With the high-stakes battle for Bihar inching closer, the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had taken up the decision to fight the upcoming assembly elections with Nitish Kumar as the chief ministerial face and is expected to finalise its seat-sharing formula soon as major allies are involved in negotiations. According to NDA sources, the JD(U) is expected to get more seats than the BJP. As Chirag Paswan’s party had 100 percent strike rate in Lok Sabha polls, winning all five seats, it may ask for nearly 35 seats while HAM and RLM are likely to get 5-6 and 2-3 seats. The final seat sharing formula is likely to be announced by August, while the candidate selection will follow soon to allow contestants to rally support ahead of polls. The BJP’s intention to give Nitish Kumar a marginal edge in terms of seats allocated might be a tactic to pacify the JD(U) leader ahead of this election given Chirag Paswan’s presence. Buoyed by its winning streak in Haryana, Maharashtra, and Delhi, the BJP is looking forward to replicate its poll performance in Bihar.
CPI(M) LOOKING TO CONTEST MORE SEATS IN TAMIL NADU ASSEMBLY POLLS IN 2026
The political activity in Tamil Nadu is heating up as the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) is facing pressure from its alliance partners CPI(M) and VCK and both parties are making it stance clear that they desire to contest more number of seats in 2026 assembly polls than were allotted to them in 2021. CPI(M) state secretary P Shanmugam, who has been critical of the DMK regime on a number of issues, was the first to publicly assert that his party is certainly looking to increase its strength in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. The CPI(M) leader further urged the DMK government to expedite the fulfilment of its previous electoral promises. He stressed the need for steps to address issues faced by workers, farmers, and the middle class. With alliance negotiations likely to commence later this year , Shanmugam’s statements are seen as an early positioning move by the CPI(M) in the run-up to 2026 assembly polls
ASHOK GEHLOT MENDS FENCES WITH SACHIN PILOT GIVING BOOST TO RAJASTHAN CONGRESS
Hinting at the possibility of reconciliation with his arch enemy and one-time deputy Sachin Pilot, Congress leader and former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot said the two leaders were never away from each other. A few days earlier, Sachin Pilot had an interaction with Gehlot in Jaipur to personally invite him to the event in Dausa to commemorate the 25th death anniversary of his father, former Union Minister Rajesh Pilot. The meeting and Gehlot’s presence at the prayer meet have drawn attention amid speculation about changing equations within the Rajasthan Congress. Till the 2023 Rajasthan Assembly elections, Gehlot and Pilot were considered staunch rivals. The two leaders were openly at odds over the chief minister’s post, regularly exchanging accusations and public criticisms. In 2023, Pilot admitted he had aspired a leadership change in the state after Gehlot claimed credit for saving his government following Pilot’s rebellion. In further encouraging signs for the Congress, senior leaders from both the Pilot and Gehlot camps attended the event. Now Gehlot’s conciliatory remarks are being seen as a sign of a thaw in the Gehlot-Pilot rift. In political circles, these fresh shifts are being seen as a major change in the internal dynamics within the Rajasthan Congress.
PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI TO VISIT ODISHA ON JUNE 20
Ahead of the BJP government’s first anniversary celebration in Odisha, the leader of Opposition and BJD president Naveen Patnaik launched a Janajagarana Abhiyan (peoples’ awakening campaign) as part of which the regional party aims to reach out to the people across the state to expose the failures of the BJP government. While Naveen Patnaik alleged the BJP government has confined itself only to delivering long speeches and big advertisements during the last one year. Naveen also said the BJD will continue to play the role of a responsible Opposition, and advised party leaders to continue serving the people. On the other hand, CM Mohan Charan Majhi addressed a press conference, asserting that his government has been successful in fulfilling a majority of the promises it made to the people. He also announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Odisha on June 20 to celebrate the completion of government’s one-year anniversary.
MNS SUPREMO RAJ THACKERAY HELD TALKS WITH CM FADNAVIS ON JOINING MAHAYUTI
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Thursday held a surprise closed-door meeting with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at a five-star hotel in Mumbai, signalling that he may be considering an alliance with the BJP-led Mahayuti government instead of the highly-speculated alliance with cousin Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT).Fadnavis and Raj Thackeray are believed to have explored the possibility of including the MNS in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led coalition and later seat adjustment. Neither Fadnavis nor Raj Thackeray commented on the meeting. The development comes after two months of strategic indication by the Shiv Sena (UBT) to reunite the Thackeray cousins under a unified “Marathi manoos” banner. Uddhav son Aaditya, and senior Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders such as Sanjay Raut urged a reconciliation, claiming the larger cause of Marathi identity and regional pride warranted it. However, the MNS kept silence about the possibility of an alliance. (IPA Service)
Columbia’s Left Wing President Announces Referendum In Support Of His Labour Reforms 