CBSE OSM row revives questions over firm linked to Telangana’s 2019 Intermediate results controversy

The saffron party is also hoping that there will be issues of conflict between supporters of Siddaramaiah and D.K. Shivakumar that they can leverage | K. Shivakumar as Chief Minister, the BJP is preparing to face the new dispensation with an aggressive approach.As Mr. Shivakumar is known for his no-holds-barred approach, the BJP has decided to counter him, as they put it, “in his own style.” Already, informal discussions and exchange of ideas have been held among BJP leaders ever since it became clear that Siddaramaiah agreed to relinquish the Chief Minister’s post.Ahead of pollsAccording to sources in the BJP, the timing also demands it. “Only two years are left for the Assembly elections. This is a crucial phase where the Opposition has to take the government head on,” observed a BJP leader.He pointed out that there is a marked difference in the functioning style of Mr. Siddaramaiah and Mr. Shivakumar. “The former is a socialist veteran leader who was known for political craftiness and ideological orientation. We had to counter him in a sensitive manner. However, Mr. Shivakumar is a different personality who is known for taking things head on. We need to match his aggression to counter him,” said the leader.For a start, the BJP leaders are planning to build campaigns around various issues involving Mr. Shivakumar including what they call “irregularities” in garbage tender in Bengauru.HeartburnThe BJP is waiting to cash in on the heartburn and disappointment among those who fail to make it to the ministry now. “Though the power transfer process is appearing to be a smooth affair as of now, there are indications of several tricky issues coming up in the future as Mr. Shivakumar cannot afford to ignore the pet schemes or political constituency of his predecessor. Such issues are bound to snowball into conflict situations due to emerging of alternative power centres if Mr. Siddaramaiah stays back in State politics,” observed another leader.Already BJP national president Nitin Nabin, who recently held meetings with the State unit, has given a rough road map to the leaders on the campaigns to be taken up. He had asked the leaders to pull their socks up while observing that they were not aggressive enough in projecting themselves as an effective political alternative by taking the Congress government head-on on various issues.A series of orientation sessions and organisational study camps have been held for them recently with an eye on the 2028 Assembly elections. The change in leadership in the Congress is set to impact the functioning style of the Opposition party too. Published - May 29, 2026 09:54 pm IST

TDP State president Palla Srinivasa Rao. | In a message on Friday, Mr. Srinivasa Rao thanked the cadres, leaders, volunteers and supporters worldwide for making the annual conclave a success. He said it showcased the organisational strength, discipline and technological adaptability of the TDP.Conducted in a hybrid model, combining physical and digital participation, though 1,875 clusters, the convention witnessed engagement from leaders and workers from 12 countries, and nearly 2.45 million virtual participants.Mr. Srinivasa Rao credited TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu for prioritising cadre welfare through various programmes. He praised national working president Nara Lokesh for successfully implementing the digitally connected Mahanadu model.He said the proposal to allocate 33% seats for women in the party structure and electoral representation as a landmark reform aimed at strengthening women’s political empowerment.The conclave had adopted 21 resolutions covering women’s empowerment, youth employment, social justice and development. It also urged the Centre to confer Bharat Ratna on TDP founder N.T. Rama Rao, he said, and called upon party workers to take the message and resolutions to every household. Published - May 29, 2026 07:26 pm IST

Keralam Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan | D. Satheesan said. Addressing a press conference here on Friday, he said that the allegations raised by CPI(M) leaders regarding his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi are ridiculous.“The ED is a Central agency. Some of the respondents in the case had gone to the High Court to prevent the investigation. The HC rejected the petition and allowed the ED to continue the investigation. What is the role of the State government in this? How can you tell them that they cannot investigate? We are not the competent authority to say that. If the CPI(M) thinks it is a political case, they can approach the court,” he said.‘A serious crime’He said that the agency had not informed the State government prior to the raids or after its completion. The Home Minister had foreseen the possibilities of a law and order situation and deployed a police force, whose tactical intervention prevented the situation from getting out of hand. “The attack on the officers who came here for the investigation is a serious crime. The government will take stringent action so that such tendencies are not repeated,” he said.Mr. Satheesan said that the meeting with Mr. Modi was a courtesy call and attempts to connect it to the ED raids are laughable. Just like Chief Ministers before me, I met the PM after assuming charge as the CM. This was my first personal meeting with him. If CPI(M) leaders are to be believed, when I met him, I asked him to conduct a raid on the Leader of the Opposition, which was done the very next day. My advice to the CPI(M) leaders is not to underestimate the common sense of Malayalis. The Leader of the Opposition came out after the raids and pointed fingers at Rahul Gandhi, but never uttered a word against the PM or the BJP,” he said.Mr.Satheean sought to differentiate the allegations against Mr.Vijayan’s daughter T.Veena and those against other political leaders including from the Congress for accepting funds from the CMRL. “All the political parties have accepted funds from businesses like the CMRL. But in this case, the CMRL had transacted huge amounts with Exalogic which had not provided any client services, which points to money laundering,” he said. He rejected allegations that he was running away from answering questions from the media regarding the ED raid over the past three days. “Some news channels have been claiming that I did not answer questions even though they asked me 12 times. Just like you have the right to ask questions, I also should have the right to give the answer at a time of my choosing, after studying all the issues,” he said. Published - May 29, 2026 05:55 pm IST

