The Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) on Tuesday announced the list of 40 star campaigners for the polling to the 29 municipal corporations, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

The list, submitted to the State Election Commission, features a blend of national heavyweights and prominent state leaders to spearhead the party's campaign.

The Congress party's move comes when it has decided to go solo in Mumbai, strongly opposing the "inclusion" of Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena in the Maha Vikas Aghadi.

Kerala's political formations are bracing for a decisive day as counting of votes in the local body elections begins at 8 am on Saturday across 244 centres statewide.

With turnout dipping in both phases of polling, the political fronts are closely crunching numbers to gauge which way the public mood has shifted ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.

Punjab Finance Minister and senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema, on Tuesday cornered the Congress party over serious allegations of corruption, suggesting that the party should put up a 'menu board' outside its office. He quipped that this board would inform the public about the fixed rates for obtaining tickets for the post of Chief Minister, Cabinet Minister, Member of Parliament, Member of Legislative Assembly, and other positions including Panchayat elections.

The first phase of Kerala's local body elections witnessed brisk polling across seven districts on Tuesday, with long queues of voters seen at booths from early morning.

Polling began at 7 a.m. after mock polling and will continue till 6 p.m.

By noon, the overall turnout had crossed 47 per cent across the seven districts voting in the first phase, reflecting strong voter participation.

Calling the debate on Vande Mataram an attention-diverting tactic of the government, Congress MP from Wayanad Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said on Monday that the national song is a part of the country’s soul and “there can be no debate on it”.

During a special discussion on the song in Lok Sabha, the Congress MP said the “needless” discussion had been called by the ruling party with the dual intention of setting a narrative ahead of the Bengal Assembly elections and levelling new allegations against freedom fighters to divert public attention.

The celebrations and exuberance in the BJP camp over a thumping poll victory in 7 out of 12 wards of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Wednesday, got marred by allegations of electoral fraud, levelled by the rival Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

The AAP’s Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that his party’s candidate Seema Goyal was first declared as the ‘winner’ on the Election Commission (EC) portal but then the results were “reversed” during recounting, making the BJP nominee victorious.

 Around 15,000 additional polling booths, a large chunk of which is likely to be within the private housing complexes, will be set up for the 2026 Assembly in West Bengal, sources in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) have said.

It is learnt that during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the total number of polling booths in West Bengal was 80,681, which will increase to 95,668 for the Assembly elections next year. This means that there will be 14,987 additional polling booths in the state next year.

Amid this increase, instructions from the Election Commission of India (ECI) have already reached District Magistrates (also the District Electoral Officers), to identify big housing complexes with high-rise towers where the election booths could be set up.

With campaigning for the elections to the nagar parishads and nagar panchayats ending at 10:00 PM tonight, and voting scheduled for December 2, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has appealed to the State Election Commission to reconsider the revised election schedule issued on November 29.

The revised schedule calls for a re-election for approximately 24 posts of Nagar Parishad chiefs and 204 posts of members across various Nagar Parishads and Nagar Panchayats in the state.

The State BJP chief, Ravindra Chavan, in his letter to the SEC, has objected to the blanket implementation of this order, arguing that the decision to postpone the elections at the final stage of campaigning and one day before polling is inappropriate.

Today, an unusual sense of unrest pervades the country regarding elections. People are raising questions, discussing, and openly expressing their doubts. This is no small matter—when the public, who are the true owners of democracy, begin to lose faith in their own electoral system, it suggests the problem is profound. Amidst this scenario, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann recently made a statement that resonated deeply with the people. Addressing the doubts surrounding the electoral process and the SIR (Systematic Improvement of Representation/Registration/etc. - based on context, likely an election related system or process), he voiced the sentiment of millions of Indians: "Why should the public provide the proof? The Election Commission should provide the answer."

