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The Supreme Court has put its earlier order accepting the Centre’s definition of the Aravalli Hills in abeyance, citing the need for clarification. A high-powered expert committee will re-examine ecological concerns, mining limits and conservation issues. Notices were issued to the Centre and four states, and the matter will be heard again on January 21.
Tamil superstar Thalapathy Vijay briefly stumbled at Chennai airport as a huge crowd welcomed him after returning from Malaysia. The incident went viral, raising crowd-control concerns. Security swiftly helped him into his car; no injuries were seen. Vijay had attended the Jana Nayagan audio launch, reportedly drawing a record crowd in Kuala Lumpur recently there.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released its first list of 66 candidates for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, scheduled in January 2026. The list includes candidates for various wards across Mumbai, including Tejasvi Ghosalkar (Ward 2), Ganesh Khankar (Ward 7), Jitendra Patel (Ward 10), Shweta Korgaonkar (Ward 16), and many others.
BRS chief KCR will attend the Assembly sessions today. He reached Hyderabad last night from his Erravelli farmhouse. As discussions on river waters are scheduled, he gave directions to party leaders. This is KCR’s 3rd Assembly appearance since the Congress govt came to power. Earlier, he attended the governor’s address and the budget session.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned Europe that while Russia does not plan attacks, any strike against it would face a “devastating blow.” He criticized the EU’s “war party” for obstructing Ukraine peace efforts, expressed support for US-led negotiations, and reiterated backing for China on Taiwan under the 2001 treaty.
Golam Nabi Azad, son of Janata Unnayan Party chief Humayun Kabir, was detained in Murshidabad for allegedly slapping a policeman assigned as his father’s security. Kabir claims the detention is politically motivated and his son was falsely implicated. Police said the matter is under investigation, while Kabir announced a protest against alleged harassment.
BJP accused Congress of undermining Karnataka’s authority after AICC general secretary KC Venugopal voiced concern over Bengaluru demolitions. Leader of Opposition R Ashoka asked if Venugopal was a “Super CM,” calling it federal overreach. Venugopal said he spoke to CM Siddaramaiah, seeking rehabilitation and grievance redressal for affected families.
As Parliament’s winter session ended, MP Rajeev Rai apologised to taxpayers, calling claims of high productivity hollow. He said real issues like pollution, jobs, currency fall and electoral reforms were suppressed while manufactured controversies dominated. Laws were rushed without scrutiny. Failing democracy, he claimed Parliament betrayed citizens’ trust.
Plans to expand Vijayawada and Tirupati into Greater cities have been paused as national census rules freeze boundary changes. Though the Andhra Pradesh government revived both proposals and prepared notifications, Central guidelines bar municipal expansion until the census ends. Ministers say the plans remain alive and will resume once the census process is completed.
Congress and Prakash Ambedkar’s VBA have joined forces for the 2026 BMC elections, finalizing seat-sharing: Congress will contest 165 seats, VBA 62. Polling is on January 15, results on Jan 16. The alliance opposes Sena-UBT’s pact with MNS, aiming to challenge divisive and communal forces in Mumbai and strengthen their position in the civic body.
Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka will visit Khammam’s Madhira today. He will lay the foundation stone for the new municipal office building. After that, he will attend events celebrating the 138th anniversary of the Congress party. Several Congress leaders and party workers are expected to take part in the program.
Talks between the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) and the Ajit Pawar-led ruling NCP over a possible alliance for the Pune civic polls have stalled. The ruling faction reportedly rejected the proposal to contest on separate party symbols. Civic elections across 29 Maharashtra municipal corporations, including Pune and Mumbai, are scheduled for January 15.
Assam’s draft electoral rolls, released post-Special Revision, show over 10.56 lakh names deleted due to deaths, shifting, or duplicate entries. The state now has 2.51 crore voters, excluding 93,021 D-Voters. Verification covered 61 lakh households, with claims and objections open until January 22. Final rolls will be published on February 10.
The CBI has challenged the Delhi High Court’s order suspending life sentence and granting bail to former MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the 2017 Unnao rape case. It will file an SLP in the Supreme Court. Petitioners argue the HC ignored grave facts. Though sentence is suspended, Sengar remains jailed in another case currently there.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma warned that Bangladesh-origin Muslims could form 40% of Assam’s population by the 2027 census. He said evictions of infiltrators will continue and accused Congress of supporting illegal migrants. Sarma also cautioned that further increases could threaten Assam’s demographic balance and security.