BJP, Congress file nominations for Manjalpur bypoll, trade barbs over governance

The Datia Assembly constituency in Madhya Pradesh witnessed a bumper turnout with 71.44% polling being recorded for the by-election held to decide the fate of 21 candidates in fray with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress being locked in a tight contest. The bypoll on the Assembly seat was necessitated following the disqualification of Congress’ Rajendra Bharti in April due to his conviction in a bank fraud case. The BJP has fielded debutant Ashutosh Tiwari, after snubbing former State Home Minister Narottam Mishra who represented the seat for three consecutive terms until his defeat to Bharti in 2023 Assembly polls. The Congress fielded Ghanshyam Singh, a member of the erstwhile Datia royal family and former MLA from neighbouring Sewda Assembly seat. Damodar Yadav of the Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram), banking on the significant Dalit population of the constituency. As per the Election Commission of India (ECI) data, there were a total of 2,20,410 eligible voters in the constituency, including 1,16,116 male, 1,04,284 female and 10 other voters, and 291 polling booths were established for the bypoll. The district administration said that 74.09% male and 68.48% female voters exercised their right to vote until the polling concluded at 6 p.m. The votes will be counted on August 3. Even as Collector and Returning Officer Swapnil Wankhede claimed that the polling was peaceful, the Congress alleged that one of its polling agents was detained “without any reason” and sought the ECI’s intervention. “Attack on Democracy in Datiya Bypoll! Today, during voting, there was an open misuse of power. From polling station number 51 in Ramsagar, the police took away the Congress polling agent without stating any reason. So that the fair voting process could be tampered with and booth capturing could take place!” the party said, sharing a video on X.After the polling was concluded, Mr. Wankhede said, “Polling was conducted peacefully across all polling stations. Wherever minor complaints or incidents were reported, they were promptly examined and addressed. No incident of violence or disturbance was reported anywhere, and the entire polling process concluded in a peaceful manner.”The campaigning in Datia witnessed top leaders of both parties, including Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, Union Minister and former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, who holds significant influence in the Gwalior-Chambal region, and Mr. Mishra holding various rallies and roadshows. The Congress also deployed its senior leaders like State unit chief Jitu Patwari, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Umang Singhar and former LoP Govind Singh camping in Datia. While the BJP tried to pull voters with its development claims and Mr. Mishra’s connect with them, the Congress took on the ruling party over issues like farm distress and alleged land scam in Ujjain involving the Chief Minister’s family while also accusing the BJP of misusing the democratic institutions over Bharti’s disqualification. The party also highlight the student agitation against paper leaks when it was going on during the campaigning. Whereas, Chief Minister Yadav also used the bypoll stage to push the rhetoric for the Uniform Civil Code, which his government passed in the recent monsoon session of the Legislative Assembly.The campaign for the bypoll began in a dramatic manner for the ruling BJP, as Datia witnessed massive and violent protests by the supporters of Mr. Mishra after he was denied the ticket on July 10 along with resignations of several local party functionaries, which was not accepted by the party.The BJP spent the next few days in damage control with Mr. Mishra being summoned to Bhopal and holding meetings with top party leaders, including Mr. Yadav, State BJP chief Hemant Khandelwal and party’s regional general secretary (organisation) Ajay Jamwal. Mr. Mishra also visited New Delhi to call on BJP national president Nitin Nabin. After the meeting,

The India-UK trade deal which came into force on July 15 offers opportunities for Kerala in areas including fisheries and marine products, spices and information technology (IT) in terms of cost advantages and ease of doing business, British Deputy High Commissioner Sutapa Choudhury said here on Thursday.The trade deal - the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) - makes it “cheaper, quicker and easier” to do business between India and U.K., Ms. Choudhury, who is the British Deputy High Commissioner covering Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry, said.At a media interaction organised by the Trivandrum Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TCCI), she listed fisheries and marine products, spices and food processing, IT and digital, textiles and handloom, engineering and advanced manufacturing and yoga, wellness, healthcare as six areas where Kerala can benefit under the trade deal signed in July 2025 and which officially came into force on July 15, 2026. Ms. Choudhury described the six areas as Kerala’s “unique strengths.”On