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 has named Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) state vice-president Abhishek Kumar as its candidate thereby setting up a triangular contest against the RJD’s Rekha Gupta and Prashant Kishor. RJD’s Gupta had secured second position with 46,363 votes in the 2025 Assembly election. During the 2025 assembly elections in Bihar Kishore stayed out of the contest. His party contested many seats but failed to win a seat. His decision not to contest was seen as one of the main reasons for his new party’s poor performance and credibility. Bankipur is one of Patna’s most talked-about and 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. Both the BJP and the RJD hope to consolidate their traditional social base due to this factor. 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. BJP’s Abhishek Kumar comes from the Kayastha community, which has a sizeable population in Bankipur. In fact, the BJP has always fielded a Kayastha candidate here, from Thakur Prasad to Naveen Kishore Sinha to his son Nitin Nabin. Second, Abhishek Kumar has been a close aide of Nitin Nabin and also enjoys the confidence of Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary.

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.”

Dhanush and his 55th film, OM Chapter 1 has already raised heartbeats with its powerful teaser. The title OM is astutely inventive yet familiar like a soft blanket, a brand positioning like none other for Hindutva. If your memory drags up another such title Hey Ram, your RAM has super ready access. OM has already garnered marketable gold nuggets in many forms. Following the runaway hit Amaran, its director Rajkumar Periasamy is signed to direct OM. Posting its initial line up of popular stars, Dhanush, Mammootty,  Sai Pallavi and Kayadu Lohar. After the buzz and curiosity of the teaser, a new announcement was dropped …one of India’s most iconic actors, Naseeruddin Shah (if you haven’t, catch the Titan story where he plays JRD Tata’s role) is to join the cast of OM …just 26 years later after Hey Ram. Shah is to partner Mammootty after 32 years after Ponthan Mada. This hugely awaited film is from Dhanush’s own Wunderbar Films, and unravels a plot about illegal Red Sanders felling, the hero taking up the cause of those who fell the precious wood. Ok, we know It harks back to Pushpa 1 and 2. In cinema, imitation is the best form of plottery . But wait …the plot may be reminiscent. It is the release date planned for Ayudha Pooja day — 16th October — that’s caused a huge buzz. Superstar Rajinikanth’s Jailor 2 and Dhanush’s OM are set to clash as gladiators on the same day. Will the Sasur win? Or will the “estranged “ Damaad create family history?

The men in blue with a new captain Shreyas Iyer has been beaten hollow in Belfast (Ireland) and at three venues in England. Iyer has led in six matches and lost five in a row. The first dig at Chester-lee-Street, Durham did not deliver a result, and England has held its own in Old Trafford, in Robin Hood country Trent Bridge and Bristol. Iyer must be gutted with back to back series loss – and five has now become a record for an Indian captain. Shikhar Dhawan and Mahendra Singh Dhoni have led the men in blue teams that lost four in a row in 2021 and 2009. After looking at the score cards a first question that comes up is “Why is left-hander Tilak Varma batting at No 5 and 6” when his preferred batting number is 3/4 where he has scored 649 runs with 2x100s at 46.36 and a strike rate of 9.12 and 490 runs at 54.44 with a strike rate of 7.72. In the World Cup, Varma batted at No 3 five times, and at No 5/7. He had an overall strike rate of 9.27. India has promoted Ishan Kishan to No 3 from the World Cup match against Zimbabwe in Chennai and since he has scored one half century in 10 innings. Clearly India has not had the best from Varma at No 5 or 6. It’s at No 3 that Varma scored 107* against South Africa at Centurion Park and 120* at the Wanderers in November 2024. His average has dipped batting lower down the order. Tinkering with the batting order has resulted in a downside in the Twenty20 format. India has won 18 matches with Tilak batting at No 3.

In a major political development in West Bengal, three former Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha MPs — Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Sushmita Dev and Prakash Chik Baraik — formally joined BJP. All three had resigned from the Rajya Sabha and TMC in recent weeks, with Roy stepping down first after the party’s electoral defeat, followed by Dev and Baraik. Bhattacharya. West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya described their induction as a major organisational boost. He recalled the contribution of Roy’s father in Bengal politics, accusing successive governments of neglecting Bengal’s historical legacy. Roy’s induction had been anticipated after his recent meetings with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Bhattacharya and other senior BJP leaders. After joining the party, Roy alleged that both the Left Front and Trinamool governments had harmed West Bengal, claiming he was sidelined and harassed, including being summoned by Lalbazaar, iconic Kolkata police headquarters, for raising issues such as the RG Kar case and corruption. Dev said she joined the BJP after concluding that her national aspirations could not be realised in the Trinamool. Citing Assam’s development model, she said she wanted to contribute to the country’s progress under Modi and chose the Bengal BJP on the advice of Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma Rejecting criticism that the BJP was indiscriminately inducting Trinamool leaders, Bhattacharya said only those with a clean image would be welcomed, while leaders accused of corruption or scams had no place in the party. He also urged the media not to describe the new entrants as turncoats, saying they should now be regarded simply as BJP leaders. Speculation remains that the trio could be renominated to the Rajya Sabha under the BJP banner.

