Calcutta High Court has told Trinamool MP Abhishek Banerjee's lawyer to ask his client to name which judges are with the BJP and which with Trinamool. The court was reacting to Banerjee's reported claim that some judges are aligned with Bengal's ruling party.
Banerjee's security was cut from Z+ to X in May, and his lawyer says he has since been attacked six times, most recently at his Kalighat home last Saturday.
The judge has yet to rule on his plea against the downgrade, while the state says all MPs' security will be reassessed in late November.
BJP workers in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, burned effigies and shouted slogans at a peaceful protest against Sonia Gandhi's recently released memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love.
The protest was led by MP Anil Firojiya and Ravi Solanki, head of the Ujjain Development Authority. Firojiya said the book reportedly covers Gandhi's distress over the Babri Masjid demolition but ignores the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
He also accused the Congress of divisive politics since 1947 and said he expects voters to keep it out of power in upcoming polls.
BJP national president Nitin Nabin, speaking in Patna, sent greetings for Chitragupta Puja, observed by the Kayastha community and people whose work involves writing.
He called Chhath Puja one of the most sacred festivals in Bihar's cultural history, saying its spirit is visible across India and abroad.
Ahead of the festival, Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary said 90 of the state's 103 ghats are completely safe for devotees, while 13 have been marked as unsafe or unsuitable.
The US Embassy in Australia posted a map on X on Tuesday showing India as only partially free. The map is based on the annual report from Freedom House, a US-based non-profit funded by the American government.
India has stayed in that middle category for six years running. The report says policies under Narendra Modi's government and the BJP have discriminated against Muslims, and harassment of journalists and critics has grown sharply. India scored 62 out of 100, one point lower than last time, and was rated Free until 2020.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav wants Aadhaar linked to voting and fingerprint or iris scans introduced before Uttar Pradesh's 2027 Assembly polls. He says this would stop the BJP from manipulating the vote.
He also wants metal voter cards in place of paper and plastic, since they are harder to forge. The INDIA bloc, meanwhile, has demanded that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resign.
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi also criticised the Centre over delimitation and the electoral roll revision, and alleged faulty EVMs.
Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath is again pushing his "80-20" line, saying the BJP will win a third straight term in the 2027 state Assembly election.
In an interview at Panchayat AajTak Ayodhya, he said the BJP and its allies would take 80 per cent of votes and seats, leaving 20 per cent to the Opposition. He gave no specific seat count.
A News18 UP Mega Survey of 30,925 respondents found 66.6% expect a BJP-NDA government, versus 26.5% for the SP-Congress alliance. A separate Janta Ki Awaz poll projects a close race, with the SP-led alliance slightly ahead at 195-204 seats.
The BJP has shortlisted 209 candidates for Uttar Pradesh's 403 Assembly seats, with polls due early next year. The list is now with party headquarters in Delhi, awaiting final approval.
The names were picked after talks with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and the party is aiming for more than 300 seats.
Yogi also hinted at a new scheme for women. In an interview, he said Akhilesh Yadav had dropped his demand to withdraw the SIR revision and claimed that 1.27 crore Hindu voter names had been deleted from the rolls.
DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan has fired back at the TVK government, claiming the BJP got Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay into office by improper means. He said EVM manipulation and SIR, not voters, brought him to power.
The row centres on book purchases for the Periyar Arivalayam library in Coimbatore. Vijay accused the previous DMK government of corruption over them, but Elangovan rejected that and suggested the book choices were a TVK scheme.
He also alleged the BJP had asked the TVK to target the DMK, and that the party was doing so to shield Vijay from the BJP itself.
Former Delhi mayor Shelly Oberoi has slammed the BJP government over worsening air pollution in the capital. She says the AQI has reached dangerous levels and asks how much longer residents must keep breathing this air.
Early Monday, the ITO station logged an AQI of 406 around 4:20 am, in the 'Severe' band, while Rajiv Chowk and South Extension fell in the 'Very Poor' range. Thick smog also cut visibility in places like Inderlok.
Oberoi also voiced worry for children and the elderly, and is calling for real measures to tackle the problem.
The BJP's Karnataka unit has complained to Bengaluru police that NSUI, Congress's student wing, ordered edged weapons online to be sent to the home of Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, the opposition leader in the Legislative Council.
Eight to ten members allegedly placed the orders through Blinkit, then gathered outside his home, which the party says caused fear. It also wants the delivery app investigated and its licence cancelled.
The party holds Congress's state chief, the chief minister and the home minister responsible and wants an FIR filed and the weapons taken into custody.
CPI(M) leader Jitendra Chaudhury alleges BJP supporters blocked opposition candidates from filing nominations in Teliamura on the final day.
He says three candidates reached the Returning Officer's office before the 3 PM cut-off, but were stopped outside and later threatened inside, forcing them to leave. Complaints to the SDM and police brought no effective action, he adds. He also cites similar cases in five Nagar Panchayats.
Polling for 21 civic bodies is set for November 27, with counting on December 2. The BJP and election officials had not responded at the time.
Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee says BJP workers attacked his Kolkata residence at 2 am on Saturday, allegedly under police watch. He criticised the Calcutta High Court and Supreme Court for inaction and said he would upload videos of the incident.
Earlier on Friday, he said unidentified people had been watching his office and home for two days and claimed to be police when confronted. He has asked the Lok Sabha Speaker and the Union home ministry for a thorough inquiry.
West Bengal minister Dilip Ghosh mocked the claims as an attempt to mislead people.
Tribal activist Nisha Kumari Bhagat, reported to have taken her own life in Ranchi, will be cremated in Uru village in Gumla on Saturday.
Before her death, she accused the Hemant Soren government and land brokers of harassment in a Facebook Live video. The BJP wants a CBI probe and the chief minister's resignation, while CPI(ML) Liberation, a government ally, seeks a fair inquiry.
Her father also wants a CBI inquiry. Police have logged an unnatural death and found no suicide note, and the Ranchi Rural SP says next steps depend on the post-mortem report.
The BJP and JD(U), partners in Bihar's ruling NDA, are at odds after a Legislative Council poll.
JD(U) state president Umesh Kushwaha objects to the BJP welcoming back independent Rahul Raj, who beat the ruling party's official nominee. Kushwaha asked why the BJP was rushing to take Raj back, given he had been kicked out of the party for six years. He wants the party's leaders to revisit how Raj returned.
JD(U) lost both council seats to independents, and Kushwaha did not explain the specifics of Raj's expulsion or return.
BJP national vice-president Ram Madhav has dismissed the anti-SIR campaign as an effort by Congress and the INDIA bloc to weaken democratic institutions and downplay Narendra Modi's election win.
In Hyderabad, he rejected the claim that 10 lakh people attended the Delhi rally at Ramlila Maidan, saying the ground holds only 50,000. He added that the SIR is not new and has been held several times since 1952.
He also said the Centre has not released data on foreigners living illegally, which he said is held by the home ministry.
Keep Rahul Gandhi as your 'mock Prime Minister' for life: BJP's swipe at opposition
The BJP on Saturday accused the INDIA bloc of making a mockery of Parliament and democracy after opposition leaders held a symbolic public impeachment of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. BJP leaders Sambit Patra and Sudhanshu Trivedi also targeted Rahul Gandhi over his criticism of the Election Commission and Indian economy, citing World Bank poverty data.
News India Xtra@newsIndiaxtra
India inshorts
Beyond Human