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BJP storms red fort of Tripura, leaves Left decimated, Congress wiped out

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8 years ago

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BJP storms red fort of Tripura, leaves Left decimated, Congress wiped out

BJP bagged Tripura, its most significant headway in its expansion into north east India, scoring a big win in what has been a formidable Left bastion for decades.

The sustained thrust in north east by RSS, with its sister concern BJP pitching in later, bore fruit. Starting with Assam, the victories in these assembly polls have established BJP’s presence in a part of the country where it barely existed till the previous elections.

Now, these victories add to the spread of BJP which already has governments in Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam in the northeast.

The three states that went to elections – Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya – have 60 seats each, however, elections were held for 59 seats. While a CPI(M) candidate died in Tripura, a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate was killed in Meghalaya. In Nagaland, former chief minister Neiphiu Rio won from one seat unopposed.

The win in Tripura, unseating the decades long reign of the Manik Sarkar-led Left front is seen as the most significant. It was a contest between two cadre-based parties from opposite sides of the political spectrum and has left the Left, so to speak, with a government in just one state in another corner of the country – Kerala.

Here the RSS has been work at the ground level for years, engaging with people, working in the society, participating in its affairs and building its organisation. It was a bottom-up approach, supplemented by wholesale defections from the Congress. In that sense, it wasn’t just Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal that was behind this victory.

As a report in The India Express said, the RSS’ role was very evident from the presence of Sunil Deodhar, the Sangh man assigned for Tripura. While Madhav and Sarma worked at the party organisational level, Deodhar stayed in the state for 500 days and worked at the ground level. Deodhar was the campaign manager of Modi in his election from Varnasi in 2014 and BJP president Amit Shah gave him the charge of Tripura in 2014 itself. A beaming Deodhar was seen on television channels explaining how the strategy of ‘Panna Pramukh’ – assigning a worker for each ‘panna’ or page of voters list, to work among them – yielded result in the state.

The strategy of joining hands with small parties or groups in the areas where it was weak also helped. The BJP had joined hands with Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) which had a considerable support in the tribal areas. The BJP got over 42 per cent votes and together with the nearly 8 per cent of IPFT, they won 50 per cent of the total votes in Tripura. It also managed a two-thirds majority. In 2013, the party had no presence in the state: it polled just 1.54 per cent votes, with almost every one of the 50 candidates it fielded losing their deposits while the Left won 50 seats.

Being in government at the Centre helped. PM Modi had asked ministers to pay special attention to the Northeastern states and the projects and schemes. The BJP threw in its bigwigs for campaigning with PM Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP president Amit Shah frequenting the state in the past six months. The BJP harped on the unemployment scenario in the state, where with a literacy rate of nearly 97 per cent, almost 19.7 per cent of the 37 lakh population are unemployed, topping the list of states, according to the fifth employment-unemployment survey published in 2016 by the Labour Ministry.

BJP general secretary Ram Madhav, who addressed media along with chief strategist Himanta Biswa Sarma and the man-on-the-ground Sunil Deodhar, attributed the victory to the people of Tripura and Tripurasundari (Lalita Tripurasundari). He was quick to mention Prime Minister Modi’s rallies and the efforts the party has done for some time.

Ram Madhav called it a “revolutionary result” that was possible due to the hard work carried out by PM Modi and party workers. “This is a revolutionary result, all due to the blessings of Tripura Sundari Mata and people of the state and the hard work of PM Modi and party workers,” Madhav said.

The Left Front, which has been ruling Tripura for the past 25 years, was ahead in 16 seats, according to Election Commission website at 4pm. The Congress, which over the years has played the second fiddle in the state, has failed to open its account and its candidates are set to lose their deposits. The loss of six MLAs, including its former state chief Sudip Roy Burman, to the BJP just before the elections seems to have hit the Congress hard.