In a sweeping 24-hour crackdown ahead of the upcoming MCD bye-elections, Delhi Police carried out massive coordinated raids across the city under Operation Kavach-11.0, targeting narco-offenders, bootleggers and organised criminals, the Delhi Police said on Wednesday.

The drive conducted between 6 pm on November 24 and 6 pm on November 25 -- saw simultaneous raids at 1,566 locations across all 15 districts, with participation from district units, the Crime Branch and Special Cell.

As part of the operation, 80 drug peddlers were arrested in 76 NDPS cases, leading to the “recovery of 282.71 grams of heroin, 19.235 kg of ganja, 2.147 kg opium, 2.034 kg charas, 4,704 Tramadol capsules, and Rs 1,02,660 cash,” the police said in its press note.

According to Delhi Police, the action forms part of the police’s intensified efforts under the Centre’s “Zero Tolerance” policy against narcotics.

With just two weeks left for Kerala local body elections, major political fronts have intensified their campaigns, even as rebel candidates emerge as a significant challenge.

Kerala will have a two-phase polling: The first on December 9 and the second phase two days later, with results on December 13.

While excitement builds at the grassroots, parties are grappling with internal dissent, particularly in Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam districts, where the rebel presence is most prominent.

The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) is banking on its development projects and welfare schemes, confident that these will resonate with voters despite the Opposition fanning the flames over the Sabarimala gold heist controversy.

With West Bengal gearing up for next year’s crucial Assembly elections, training for checking electronic voting machines (EVMs) and voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) units will begin on Friday.

Engineers from the Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) will conduct the sessions, which will be attended by EVM and warehouse officers from all districts of the state.

The four-member central team of the Election Commission of India (ECI), which is currently on a four-day visit to West Bengal to review the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR), is also expected to attend the first day of the training session on Friday.

The Indian stock market began the week on a positive note as both the Sensex and Nifty opened in the green on Monday.

The rebound comes as investors show confidence amid the NDA’s win in the Bihar Elections 2025 and strong movement in select stocks.

The Sensex was seen trading at 84,759, up 196 points or 0.23 per cent. The Nifty also moved higher to 25,963, gaining 53 points or 0.21 per cent.

"On the weekly chart, the Nifty has shown a firm recovery from key support zones, closing above 25,900 and signaling a sideways-to-bullish bias," experts said.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday announced significant progress in Phase II of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, with 95.44 per cent of elector-specific Enumeration Forms (EFs) already distributed across 12 States and Union Territories, the ECI said on Saturday.

The enumeration exercise, which began on November 4 and will continue till December 4, aims to strengthen the accuracy and inclusiveness of the electoral database ahead of upcoming elections.

According to the latest bulletin released by the Election Commission, a total of 50.09 crore electors are covered under this phase, and 48.67 crore enumeration forms have already been distributed.

Indian equity indices recovered from early losses to end the session on a positive note on Friday as the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) headed towards a landslide win in the Bihar elections.

The key indices remained volatile throughout the session as counting for votes for Bihar's Assembly election continues.

Sensex settled at 84,562.78, up 84.11 points or 0.10 per cent. The share index started the session at 84,060.14, falling over 400 points against last day's closing of 84,478.67 amid caution ahead of Bihar election results. However, the index jumped over 550 points from the day's low to close in green.

The administration of US President Donald Trump on Thursday, US time, moved to block California's new congressional map by suing the state and joining a Republican lawsuit against Proposition 50 (Prop 50), a voter-approved measure that could shift several US House seats in the 2026 mid-term elections, according to federal court filings and official statements.

In a complaint filed in federal court, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) alleged that the map enacted under Prop 50 is

Amid brisk voting for the second and final phase of Assembly elections in Bihar, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday lodged an FIR against certain individuals over "circulation and distribution" of voter slips inside a polling booth in Motihari district.

Two people have been arrested for violating the model code of conduct, the poll panel said.