an official visit to Thiruvananthapuram in connection with the trade deal, Ms. Choudhury met Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan and the Ministers for Health, Higher Education, Industries on Wednesday and visited Technopark Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday.The Government of India had earlier this month described CETA as an “ inclusive and future-oriented agreement.” It is expected to strengthen India’s export competitiveness by granting zero-duty access on nearly 99% of India’s exports, expand bilateral trade, attract investment and create new opportunities for businesses, the Indian government had said.Further, Ms. Choudhury evinced interest in having branch campuses of U.K. universities in Kerala. The topic had also come during the discussions she held with the Chief Minister and the Higher Education Minister Roji M. John. While memorandums of understanding have been signed for 10 British universities to establish branch campuses across India, so far none of them is in Kerala. “We really want to change that. There is clearly a strong demand for education in Kerala,” she said.On its part, the TCCI urged the British Deputy High Commissioner to explore the possibility of opening a Consulate or a Honorary Consulate of her country in Thiruvananthapuram. Officials of the British Deputy High Commissioner Sijoy Thomas and Sareen Solomon, TCCI president S.N. Raghuchandran Nair, secretary Abraham Thomas and vice president Suresh Thomas were also present. Published - July 30, 2026 07:28 pm IST

V.R. Sudheer, Congress councillor from Elamakkara South division, being felicitated by Ernakulam DCC president Mohammad Shiyas after being named the UDF candidate for the Kochi Corporation deputy mayor election scheduled for Wednesday. | R. Sudheer has been named as the United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate for the deputy mayor’s election of the Kochi Corporation, scheduled for Wednesday.A meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party, chaired by District Congress Committee (DCC) president Mohammed Shiyas, MLA, on Tuesday unanimously selected Mr. Sudheer, who represents the Elamakkara South division. The post fell vacant after incumbent Deepak Joy resigned on May 13, shortly after being elected as Thripunithura MLA. It has remained vacant since, drawing criticism from the Opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF), which alleged an administrative impasse as the deputy mayor also chairs the crucial finance standing committee of the Corporation.The LDF has fielded P.J. Yesudas, representing the Nasrathu division, while first-time councillor Jalaja S. Acharya, representing Thrikkanarvattom, will contest for the BJP. The outcome is expected to be a foregone conclusion, given that the UDF enjoys the support of 48 members, including one Independent, in the 76-member house, while the LDF and the BJP have 22 and six members respectively.The Congress had earlier allotted split terms of two-and-a-half years each to Mr. Joy and K.V.P. Krishnakumar, representing the ‘A’ and ‘I’ factions respectively. A similar arrangement is in place for the Mayor’s post, with Congress councillors V.K. Minimol and Shiny Mathew sharing the position.Though several names within the ‘A’ faction were initially considered, Mr. Sudheer remained the frontrunner throughout owing to his seniority. Published - July 28, 2026 10:57 pm IST

In its annual Martyrs’ Day observance on Tuesday (July 21, 2026), the Congress party demanded action against the former home secretary, Manish Gupta, for the 1993 police firing incident, who later became a minister in the Trinamool Congress government in 2011. The development comes only a day after the Chief Minister, Suvendu Adhikari, tabled the fact-finding report of the incident prepared by an inquiry commission led by former Justice Sushanta Kumar Chatterjee. CM stated that the former CM, Mamata Banerjee, gained political benefit out of the incident but did not publish the report despite receiving it in 2014, only to save Mr. Gupta. “I recorded my statement in the commission. The Chatterjee commission had a clear observation that the Home Department under the then-Left government was responsible for the firing incident. But Mamata Banerjee tried to save him because he was made a minister. We must not forget what Mr. Adhikari had been doing then. However, the new government has tabled the report. Ther should be a proper investigation and action against them,” said Pradeep Bhattacharya, the former West Bengal State Congress President. The party also set up a dummy of Mr. Gupta and placed it in a witness box on the stage. Meanwhile, the workers of the youth wing of the party were also seen carrying a badge demanding action against Mr. Gupta. The Shahid Minar ground, where the Congress’s rally took place, was also decorated with several archival photos on the firing incident and recurring developments on the following days.Two of the photos also showcased Ms. Banerjee, who was then the president of the West Bengal Youth Congress. One of the photoes showed injured Ms. Banerjee after the clash near the Tea Board office on Brabourne Road (B.T.M. Sarani) during the