Acknowledging the poor showing by Congress, former Assam CM and Congress veteran Tarun Gogoi, according to media reports, said: “We knew we would perform poorly in Tripura and Nagaland. In Tripura, the BJP took away most of our strong candidates and in Nagaland, we weren’t as active in our campaigning as we should have been. We will score a zero in both states. We lacked in organisational skills, and one can’t achieve much at the last moment. The trends are not surprising. However, we were hopeful about Meghalaya, and the trends so far indicate we have a chance at forming the government, although I can’t be 100 percent sure.”

He added, “About the BJP emerging strong in these states, it is not a new phenomenon that North Eastern states have voted for the party in power at the Centre. Small states often do that, so it isn’t a big deal. But after their recent losses in bypolls in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, BJP winning a few seats in the North East would not be of significance.”

Reacting to BJP’s impressive show in Tripura, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said besides Congress-mukt Bharat, one could also say Vaampanth-mukt Bharat. “In a way the entire north-east is now with the BJP. Initially, we used to say ‘Congress-mukt Bharat’. Now, I think we can say ‘Vaampanth Mukt Bharat’ also,” Prasad said.

The BJP Parliamentary Board will meet this evening to decide on the future chief minister of Tripura, where the party is likely to form a government. “Our Parliamentary Board (the party’s highest decision making body) will meet in the evening and take a call,” PTI quoted BJP general secretary Ram Madhav as saying.

Even though BJP did not declare any chief ministerial candidate during its campaigning, the fact that its state unit chief Biplab Deb would succeed Manik Sarkar as CM was a foregone conclusion, with his image smiling down from every poll banner across the state and also because of the absence of any strong leader who could rival Deb’s personality as they were mostly Congress turncoats.

Winners and losers in Tripura:

Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, who has been heading the Left Front government for the last 20 years, was ahead in Dhanpur constituency.

The BJP’s leading candidates included state party President Biplab Kumar Deb (Banamalipur), who could be the next Chief Minister of the state. The other winners are Sudip Roy Barman (Agartala), Ratanlal Nath (Mohanpur), A. Rampada Jamatia (Bagma), Dilip Kumar Das (Barjala), Diba Chandra Hrangkhawl (Karamchara), Ashish Kumar Saha (Bordowali), Ratan Chakraborty (Khayerpur), Atul Debbarma (Krishnapur) and Sushanta Chowdhury (Majlishpur).

IPFT’s leading candidates included Narendra Chandra Debbarma (Takarjala), Mevar Kumar Jamatia (Asharambari) and Prashanta Debbarma (Ramchandraghat).

Among the notable Left candidates trailing were sitting Tribal Welfare Minister Aghore Debbarma (Asharambari), Forest and Rural Development Minister Narensh Chandra Jamatia (Bagma), Deputy Speaker Pabitra Kar (Khayerpur), Bijay Laxmi Sinha (Kamalpur), Samiran Malakar (Pabiachara), Manoranjan Debbarma (Mandai Bazar), Ratan Das (Ramnagar), Manindra Chandra Das (Kalyanpur-Promodnagar) and Chief Whip Basudeb Majumder (Belonia).

Among the Left Front’s leading candidates were Health and PWD Minister Badal Choudhury (Hrishamukh), Education Minister Tapan Chakraborty (Chandipur), Information, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Bhanulal Saha (Bishalgarh), Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Sahid Chowdhury, Assembly Speaker Ramendra Chandra Debbarma and Jail Minister Manindra Reang.

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Congress to challenge Meenakshi Natarajan’s Rajya Sabha nomination rejection in Madhya Pradesh High Court

Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan has announced that the party will challenge the rejection of her Rajya Sabha nomination in the Madhya Pradesh High Court, alleging the decision was legally flawed and that the Election Commission failed to follow a consistent approach.

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10 hours ago

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July 7, 2026

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The Congress is preparing to challenge the rejection of senior leader Meenakshi Natarajan’s Rajya Sabha nomination before the Madhya Pradesh High Court, shifting the dispute from the political arena to the legal forum.

