The Sonia Gandhi-led Congress and the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) are likely to meet today to hold discussion and take a final call on forming the government in Maharashtra with Shiv Sena. Senior leaders of Congress and NCP are expected to hold a meeting on Wednesday to discuss about the possible tie-up about the common minimum programme (CMP). The two sides, Congress and NCP, have already deputed leaders for holding talks on a possible alliance. Earlier, this meeting was scheduled for Tuesday. However, the date was shifted after Congress requested the same due to prior commitment of party leaders on Indira Gandhi's birth anniversary.
Air pollution also dominated proceedings in the Parliament with BJP and Congress refusing to blame stubble burning by farmers for Delhi's plight, and Trinamool Congress MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar wearing a mask inside the House. "Out of the 10 most polluted cities in the world, nine are in India. It is quite unnerving that a foreign head of a country made an adverse comment while on a visit to India. I would like to draw the government's attention towards it," TMC MP Dastidar said wearing a mask.
Newly sworn in Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay shared a headline-grabbing selfie moment with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi shortly after taking oath in Chennai, adding a viral political-pop culture touch to the historic ceremony.
Watch how Rajpal Yadav reacted to Nawazuddin Siddiqui praising him for helping fellow actors during their struggling days in Mumbai.
Yogi Adityanath on Saturday presented a saffron gamcha to Suvendu Adhikari, shortly after the latter took oath as the first BJP Chief Minister of West Bengal. The crowd also erupted into a loud cheer as the scene unfolded at the swearing-in ceremony in Kolkata. This was at least the second such instance in recent weeks when the duo's bonhomie was witnessed publicly. Earlier, during the election campaign in the state, a powerful scene was witnessed when Adhikari bowed down at the feet of the UP Chief Minister as a mark of respect.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday hugged and honoured 98-year-old Makhanlal Sarkar, one of the earliest and senior most members of the BJP. The scene unfolded on the stage ahead of Suvendu Adhikari's swearing-in as West Bengal's Chief Minister in Kolkata. PM Modi also touched Sarkar's feet and presented a shawl to him as a mark of respect. In 1952, Sarkar was arrested in Kashmir while he was accompanying Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee as the latter was marching to hoist the tricolour there. BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya described the elderly party leader as "one of the earliest grassroots figures associated with the nationalist movement in post-Independence India."