Visakhapatnam Collector M. Abhishikt Kishor seeks political parties’ cooperation for the SIR of electoral rolls on Wednesday. | District Collector M. Abhishikt Kishor on Wednesday (May 28, 2026) urged political parties to extend their full cooperation in the exercise as Visakhapatnam district prepares for the revision. Presiding over a meeting with representatives of recognised national and State political parties at the Collectorate, he said the ECI had taken up the SIR to ensure that every eligible citizen is enrolled and no ineligible person finds a place in the rolls.In Visakhapatnam district, the electorate now stands at over 20.23 lakh voters across seven Assembly constituencies, up from about 13 lakh in 2002. Despite an ongoing exercise mapping current electors to the 2002 rolls, nearly 38% of voters, around 7.61 lakh persons, remain unmapped and will be subject to further verification.The Collector asked political parties to appoint one Booth Level Agent (BLA) for each polling station. The BLA must be a registered voter, either in the same booth area or, if unavailable, from within the same Assembly constituency. BLAs will be linked with Booth Level Officers (BLOs), and meetings between them will be held before June 2. They can submit up to 50 enumeration forms a day ahead of the publication of the draft electoral roll.During the enumeration phase, from June 15 to July 14, BLOs will visit every household to distribute pre-filled enumeration forms. Where a house is found locked, the BLO will make up to three visits. The draft electoral roll is to be published on July 21 and the final roll on September 22.The Collector directed Electoral Registration Officers to convene constituency-level meetings and to ensure political parties receive advance notice of them.Joint Collector G. Vidyadhari, District Revenue Officer Vishweshwara Naidu and Electoral Registration Officers from across the district attended the meeting. Party representatives present included Lodagala Krishna (Telugu Desam Party), Parasurama Raju (BJP), Sudhakar (Congress), Shiva Prasada Rao (BSP), V. Krishna Rao (CPI), Jyothiswara Rao (CPI-M), Ravi Kumar (YSRCP) and Durga Prasada Rao (Jana Sena). Published - May 28, 2026 05:08 pm IST

Pathanamthitta General Hospital | The disclosure was made during a meeting of the Hospital Management Committee (HMC) held on Friday evening in the presence of Aranmula legislator Abin Varkey. Following the revelation, the MLA and the district panchayat directed officials to inspect all construction works and conduct a detailed audit of accounts.Confirming the development, district panchayat vice-president Aneesh Varikkannamala said the engineer representing the project consultant admitted that the works were carried out under political pressure without adequate quality checks. “When asked, the engineer said that wall plastering was rushed and white cement was applied before it had set. He also noted that only around 60 per cent of the work had been completed at the time of inauguration,” said Mr. Varikkannamala.Taking serious note of the disclosure, Mr.Varkey has decided to examine all files related to the project, while district panchayat president Deenamma Roy has directed the officials concerned to produce all relevant records for verification. “A meeting of all stakeholders, including project engineers, contractors and subcontractors, will soon be convened to assess the structural stability of the buildings,” added Mr. Varikkannamala.Hurried inaugurationThe controversy stems from the inauguration of the under-construction Critical Care Block and OP Block at the hospital ahead of the elections, which had drawn criticism at the time. The Congress had alleged that the buildings were still halfway through construction and were being inaugurated at the instance of the then Health Minister Veena George, who was also the local legislator. The OP Block is being constructed over 31,200 square feet using ₹22.16 crore sanctioned under Nabard funding, while the Critical Care Block is being built with ₹23.62 crore under NHM funds.Meanwhile, the Youth Congress has lodged a complaint with the Home Minister seeking a vigilance probe into alleged irregularities in the construction of the new hospital buildings. The complaint, filed by Nahas Pathanamthitta, also a member of the HMC, alleges political and administrative interference during construction of these two buildings. It further alleges lack of transparency in tender procedures and financial transactions and claims that the structural defects pose a safety risk to patients and the public. Published - May 24, 2026 06:57 pm IST

