At least seven Booth Level Officers (BLOs) were suspended in Bihar by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday, for alleged dereliction of duty and refusal to follow the stipulated guidelines.

The BLOs were suspended by the Patna District Election Officer cum District Magistrate, with immediate effect.

The reasons cited for the BLOs' suspension include their absence from duty, ignorance of standard procedure and arbitrary decision-making, and no consultation with senior officials.

Three BLOs from Mokama and four from Fatua Assembly constituency have been suspended with immediate effect.

In a major decision with significant political and social implications, the Bihar Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, on Tuesday, approved a proposal to reserve 84.4 per cent of teacher recruitment posts for the residents of the state.

The move comes months ahead of the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, reflecting a clear push to prioritise local candidates in the state's education sector.

The decision was part of the Bihar State School Teacher Appointment, Transfer, Disciplinary Action and Service Condition (Amendment) Rules, 2025, which was among the 36 proposals approved in Tuesday's Cabinet meeting.

The Rajya Sabha on Tuesday passed a statutory resolution extending President’s Rule in Manipur for a further six months, effective from August 13, 2025.

The resolution, tabled by Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, was adopted through a voice vote amid persistent sloganeering and disruptions by Opposition members demanding a discussion on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.

Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh presided over the session, which saw repeated appeals for order.

“Please go to your seat and say 'no'”, he urged Opposition MPs, reminding them that the resolution was a constitutional obligation under Article 356 and had to be disposed of within the mandated timeframe.

“We have not done any business in the House,” he added, pointing to Congress MP Jairam Ramesh as disruptions continued.

Satyapal Malik, who served as the 10th Governor of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir state passed away on Tuesday after a protracted illness at the age of 79.

The veteran leader died around 1 p.m. at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi, where he was undergoing treatment.

Born on July 24, 1946, in Hisawada village in Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh, Malik passed his B.Sc. and LL.B degrees from Meerut University.

He began his political career with Bharatiya Kranti Dal, followed by Janata Dal, Indian National Congress, Lok Dal, Samajwadi Party, and finally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Malik first came to prominence as a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly from 1974 to 1977.

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra stated on Tuesday that the Supreme Court does not have the authority to determine who is a "true Indian" and asserted that Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has always shown respect for the Indian Armed Forces.

This comes a day after the apex court reprimanded Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on the Indian Army and his claim that over 2,000 sq km of the Indian territory had been occupied by China.

Referring to the Supreme Court's remarks, Priyanka Gandhi said, "With all due respect to the judiciary, it is not for them to determine who is a true Indian and who is not. The Justice will not decide that. Another thing is that Rahul Gandhi has always respected the Army and our soldiers. His respect towards the Army is clearly reflected in every statement and speech."

The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day on Monday following persistent protests by Opposition members demanding an immediate debate on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.

At 2 p.m., when the House reconvened with Jagdambika Pal in the chair, the uproar persisted. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju expressed disappointment, noting that the government had agreed to allocate two days for discussion on the National Sports Governance Bill, 2025, and the National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, 2025 -- both listed for consideration.

“This is a crucial moment for Indian sports, especially as we prepare to bid for the 2036 Olympics,” Rijiju said.

The Congress party has postponed its protest event, led by Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, to August 8 in view of the demise of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren. The protest was originally scheduled to be held at Freedom Park in Bengaluru on August 5.

Speaking to reporters at Freedom Park on Monday, Deputy Chief Minister and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President D.K. Shivakumar made the announcement. “The scheduled programme stands committed; it is only postponed by three days due to the demise of our honourable leader and former CM Shibu Soren, who had a long-standing association with the Congress party. He was one of the key leaders of our INDIA bloc,” he said.

The Opposition Aam Aadmi Party on Monday announced its decision to oppose the education bill on school fee fixation, with Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Atishi assailing the government for delaying its tabling in the House by four months.

Addressing reporters ahead of the start of the Assembly’s Monsoon Session, Atishi alleged that the delay in tabling the bill is a ploy to give private institutions a free hand to fleece parents in the current academic year.

Atishi demanded that until the Delhi School Education Bill 2025 is finalised, it should be referred to a select committee of the Assembly for fixing its contours after collecting feedback from parents.

The former Chief Minister said, “Till the time the bill is finalised, all private schools should be directed not to raise fees and collect them at the same rate as 2024-25.”

Atishi also demanded that a clause for regular audit of school accounts should be included in it.

The Supreme Court on Monday pulled up Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi over his alleged remarks insulting the Indian Army.

During the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Gandhi had allegedly said, “Chinese troops are thrashing Indian Army soldiers in Arunachal Pradesh,” referring to the December 9, 2022, face-off in the Tawang sector.

A Bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Joymalya Bagchi expressed disapproval of Rahul Gandhi’s claim that 2,000 square kilometres of Indian territory had been occupied by China, adding that “if he were a true Indian, he would not have said all this.”

“How do you know that 2,000 square kilometres of Indian territory were occupied by the Chinese? Were you there? Do you have any credible material? If you were a true Indian, you would not say all this. When there is a conflict across the order, is it unusual to have casualties on both sides?” the Justice Datta-led Bench asked senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Rahul Gandhi.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav expressed deep sorrow and paid tribute to former Jharkhand Chief Minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) founder Shibu Soren, who passed away on Monday morning in a Delhi hospital after a prolonged illness.

“Today, Shibu Soren passed away. He was a great leader of Dalits and Adivasis. It is a matter of deep sorrow, and we pay our heartfelt tribute to him,” said Lalu Yadav.

Shibu Soren, the towering tribal leader and father of current Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, breathed his last at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi at 8.56 a.m., according to a statement issued by the hospital.

“He died after a prolonged illness. He was suffering from a kidney ailment and had also suffered a stroke a month and a half ago. He had been on life support for the past month,” the hospital said.