Beed also has the Centre’s blessing is evident from the fact that leaders like Pankaja Munde and even Ajit Pawar, who have strong stakes in the local politics of Beed, have met and discussed the situation directly with Shah himself. The main accused Walmik Karad was slapped with the strong MCOCA Act, a day before the Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Mumbai and briefed the state’s legislators. The man at the centre of the current political storm, NCP’s Dhananjay Munde was kept out of this crucial meeting with the PM. Though Munde has managed to retain his ministerial berth without resigning despite the controversy, he has been considerably weakened politically with his own leader Ajit Pawar disbanding his party’s entire team of office-bearers in Beed.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar has come under fire from firebrand leader Chhagan Bhujbal, who has lashed at the party’s ‘monopolistic’ style of functioning. Bhujbal’s outburst at the NCP’s Shirdi conclave and his distancing from Pawar by not even greeting him has sent warning signals within the party as the OBC proponent is among the senior most colleagues of Ajit. When veteran Sharad Pawar was attacked prior to the split in the NCP, it was Bhujbal who took up cudgels on behalf of Ajit and alleged that the latter was always sidelined. During the recent assembly election, Bhujbal’s importance was underscored following his spirited pro-OBC statements since it became evident that the OBCs had wholeheartedly voted for the NDA of which NCP(A) is a constituent. However, the picture suddenly changed when Bhujbal was not inducted in the government led by Devendra Fadnavis. The discord grew when Bhujbal maintained that Fadnavis wanted him in the cabinet but the NCP decided otherwise. So far, Ajit Pawar has not reacted at all to Bhujbal’s grievance even once. Hence, Bhujbal’s complaint that there was no collective decision making in the NCP is interpreted as a cautionary sign. NCP top leader Praful Patel has tried to quell it by announcing that internal talks will be held to exactly understand the issue. But this relief has not satisfied Bhujbal, who has declared that he will decide his course of action soon.

The rift in the powerful Pawar family appears to be widening despite persistent speculation that patriarch Sharad Pawar and his estranged nephew Ajit Pawar are likely to patch up eventually. Pawar’s recent kudos showered on the RSS cadres and his restrained reaction to various political developments have proved intriguing for his followers and detractors alike. On the other hand, Ajit’s frequent absence from important events in the state and especially at a function graced by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat have added grist to the rumour mill. Against this backdrop, the body language of Pawar and his daughter Supriya Sule at a Pune dais with Ajit present alongside is considered quite vocal. Not a single word was exchanged between them during an agro exhibition at Baramati. The main event and the lunch thereafter were touted as possible venues for a handshake, which did not take place. The organisers had placed the chairs of Pawar and Ajit apart, perhaps to avert any discomfiture for either. Ajit and his wife Sunetra, Rajya Sabha member, were felicitated by Supriya but there was no verbal exchange. She rued the refusal by Ajit to talk to her. Supriya said that she continued to be in touch with Sunetra, as well as with their two sons. Supriya’s earlier grievance that Devendra Fadnavis would take her calls but not Ajit Pawar is recalled in this connection.

This Pongal saw an abundance of Tamilian, more pointedly Dravidian culture celebrations, with almost a week of holidays for them to meet, greet and bring cheer to families. Shopping was at its rousing best. And of course the Jallikattu bull taming, blood and gore to the fore in the districts of Madurai. The lead centre is Alanganallur, famous for exceptional bull breeding and competing tamers spurred by roars of excitement goading not just the bull tamer but the bulls too. This year 5786 bulls and 1698 “Veerans” participated in the sport. A car is to be gifted to the bravest tamer and the bull that defied capture. Inaugurating the high voltage sport, Udhayanidhi Stalin, Tamil Nadu deputy CM was conspicuous by his presence, accompanied by his son Inbanidhi. No one can fathom whether M Karunanidhi (Kalaignar) the founder patriarch of the DMK had plans for a dynasty as prominent as Stalin and brood. Talk was inevitable…Kalaignar took his own time to groom son Stalin to take over both the party and the government. Kalaignar openly made it clear that Stalin would not get a walk in. Udhayanidhi had it quite easy with his mother pressuring husband Stalin to name him deputy CM.  Is Inbanidhi on the first step to learn the ropes by getting experience with his full blown lesson in bull taming … .valour, sense of adventure and the yearning for power? Raajneeti is not just electoral strategies. It is an eclectic mix of ambition, ruthless aspirations and of course lessons in bull taming.

Trinamool Congress General Secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee’s recently launched healthcare initiative, Sebaashray, seems to have raised a lot of questions about the existing healthcare landscape in West Bengal. By introducing a programme that delivers free medical services at the grassroots level, Banerjee has not only demonstrated a proactive approach to addressing healthcare gaps but has also sparked debates on the adequacy and accessibility of state-run facilities. In a message via social media Abhishek said, “Administration cannot be run with words alone; it requires action. Actions that can transform lives.” The party’s second-in-command highlighted the impact of Sebaashray by sharing statistics on its beneficiaries. Launched on January 2, 2025, in his parliamentary constituency, the initiative has already served 341,000 people, drawing significant attention and popularity, with many traveling from distant areas to access its services. The programme’s success has also prompted scrutiny, particularly regarding the necessity of a separate initiative alongside the state government’s existing free medical services. Responding to such concerns, Abhishek clarified that the initiative is not intended to replace or compete with the state’s healthcare framework but to complement it. While acknowledging the state’s progress over the past 10-15 years in establishing primary health centres and super-speciality hospitals, he explained that his initiative focuses on delivering advanced treatment directly to villages through a cluster-based model. Abhishek said that similar programmes would be replicated across West Bengal over a period of time. The initiative, however, has not escaped criticism. CPI (M) leader Sujan Chakraborty argued that Sebaashray signals the inadequacy of the state government’s healthcare delivery at the local level.

The increasing influx of suspected Bangladeshis in Mumbai and certain parts of the state is causing grave concern. The Maharashtra police have intensified their efforts to identify and round up such infiltrators. However, existing procedure to deal with such infiltrators is such that the accused take benefit of the system and roam freely in India. Last year, over 300 Bangladeshis were arrested in Mumbai alone while more than 900 have been caught over the past three years. Sadly, just 220 of them could be deported due to the legal framework. Almost all of them were holding passports and Aadhar cards or ration cards. A few of them reportedly could vote for the recent Lok Sabha election as well. The Anti Terrorists Squad of the police has now accelerated the drive to weed out such illegally staying Bangladeshis. According to investigators, when such migrants are produced in court, they are able to secure temporary relief on technical grounds. Once protected by court orders, they indulge in various activities. A majority of them are said to be construction workers or plumbers. The ATS has now started writing to banks to freeze their accounts. Similarly, various state authorities like the transport and rationing departments are asked to cancel their driving licenses or ration cards. It has transpired that there is a systematic chain which manages different formalities so that the migrants can obtain official seal. Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has termed this development as a Vote Jihad and asked the police to crack down ruthlessly.