National BC Dal president Dundra Kumaraswamy at a meeting with BC Associations Joint Action Committee in Hyderabad on May 20, 2026 | Addressing a meeting organised by the BC Associations Joint Action Committee in Kachiguda, Hyderabad, on Wednesday (May 20, 2026), he said the Supreme Court’s dismissal of a petition opposing caste enumeration marked a significant step towards strengthening social justice and inclusive welfare governance. He observed that Backward Classes had been subjected to decades of social, economic and political marginalisation, while the absence of authentic caste-wise data had denied them proportionate policy attention and representation.Referring to the Supreme Court’s observation that caste census was essential for effective implementation of welfare schemes, Mr. Kumaraswamy said reliable demographic data was necessary to identify the extent of poverty, backwardness and exclusion among various communities. He stated that caste census was not about dividing society, but about recognising historical inequalities and ensuring equitable distribution of opportunities, welfare and political representation. Published - May 20, 2026 05:58 pm IST

Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar's son Bandi Bageerath appears before the police in Hyderabad May 16, 2026 in connection with a POCSO case registered against him. | What began as a complaint by the mother of a minor girl has snowballed into a controversy that has dented the party’s credibility, weakened Mr. Kumar’s standing, and handed the Opposition a potent issue just as municipal elections are approaching.Public outrage has intensified over delays in FIR registration, counter-complaints by Mr. Bageerath alleging a “honey trap,” and allegations that political influence was used to delay his arrest. The BJP’s carefully cultivated narrative on women’s safety has been undermined by this scandal. This episode will potentially have long-term consequences for its plans to expand in the State.Political positioningThe Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) moved swiftly to exploit the controversy. The party accused the BJP of shielding Mr. Sanjay’s son, and exposed, what it termed, the BJP’s “double standards.”The ruling Congress Party, initially criticised for delays in registering the FIR, also pivoted quickly. Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy intervened, urging Mr. Kumar to ensure that his son cooperated with the police while stressing that “running away is not a solution.” By reframing the issue around moral accountability, he effectively put the spotlight on Mr. Kumar, portraying him as evasive. Highlighting the eventual registration of the POCSO case against Mr. Bageerath, Mr. Reddy sought to deflect criticism over the delay and redirect attention back to the BJP leader.The timing also proved politically explosive, coming just days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Hyderabad. BRS cadres took to the streets, ensuring that the controversy dominated headlines. For the BRS, the controversy provided an opportunity to erode the BJP’s moral authority and regain ground in urban constituencies where the party had been making inroads. The BRS consistently linked the case to what it portrayed as the BJP’s broader governance style, accusing it of hypocrisy and insensitivity toward victims.Caught off guard, the BJP attempted to contain the fallout by insisting that Mr. Kumar had no role in the incident, drawing a distinction between his public office and private life. However, internally, senior leaders advised the Union Minister to ensure full cooperation with the investigation, recognising that any perception of evasion could further damage the party’s credibility.The police too came under scrutiny as the victim’s mother alleged that she had to wait for hours before her complaint was formally registered. Police officials defended their handling of the case, citing the need for careful verification as the alleged incident dated back to December 2025.Further, the timing of the controversy has overshadowed the BJP’s political messaging. In municipal elections, where perception and local sentiment play a critical role, such controversies can erode trust among key voter groups. Women voters, a decisive constituency in urban areas, may view the episode as undermining the party’s claims on safety. Unless the BJP convincingly distances itself from the controversy, its credibility is sure take a beating.Beyond politicsThe case also draws attention to Telangana’s troubling record on child sexual offences. According to NCRB data, 6,113 crimes against children were reported in 2023-24, with 84% of them involving sexual offences and kidnappings under POCSO provisions. Between 2020 and May 2025, as many as 16,994 POCSO cases were registered, yet only 188 resulted in convictions. This backdrop amplifies the political fallout of the case — it is