historic “Mahakaran Abhijan” (Writers’ Building March). Another was with the former Defence Minister George Fernandes. Trading barbs at the Trinamool Congress, the AICC General Secretary Deepa Das Munshi, said that the Congress, on Tuesday (July 22), has finally been able to organise the Shahid Diwas rally in its actual sense, as the Trinamool Congress only held this rally annually to show their political strength. Congress leaders also claimed that around 14 workers were hospitalised on Tuesday (July 22) after being brutally thrashed by the police. “BJP is no different. They are destroying democracy. At least 14 of our workers are admitted to different hospitals in Kolkata, Bardhaman, Domjur, Nadia, Bujbuj. Many of the workers also came with minor injuries. The BJP workers beat them up while they were heading towards the rally,” said former leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and five-time Congress MP, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. The party has also vowed to strengthen their fight against the BJP and bring a change in the central power in 2029. Extending their support to the massive students’ movement in Delhi led by Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), Congress maintained the BJP’s real face has been exposed. “This huge mobilisation of the young people across the country threatened the BJP. They didn’t even care to reach out to Sonam Wangchuk when he was on hunger strike for over 21 days. But the Congress communicated with Anna Hazare within 96 hours of his strike. We brought laws and regulations as per his demand. We knew that the BJP is backing him,” said Mr. Chowdhury. Congress has also declared that they will hold rallies across the districts from August 8 to August 14 over various issues including violence on the protesting students in New Delhi, and the betrayal of Shyamaprasad Mookerjee. “Bengal is going through a tough time. BJP is trying to demolish its refined ‘bhadralok’ culture. It is in BJP’s DNA to kill the people, burn others’ houses, and defect the people from other parties by fearing them. If TMC was a party of thieves, BJP is a party of dacoits. I urge the people of Bengal to come back to their old house, Congress. People of Bengal do not need a change but

Diya Binu | The no-confidence motion, moved by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) against Ms. Binu, regarded as the youngest chairperson of any civic body in the country, was carried with the support of 17 councillors, including four Congress members and UDF vice-chairperson Bindu Rahul. Two Congress councillors, Riya Cheeramkuzhy and Sebastian Panackal, abstained from voting in compliance with a whip issued by District Congress Committee (DCC) president Nattakom Suresh. Three Kerala Congress members of the ruling front and a councillor belonging to the Kerala Democratic Party led by MLA Mani C. Kappan also abstained.The four Congress councillors who voted in favour of the motion had earlier refused to accept the DCC whip, while Ms. Rahul, who was elected as an Independent, was not bound by it.The vote marked the culmination of months of bitter infighting that had virtually paralysed the civic administration. The no-confidence motion was moved by the Opposition, comprising 10 Kerala Congress (M) councillors and two CPI(M) councillors, which accused the ruling coalition of allowing the council’s functioning to grind to a halt.The UDF, which has only 10 members in the 26-member council, had wrested control of the municipality by forging an alliance with the three-member Independent Collective and securing the support of Ms. Rahul, a Congress rebel elected as an Independent. The arrangement, however, was fraught from the outset. The Independents had initially staked claim to both the chairperson and vice-chairperson posts for the first half of the council’s tenure. Intervention by the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) and the UDF leadership eventually produced a power-sharing formula under which Ms. Binu became chairperson while Ms. Rahul was accommodated as vice-chairperson.The agreement, however, soon began to unravel as personal and political differences spilled into the public domain, with rival camps filing police complaints against each other. The six Congress councillors and Ms. Rahul eventually withdrew support to Ms. Binu, while repeated mediation efforts by the DCC failed to salvage the alliance.Accepts verdict: Diya BinuResponding to her ouster, Ms. Binu said she accepted “the democratic verdict” with respect. “To the people of Pala, I have only this to say with conviction. I have not yielded to corruption, violated the law, or allowed public funds to be spent on the basis of political considerations. Throughout my tenure, I have done everything within my power to safeguard the trust the people placed in me,” she said.The collapse of the coalition has also set off speculations that the KC(M), which is the principal Opposition party, could extend outside support to the UDF to help it retain control of the municipality. Kerala Congress (M) chairman Jose K. Mani’s remarks following the vote have only intensified the speculation.