The matter came to light after the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) flagged "flagrant violation" of electoral guidelines, allegedly by the polling agent of the BJP candidate in booth numbers 229 and 230 of Motihari Assembly.

The second phase of polling for the Bihar Assembly elections will begin at 7 a.m. on Tuesday (November 11), with 1,302 candidates fighting for 122 constituencies.

Of these, 1,165 are male candidates, 136 are female, and one candidate is from the third gender category.

The main contest remains between the NDA and the Grand Alliance, although in some seats, AIMIM and Jan Suraj Party are also in the fight.

Senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan met party President Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow on Friday, marking his first visit to the state capital after he was released from jail.

Their 45-minute meeting, which took place at Akhilesh Yadav’s residence on Vikramaditya Marg, is being seen as politically significant. Azam Khan’s son was also present during the meeting.

The two leaders held discussions over tea and snacks in what both sides described as a cordial interaction.

Soon after, Akhilesh Yadav shared photographs of the meeting on social media, writing: "I don’t know how many memories he brought with him when he came to our home today. This meeting is a heritage of our shared relationship."

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Friday that all political parties have joined hands against the National Conference ahead of the by-election in Budgam Assembly constituency because ‘the NC stands firm on its electoral promises’.

Addressing a poll campaign for the NC candidate, Aga Mehmood in Budgam, Omar Abdullah said, “All political parties have joined hands against the NC now because we have committed one ‘sin’ and that is, to have stood firm on our electoral promises. In the 2014 elections, one political party asked you to vote for them, promising that they would keep the BJP out of power in Jammu and Kashmir. You voted for them, and then the same party brought the BJP to power and started destroying the state."

An FIR has been registered against Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh on Tuesday for the alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct in Bihar's Mokama.

An official statement, issued by the district magistrate-cum returning officer, Patna, said, "The Patna district administration analysed video footage recorded by the surveillance team. After examination, an FIR has been lodged against Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh under relevant sections of the BNS and the Representation of the People Act."

The campaigning for the first phase of the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections will conclude at 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

The voting for this phase will be held on November 6 in 121 Assembly constituencies across 18 districts.

On the last day of canvassing, all parties were holding rallies, roadshows and public meetings to woo voters.

Now, candidates have switched to door-to-door outreach to seek direct support.

At least three people were killed and three others sustained serious injuries in a road accident in Bihar’s Vaishali district on Monday morning.

The fatal accident occurred near Naiper village under the Industrial Police Station area of the district around 4 a.m.

According to the SHO of Industrial Police Station, a speeding luxury car, travelling from Purnea to Hajipur, rammed into the rear of a 16-wheeler truck that was parked on the road. The impact was so severe that the car was reduced to mangled metal.

All the deceased and injured were associated with an exit-poll team working during the Bihar Assembly elections.

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor (L-G), Manoj Sinha, said on Friday that by spreading unnecessary speculations about restoration of statehood in the Union Territory some people are trying to mislead the people of the country.

Addressing a gathering at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) here, the L-G added that there has been unnecessary speculation on the issue of statehood restoration to Jammu and Kashmir despite the clarity given by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

"The Union Home Minister has already stated: first delimitation, then Assembly elections, and statehood at an appropriate time."

Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor has come under scrutiny after reports alleged that his name appears on the electoral rolls of both Bihar and West Bengal.

The revelation has sparked a fresh political storm in Bihar ahead of the crucial Assembly elections.

According to a notice issued by the Returning Officer of the 209-Karhgar Assembly constituency in Sasaram, the matter came to light following a report published in the Indian Express on October 28.

The issue of alleged cross-voting during the recent Rajya Sabha elections and the detention of Doda MLA, Mehraj Malik, caused uproar in the J&K Assembly on Monday with the ruling National Conference (NC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs accusing each other.

The issue of cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha elections came up during the question hour in the J&K Assembly. Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary accused the BJP of ‘stealing’ four votes in the recent Rajya Sabha elections.

