BJP president JP Nadda asserted on Friday that after Haryana, the BJP would also sweep the upcoming Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand.

Speaking to reporters, Nadda said the BJP had achieved a lot in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir and credit for this goes to the people and the almighty.

Nadda paid obeisance at the Shri Naina Devi temple in Himachal Pradesh’s Bilaspur today and said the people were happy with the performance of the BJP government at the Centre led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Today I got the privilege of taking the blessings of Maa Naina Devi on the ninth day of Sharadiya Navratri. With the blessings of Mother Goddess, all of us will work with our full energy to fulfill Prime Minister Modi’s dream of a developed India,” he said.

After the party’s victory in the Haryana elections, the Union Health Minister was in Himachal Pradesh to offer prayers.

“The party would also sweep upcoming Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand,” Nadda said.

Bucking anti-incumbency, the ruling BJP pulled off a hat-trick of wins in Haryana to retain power and halt Congress’ comeback attempt in the assembly elections.

The BJP also made notable gains in Jammu and Kashmir by winning 29 of the 90 seats. The National Conference-Congress combine is set to form government in the Union territory.

Noel Tata on Friday was unanimously appointed as the Chairman of Tata Trusts on October 11. He succeeded Ratan Tata, who died on October 9 at the age of 86. Reportedly, the appointment was made during a meeting held in Mumbai and was agreed upon by the board of Tata Trusts.

The Tata Trusts, which holds a controlling 66% stake in Tata Sons, is the holding company of the sprawling Tata Group, and plays a crucial role in the group’s governance. Ratan Tata, who led Tata Trusts and the Tata Group for many years, did not have children and had not named a successor for his position at the Trusts. Hence, the board convened to decide on the next leader.

The move to appoint Noel Tata came just a day after the last rites of Ratan Tata, with the board meeting focusing on both paying homage to Ratan Tata and electing the new chairman. The board’s decision was reportedly in line with Ratan Tata’s philosophy of moving on and ensuring continuity in leadership without delays.

Noel Tata, who is 67-year-old, has been a trustee in the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the Sir Ratan Tata Trust, which together own the majority stake in Tata Sons. Noel Tata’s long-standing association with the Tata Group and his role within these trusts made him the frontrunner for the chairmanship after Ratan Tata’s death.

Furthermore, the Parsi community, which has traditionally been closely tied to the Tata Group, was in favour of appointing someone with the Tata surname, and Noel Tata was the unanimous choice. Notably, Noel Tata’s appointment is also in line with changes made in 2022, when the Tata Sons board amended its Articles of Association to ensure that the same person could no longer hold the roles of Chairman of both Tata Trusts and Tata Sons, a position Ratan Tata had previously held.

For over 40 years, Noel Tata has been a key figure within the Tata Group. Currently, he is on the boards of multiple Tata Group companies, including Tata International Limited, Voltas and Tata Investment Corporation. Noel Tata also serves as the Vice Chairman of Tata Steel and Titan Company Limited.

Reportedly, Noel Tata graduated from Sussex University in the UK and later completed the International Executive Programme (IEP) from INSEAD, a leading global business school. 

Tata Trusts have two vice-chairmen, Venu Srinivasan of TVS and former Defence Secretary Vijay Singh. They have been in their roles since 2018.

Urging Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to withdraw support from Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday slammed BJP after he was stopped from visiting Jayaprakash Narayan International Centre (JPNiC) in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow.

On Thursday, the former Chief Minister was stopped from accessing the statue in the capital by the authorities, sparking protests by Samajwadi Party workers, which continued on Friday when Yadav revisited the site.

Pointing out that many socialist leaders like Kumar are currently supporting the government, Yadav said Nitish Kumar who rose from the movement led by Jai Prakash Narayan should take “this opportunity to withdraw support” from a government that is preventing socialists from paying tribute to their icon.  JD(U), Nitish Kumar’s party, plays a key role in maintaining the NDA government’s parliamentary majority.

Stopped from visiting the JPNIC, at around 10.30 am, a bust of Narayan, mounted on a vehicle, was garlanded by Yadav on the road packed with SP workers, several of them donning red caps and raising slogans and party flags.

Earlier in the day, Yadav retorted sharply at the saffron party and said: “Whether it is the BJP people or their government, their every action is a symbol of negativity. To prevent the Samajwadi people from garlanding the ‘Jai Prakash Narayan Ji’ statue on his birth anniversary like last time, barricades have been put up around our private residence to stop them.”

Yadav accused the BJP of creating hurdles in the path of harmony, peace, reservation, farmers’ welfare, women’s safety, youth development, employment generation, and development of PDAs (pichhde, Dalit, alpsankhyak).

“The BJP has always been against freedom fighters and the freedom movement. They have learnt from the colonial powers and supported them secretly. Everyone is saying today that they don’t want the BJP,” the former CM said.

Hitting out at BJP, he said the BJP has always been against the freedom fighters and the freedom movement. “They have learnt how to block the path by secretly living with the colonial powers and supporting them. Everyone says today, we don’t want BJP!” he added.

This come a day after Yadav was denied permission to visit the JPNIC, citing “construction work and possibility of many insects due to rain”. Yadav hit out at the BJP while standing before the tin barricades.

The JPNIC was inaugurated by Yadav in 2016 during his tenure as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, but construction stalled after the BJP’s victory in 2017.