“What unfolded in the Pala municipality was not governance but a prolonged political spectacle. As a responsible Opposition, it was our duty to bring it to an end. It was the ruling side’s own members who had become disillusioned with the administration. We will not resort to unethical means to capture power,” he said.The developments have lent fresh momentum to discussions on whether Pala could become the first testing ground for a thaw in relations between the Congress and the Kerala Congress (M), former allies that have remained on opposite sides for years.Within the Congress, too, the political mood appears to be evolving, with a growing section of local leaders believing that a pragmatic understanding with the Kerala Congress (M) could offer greater stability than continuing the uneasy partnership with the Independent Collective. Published -

Lok Sabha proceedings underway on the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, in New Delhi on Monday (July 20, 2026). | The disruption over the NEET issue came amid attempts by protesters, led by Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), to break barricades to march to Parliament, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged paper leak and CBSE exam irregularities.The House was adjourned six times since it met in the morning, and was later adjourned for the day at 3 p.m. The only business transacted was the introduction of a Bill by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal to replace an Ordinance which increased the number of Supreme Court judges from 34 to 38.The changed political alignments following the recent Assembly polls were also visible during the proceedings.As soon as the Lok Sabha assembled, Opposition MPs raised slogans, with Congress, Samajwadi Party and Trinamool Congress members protesting over alleged NEET paper leaks and the donation embezzlement at Ram Temple in Ayodhya. However, the TMC MPs who trooped into the Well of the House did not include the 20 rebel MPs who now claim to be a part of the National Citizenship Party of India (NCPI).DMK-Cong. split evidentAlso, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), which parted ways with the Congress after the latter broke off their alliance, allying with the newly elected TVK government in Tamil Nadu, also entered the Well, but its members raised slogans over the Karnataka government’s proposal to build a dam at Mekedatu across the Cauvery river rather than the issues flagged by the Congress.The split between the Congress and the DMK appeared clear inside the Lok Sabha, although DMK MP T. R. Baalu continued to occupy his earlier seat next to Congress MP K. C. Venugopal, with Speaker Om Birla yet to approve the party’s request for separate seating.The DMK from the INDIA bloc was evident since the morning, as it skipped the customary strategy meeting of Opposition parties convened by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at his Parliament office.Sources told The Hindu that DMK supremo M. K. Stalin, during a Zoom meeting, made it clear that the party’s Lok Sabha members shouldn’t associate themselves with issues raised by the Congress on the floor of the House.Repeated adjournmentsMr. Birla, who began the proceedings with obituary references to six former MPs, first adjourned the House till noon as Opposition members raised slogans during the Question Hour. He objected to two members raising slogans during the references, saying it was not a good precedent.Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the House could not function if disruptions continued.Subsequently, the House was repeatedly adjourned before being adjourned for the day at 3 p.m.Earlier, at 2 p.m., BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, who was officiating as the Speaker, said there was adequate quorum to conduct business, but some Opposition MPs alleged they were being prevented from entering the House. Published - July 20, 2026 07:50 pm IST

The story so far: The Narendra Modi government has revived efforts to secure the numbers needed to pass the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, which seeks to increase the strength of the Lok Sabha from 543 to 850 and pave the way for a fresh delimitation exercise before the 2029 general election. The Bill also provides the constitutional basis for implementing the Women’s Reservation law.The legislation had failed to secure the required two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha when it was put to vote in April 2026. Since then, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has focused on expanding the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and reaching out to regional parties that had opposed or abstained on the Bill.The urgency has increased ahead of the Monsoon session beginning on July 20. The recent induction of 20 Trinamool Congress MPs and six Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MPs into the NDA has strengthened the ruling coalition, while the Opposition has begun coordinating its strategy to prevent the government from crossing the constitutional threshold.How the numbers have changedUnder Article 368 of the Constitution, any constitutional amendment requires the support