Weeks after her nomination was rejected ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections, the former Member of Parliament asserted that the decision was not the result of any lapse by Congress leaders, legal experts or those involved in preparing the nomination papers. Instead, she claimed the rejection was based on an incorrect legal interpretation.

Congress to file election petition

Natarajan said the party would file an election petition within the prescribed time and contest the entire process before the High Court. She also alleged that a deliberate narrative was created to portray the rejection as a consequence of negligence within the Congress, thereby diverting attention from the Election Commission’s role.

According to her, the Returning Officer rejected her nomination citing non-disclosure of information related to a pending case. However, she argued that Form-26, which candidates are required to submit along with their nomination papers, does not contain any specific provision requiring disclosure of such information.

Natarajan said she has contested multiple elections in the past and maintained that experienced legal experts within the Congress have handled nomination papers for years, making such an oversight highly unlikely.

Questions raised over Election Commission’s approach

The Congress leader also questioned the Election Commission’s handling of the matter, alleging that it failed to apply uniform standards in similar cases.

She referred to the case of Rajya Sabha candidate Parimal Nathwani in Jharkhand, claiming he was given 24 hours to rectify issues in his nomination papers, whereas she was not provided a similar opportunity. According to Natarajan, the differing treatment raises concerns about consistency in the poll body’s decision-making process.

Congress sources said the party’s legal cell is preparing the election petition under the guidance of senior lawyers. The dispute had earlier reached the Election Commission and subsequently the Supreme Court, but the party will now pursue the legal remedy available after the election process through the High Court.

The Congress has also alleged that the Election Commission did not act impartially during the proceedings. Party leaders claimed senior Congress representatives and lawyers reached the poll body on time to present their arguments, but the proceedings were delayed. They further alleged that the Election Commission had the authority to overturn the Returning Officer’s decision but chose not to intervene.

BJP rejects Congress allegations

The Bharatiya Janata Party dismissed the Congress’ allegations, attributing the controversy to internal issues within the opposition party.

BJP state spokesperson Ajay Yadav said the rejection of Natarajan’s nomination was the result of internal infighting in the Congress. He also claimed that the senior leader had been sidelined within her party and suggested that the Congress should introspect instead of blaming the Election Commission.

Natarajan, however, rejected claims that the Congress was responsible for any lapse leading to the rejection of her nomination.

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Heavy rain triggers flash floods and landslides across Jammu and Kashmir, damaging roads and property

Heavy rainfall triggered flash floods and landslides across Jammu and Kashmir, damaging infrastructure, disrupting traffic and prompting authorities to issue a weather advisory.

Published

10 hours ago

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July 7, 2026

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Monsoon in Jammu and Kashmir

Heavy rainfall across several parts of Jammu and Kashmir triggered flash floods and landslides, causing widespread damage to roads, vehicles and residential property. The adverse weather also disrupted traffic in multiple areas, prompting authorities to advise people to remain vigilant.

Flash flood causes destruction in Doda

A flash flood struck the Thathri sub-division of Doda district after heavy overnight rainfall, leading to significant damage to homes, vehicles and other property.

Floodwaters surged through the Thathri market after water levels in local streams rose rapidly. Large quantities of mud, stones and debris entered residential areas, inundating houses and damaging parked vehicles as water flowed through roads and marketplaces.

Residents said the flooding occurred suddenly, leaving little time to respond. Officials have started assessing the damage, while restoration and relief work is underway.

Local residents alleged that debris from ongoing link road construction is frequently dumped into the Thathri stream. They claimed the accumulated material obstructs the natural flow of water, increasing the risk of flooding during heavy rainfall. Residents urged the administration to take corrective measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Doda-Kishtwar highway affected by flash floods

Continuous rainfall also triggered flash floods that damaged the Doda-Kishtwar highway, disrupting vehicular movement on the route.

Officials said floodwaters deposited large amounts of mud, boulders and debris on the highway. A portion of the road was damaged, forcing authorities to suspend traffic until conditions improve.