The ongoing 48-team FIFA World Cup in the Americas, for almost a month, has been unprecedented and exhilarating for a number of reasons; notably for the wonderful goal-getting ability of the super stars led by Leo Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane. And millions of football fanatics have lapped it up! Each one of them have been able to capture the imagination of the fans with their own ways of beating the last line of defence with their lower limb or head.  Christiano Ronaldo, well past his sunset years, was a far cry from his best and the injury prone Neymar Jr hardly touched a ball, benched by the maverick Italy born Brazilian coach Carlo Ancelloti for a major part of the competition. The versatile Argentine Messi has missed dead-ball situations, but has entertained with his alacrity and direction, Frenchman Mbappe has demonstrated speed, pile drivers and deft touches, Haaland has bulldozed his way into the penalty area and delivered winners and Harry Kane has used his height and found a way to the back of the net. Messi leads the Golden Boot race with 8 goals and one assist, followed by Mbappe (7 +2) Haaland (7) and Kane (6+1). The numbers could dramatically change with Argentina, France, Norway and England reaching the last eight. Ronaldo and Neymar Jr have taken a bow from international football, without the World Cup glory. Messi has kept the retirement card close to his chest; he could do so after his team’s last match. Kane may go out on a high should England win the title after 60 years. Mbappe and Haaland ought to be there when Portugal, Spain and Morocco host the World Cup in 1930; but so far, it’s been damn good across the Atlantic!

Temples are in the news post Ram Mandir donation theft. The latest news is from Odisha. Ahead of the grand nine-day planned mega festival of Lord Jagannath Ratha Yatra at Puri scheduled on July 16, 2026, Puri’s titular King Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb — Chairman of 12th century Shree Jagannath Temple Management Committee (SJTMC) has blown the bugle. He has raised serious questions against ISKCON’s international branches and its functioning. He is now seeking the Centre’s intervention to stop Lord Jagannath’s untimely rituals being conducted outside India. While ISKCON India chapter has agreed to abide by SJTMC directives, however, ISKCON centres in Canada, U.S., UK, Europe and parts of Africa continue to host Rath Yatras based on local convenience instead of following the lunar calendar practiced in Puri, thereby deviating from Odisha’s century old tradition. The Puri King says “The sanctity of dates cannot be altered for global convenience because it hurts the sentiments of millions of devotees”. This explains why Puri King has escalated this issue to PM Modi and President Droupadi Murmu and Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi seeking their urgent intervention.

The shocking embezzlement of donations offered by the devout to Ram Lalla has shocked the entire nation. It is logical to compare this with the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), India’s richest pilgrimage site and the mind boggling logistics implemented …not just for footfalls, but collection of donations, daily counting and how the huge coffers are like a corporate …every rupee accounted, audited and spent. Every single day, 50,000 to 70,000 pilgrims wend their way to see Lord Balaji; on special days it surpasses 100,000. With its budget of RS 5,500 crore, TTD is constantly aiming to get the best from the donations. Even as the Ram Mandir theft was unfolding, TTD was taking security to a higher level, partnering with the Institute of Chartered Accounts, for robust accounts and audit. This temple’s daily counting of cash, gold and silver ornaments is itself a protocol not many places of worship follow. S Gurumurthy, Editor of Tamil magazine Thuglak, and RSS functionary has criticised the hypocrisy of the opposition in the New Indian Express in his signed two-part article. But is this just a condemnation of the Ram Mandir Trust and its lack of control? Hindus have long suffered the partisan HR and CE grip on Hindu places of worship. Time to clean up this Augean stables and free temples from the clutches of the greedy.

The resounding success of Ghabadkund has ignited a new era in Marathi cinema, marking the birth of its first-ever cinematic universe. Produced by Dr Rasik Kadam and directed by Pritam SK Patil, the film masterfully blends suspense, action and ancient folklore set against a mysterious cursed reservoir in Maharashtra’s untamed heartlands. It introduces an overarching lore of hidden treasures, forbidden rituals, and awakening malevolent forces, not as a standalone tale, but as the foundation for interconnected stories that celebrate the region’s rich mythology and cultural soul. With a reported Rs 6 crore budget, Ghabadkund has delivered a strong verdict, amassing approximately Rs 7.57 crore in total collections by around Day 16 (Maharashtra contributing the lion’s share). In the producer’s visionary words, “We are creating a universe that belongs to our soil, our stories, and our people. This is just the beginning.” Ghabadkund has paved the way, drawing audiences into a shared world where legends intertwine across time and terrain. The narrative now expands organically, with everyday elements like bustling dhabas along rural highways becoming pivotal nexuses. Here, ordinary lives collide with extraordinary secrets, weaving emotional conflicts, treasure hunts, and escalating mysteries that bind future chapters into a grand narrative. Encouraged by good response, Dr Kadam has announced a massive Rs 50 crore investment for the second chapter. This technologically advanced instalment is poised to be one of the biggest in Marathi cinema history, targeting global audiences while staying rooted in local ethos. Spanning six interconnected films overall, the franchise promises unprecedented scale in visuals, storytelling, and production values. As Ghabadkund continues its strong box-office journey, the Marathi cinematic universe stands as a testament to bold Marathi ambition.