of at least two-thirds of members present and voting, while also constituting a majority of the total strength of the House. Assuming full attendance in the 543-member Lok Sabha, the government requires 362 votes. There are three vacancies in the Lok Sabha right now, so the two-third threshold comes down to 360 votes.When the Bill was voted upon in April, the NDA had 298 MPs, leaving it well short of the required figure. The Opposition largely voted together to defeat the legislation.Since then, the political arithmetic has shifted considerably.The NDA now claims the support of 329 Lok Sabha MPs after the entry of 20 Trinamool Congress members and six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs. While this narrows the gap, the alliance still remains 31 votes short of the two-thirds mark.The BJP’s calculations also extend beyond its formal allies and hinge on persuading regional parties to support the legislation by incorporating safeguards such as a uniform 50% increase in Lok Sabha seats across all States — an assurance several parties had sought earlier.How parties voted in AprilThe April vote broadly reflected the political divide over delimitation rather than over women’s reservation itself.The NDA, led by the BJP, voted in favour of the Constitution amendment.Also read:Delimitation: Perspectives and viewpointsMost parties in the INDIA bloc, including the Congress, Trinamool Congress, DMK, Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (Sharad Pawar), Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Left parties and others, opposed the Bill, arguing that the draft legislation lacked safeguards against population-based redistribution of seats that could reduce the political weight of southern States.Several regional parties also argued that assurances given during consultations — particularly regarding a uniform increase in seats for every State — did not figure in the text of the Bill introduced in Parliament.The Opposition’s strategyThe Congress has begun consultations with INDIA bloc partners to ensure that the arithmetic achieved in April doesn’t majorly change during the Monsoon session.The party has accused the BJP of attempting to secure the required majority through defections rather than political consensus. Congress leaders have argued that the government should first place before Parliament a revised draft incorporating the assurances it had reportedly given to regional parties.For the Opposition, the immediate objective is to keep the NDA below the 360-vote threshold. Even if the ruling alliance emerges as the single largest bloc by a comfortable margin, failing to secure two-thirds support would once again prevent the Constitution amendment from being passed.The Congress’ argument is that parties apprehensive about the political consequences of delimitation will continue to vote together despite changes in their

BJP candidate Satish Patel files his nomination papers for the Manjalpur Assembly by-election in the presence of BJP Gujarat President Jagdish Vishwakarma, in Vadodara | The bypoll was necessitated following the death of BJP MLA and former Gujarat Minister Yogesh Patel on June 2 after a prolonged illness.Congress candidate Bhikhabhai Rabari, vice-president of the Gujarat Congress and a former State Minister, said the election would be fought on civic issues affecting the constituency and Vadodara city, including poor infrastructure, traffic congestion and alleged corruption.“There are many issues. The problems affecting the entire city are also the issues of Manjalpur. Traffic, dirty drinking water, overflowing drainage and poor roads are some of the major concerns. The BJP has failed to address these issues,” Mr. Rabari told reporters after filing his nomination.Alleging that the BJP government had failed to fulfil its promise of developing Vadodara as a smart city, Mr. Rabari claimed corruption had become rampant under its rule. He said he wanted to become the voice of the people and challenge what he described as “one-sided rule”.Asked about his electoral prospects, Mr. Rabari said, “Victory or defeat will be decided by the electorate, but I am contesting to win.”BJP nominee Satish Patel said his priority would be to complete the unfinished works of the late Yogesh Patel and carry forward his vision for the constituency.“The incomplete works of Yogeshbhai will be completed. We will continue what Yogeshbhai started and also undertake new initiatives. We will fulfil the vision he had for Manjalpur,” Mr. Patel said.Expressing confidence in the party’s prospects, Mr. Patel said the BJP enjoyed the support of both its workers and the electorate.“This seat has always belonged to the Bharatiya Janata Party and will remain with the BJP. The people have decided that by voting in large numbers they will pay true tribute to late Yogeshbhai Patel,” he said.The BJP announced Mr. Patel, a former Vadodara Municipal Corporation councillor and former president of the party’s Vadodara district unit, as its candidate on July 10, while the Congress named Mr. Rabari on July 12.Polling for the by-election will be held on July 30, and the votes will be counted on August 3. Published - July 14, 2026 04:50 am IST