In neighbouring Kishtwar district, heavy rain triggered a landslide and mudslide near the tunnel area of the under-construction 540 MW Kwar Hydroelectric Power Project, adding to the weather-related disruption in the region.

Administration issues weather advisory

The administration had earlier issued an advisory warning of heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, flash floods and landslides in vulnerable areas across Jammu and Kashmir.

Authorities advised residents, particularly those living near rivers, streams and nallahs, to remain alert and avoid unsafe locations during the ongoing spell of rain.

Samba receives highest rainfall

According to the Meteorological Department, Samba recorded the highest rainfall in the Jammu region during the 24-hour period ending at 8:30 am on Monday, receiving 90 mm of rainfall.

Kathua received 66.2 mm, followed by Katra (44.4 mm), Doda (42 mm), Jammu (41.8 mm), Udhampur (40.6 mm), Bhaderwah (33.6 mm), Kishtwar (24 mm), Reasi (10.5 mm), Batote (4.7 mm), Ramban (4.5 mm) and Banihal (0.4 mm).

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Mumbai-Pune train services remain suspended for second day after landslides, Central Railway issues fresh cancellation list

Heavy rainfall-triggered landslides have disrupted Mumbai-Pune train services for a second consecutive day, with Central Railway cancelling several MEMU services and continuing restoration work.

Published

11 hours ago

on

July 7, 2026

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Train services between Mumbai and Pune remained suspended for the second consecutive day on Tuesday after heavy monsoon rains triggered multiple landslides in the Bhor Ghat section of the Central Railway network, affecting one of Maharashtra’s busiest rail corridors.

Railway officials continued restoration work across the affected stretch, where mud, rocks and boulders have blocked tracks following persistent rainfall. Authorities said services will resume only after a detailed safety inspection confirms that the route is fit for operations.

Landslides disrupt railway operations in Bhor Ghat

The disruption was caused by multiple landslides in the Karjat-Lonavala section. A major landslide occurred between Thakurvadi and Monkey Hill Loop Cabin (MHLC) on the Up Main Line in the Mumbai division. Another incident was reported on the Middle Line between Khandala and Monkey Hill.

Continuous rainfall has destabilised slopes in the ghat region, resulting in debris falling onto multiple railway tracks and making train movement unsafe.

Teams from Central Railway have been working with heavy machinery to remove debris, inspect the tracks and restore services. However, ongoing rainfall has slowed restoration efforts, prompting authorities to continue the suspension of train operations in the interest of passenger safety.

Central Railway cancels six MEMU services

Central Railway has released a fresh list of cancelled MEMU services for July 7, 2026.

The cancelled trains are:

  • DRD-PNVL MEMU (Train No. 69164), departure 5:25 am
  • PNVL-DSR MEMU (Train No. 69165), departure 9:20 am
  • BSR-PNVL MEMU (Train No. 69168), departure 12:10 pm
  • PNVL-BSR MEMU (Train No. 69167), departure 2:35 pm
  • BSR-PNVL MEMU (Train No. 69166), departure 4:40 pm
  • PNVL-DRD MEMU (Train No. 69161), departure 7:05 pm

Passengers have been advised to check the latest train status through official railway platforms before travelling.

Railway Minister reviews restoration efforts

Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reviewed the ongoing restoration work and directed officials from Central and Western Railway to coordinate efforts to restore services at the earliest without compromising passenger safety.

Railway authorities said operations would resume only after a comprehensive inspection confirms that the affected tracks are safe for regular train movement.

Heavy rain also impacts road traffic

The intense rainfall has also disrupted road transport between Mumbai and Pune. Landslides and waterlogging affected parts of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway as well as the old Mumbai-Pune Highway, causing temporary traffic disruptions before authorities cleared the affected sections.

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for several parts of Maharashtra, warning of continued heavy to very heavy rainfall. Officials cautioned that further showers could trigger additional landslides and delay the restoration of railway services.

Railway authorities said updates on cancellations, diversions and the resumption of train services will continue to be issued as restoration work progresses.

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