“Yesterday, you stole four votes. If I start speaking, no one will remain seated here. Let us allow a secret to remain a secret,” the Deputy Chief Minister said.

His remarks sparked a heated exchange between the two sides, with NC legislators retaliating by calling BJP members “vote chor” (vote stealers).

Acting on the directives of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), over 400 personnel of the Tripura State Rifles (TSR) will be deployed to assist in maintaining security during the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, officials said here on Saturday.

A senior official of the Tripura Home Department said that over 400 jawans of the TSR, led by Commandant Jyotishman Daschoudhuri, left for Bihar by a special train on Friday night and are expected to reach Patna on Sunday night or Monday morning.

Five Assistant Commandants have also accompanied the TSR personnel.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday directed that all polling stations in Bihar’s upcoming assembly elections and the eight-assembly constituency bye-elections be equipped with Assured Minimum Facilities (AMFs) and voter assistance measures to ensure a seamless and dignified voting experience for all electors.

Announcing this in a press note, the ECI said the directive aims to provide a voter-friendly environment and uphold accessibility standards across all polling stations.

“AMF include drinking water, a waiting shed, a toilet with water facility, adequate lighting, a ramp of proper gradient for PwD electors, a standard voting compartment, and proper signage,” the ECI said.

 After the withdrawal deadline for the second phase of nominations ended, a total of 70 candidates have taken back their nominations for the upcoming Bihar Assembly Election 2025, according to data released by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday.

The deadline ended at 5 p.m. on Thursday. For the second phase, nominations were filed for 122 Assembly seats across 18 districts.

A total of 1,761 candidates had submitted their nomination papers, out of which 389 nominations were rejected during scrutiny.

Ahead of Bihar election, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday issued a notification regarding the pre-certification of print advertisements for the pre-poll period and the polling day.

Deputy Director of the ECI, P. Pawan, said in a statement, "The ECI has announced the schedule for the General Election to the Legislative Assembly of Bihar, 2025, and the by-elections for eight Assembly constituencies. The dates of polling have been fixed for November 6 and November 11."

"In order to ensure a fair campaign environment, no political party, candidate, organisation, or person shall publish any advertisement in print media on the poll day and the preceding day unless the contents are pre-certified by the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC) at the State or District level," the ECI added.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) Vice-President, Omar Abdullah, said on Saturday that his party will nominate its candidate for the by-election in Budgam Assembly seat on Monday.

Two assembly seats of Nagrota in the Jammu division and Budgam in the Valley fell vacant after the incumbent BJP MLA from Nagrota, Devender Singh Rana passed away on October 31 last year and the NC MLA, Omar Abdullah, resigned from the Budgam seat after winning it during the 2024 Assembly elections.

Omar Abdullah had won the 2024 Assembly elections from two constituencies, Ganderbal and Budgam.

The Chief Minister has decided to represent the Ganderbal seat in the 90-member Assembly and relinquish the Budgam seat.

The ECI on Saturday announced a paid holiday for employed electors on the two polling days for the Bihar Assembly elections and warned employers of a penalty if they deduct wages of their staff for absence on November 6 and 11.

“The Commission has directed the State governments to issue necessary instructions to all concerned for strict compliance with these provisions and to ensure that all electors are able to exercise their franchise freely and conveniently,” said the Election Commission of India (ECI) in a circular.

As per the ECI’s schedule, by-elections to eight Assembly Constituencies in seven states will also be held on November 11.

A day ahead of the final date for filing nominations for the first phase of Bihar Assembly elections, there appears to be a pall of uncertainty over seat-sharing agreements, leading to the chances of “friendly fights” in a few constituencies.

Among Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) partners, with principal components like the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RJD), Congress, and the Left clawing for a lion’s share, smaller partners are worried about their own prospects. The Bihar Legislative Assembly comprises 243 seats.

Meanwhile, the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is also witnessing some crosswinds with allies like Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) vying for particular seats.