The Omar Abdullah-led government in Jammu and Kashmir has approached Lt Governor Manoj Sinha with the demand that July 13 and December 5 should be restored as public holidays on account of Martyrs Day and the birthday of the National Conference (NC) founder, late Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, respectively.

Both July 13 and December 5 were government holidays in the erstwhile J&K state and were declared as public holidays under the Negotiable Instruments Act 1881.

After the abrogation of Article 370 and the division of J&K into two union territories on August 5, 2019, these two holidays were removed from the government’s list of holidays.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday objected to the PILs filed by several NGOs and other political activists in the Supreme Court challenging its decision to conduct Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar.

Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, representing the poll body, objected to the locus standi of the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and other PIL litigants.

“None of them are voters in Bihar! Before you (SC) are some sections of people who write articles and then file petitions. I have a serious objection to this,” submitted Dwivedi before a Bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi.

He said that ADR was recently deprecated by the Supreme Court, apparently referring to the observations made against it in the 100 per cent VVPAT verification judgment.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has asserted that he will serve a full five-year term and claimed that there is no power-sharing arrangement between him and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who is also considered a contender for the top post.

Speaking to the media on Thursday, CM Siddaramaiah acknowledged that Shivakumar is an aspirant for the Chief Minister’s position and said there is nothing wrong with that. He added that Shivakumar himself has clarified that the CM's post is not vacant.

"Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar has never stated that the Chief Minister should be changed," Siddaramaiah said.

He reiterated his intention to remain in office for the full five-year term. “...I am CM for full term...I will lead the party in the 2028 Assembly elections,” he declared.

“However, I am committed to following the orders of the high command. Both Shivakumar and I are bound to obey the high command’s decisions. As of now, there are no discussions on any power-sharing arrangement,” he added.

Under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh created history on Wednesday with a record-breaking plantation drive. As part of the "Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 2.0" initiative, the state planted 37,21,40,925 saplings by 6:06 PM, surpassing the government’s set target of 37 crore by an impressive 21,40,925 saplings.

Known for his tough stance on the mafia and a soft heart for children, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is deeply committed to environmental conservation. Acknowledging the growing threat of global warming, the state once again prioritised a large-scale afforestation campaign this year.

Hours after Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, accused the Centre and Election Commission of trying to “steal” the Bihar Assembly elections through voter list revision, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary hit back, calling the protest a 'drama.'

“Leaders like Rahul Gandhi come to Bihar for a picnic. He has nothing to do with Bihar’s problems or development. He just comes, does drama, and leaves. He should at least look at Patna’s airport if he wants to see development,” Choudhary said while interacting with the media persons in Patna on Wednesday.

Congress National General Secretary and Karnataka incharge Randeep Singh Surjewala on Wednesday refuted reports regarding a meeting between the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar in New Delhi, as "purely imaginary".

Answering a question by the media on a possible meeting as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Dy CM Shivakumar are in New Delhi over developments in the state, he dubbed them "purely imaginary."

"I have no knowledge of any such meeting of LoP Rahul Gandhi with the Karnataka CM and Dy CM. Yes. the CM and Dy CM are in Delhi in order to raise issues concerning people of Karnataka and the state government. There is designed discrimination and hatred in BJP and the Union government for the people of Karnataka for voting them out," Surjewala stated.

Aam Aadmi Party National Convenor and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has sparked a fresh political debate by declaring that he deserves a Nobel Prize for governance and administration, despite what he called the persistent "obstacles" placed in his path by the BJP-led Centre.

While addressing a public gathering in Mohali, Punjab, Kejriwal said, "We worked despite not being allowed to work for as long as our government was in power in Delhi. I feel that I should get a Nobel Prize for governance and administration for the amount of work I did in Delhi during my tenure as CM."

Kejriwal has long accused Delhi's Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena of acting on the instructions of the Union government to derail the AAP's efforts in the national Capital.

The Bihar Bandh called by the Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan) -- comprising the Congress, RJD, and Left parties -- against the Election Commission's Special Intensive Voter List Revision (SIR) witnessed widespread participation and statewide disruptions on Wednesday.

In Patna, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, CPI-ML general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, VIP chief Mukesh Sahani, and other senior Mahagathbandhan leaders led a protest march from the Income Tax roundabout to the Election Commission office via Veer Chand Patel Path.

The leaders initially marched on foot, but due to the swelling crowd of supporters, they continued the rally in an open vehicle.

Purnea MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, along with Congress workers, blocked trains at the Secretariat Railway Station, disrupting rail services. Yadav alleged that the voter verification exercise was a "conspiracy to remove crores of voters" from the rolls.

A nationwide strike is underway on Wednesday, following a call by ten trade unions to protest against the Centre's alleged "anti-worker, anti-farmer, and pro-corporate" labour policies.

The general strike, or 'Bharat Bandh', was called by a joint platform of the central trade unions, receiving support from farmer organisations and rural worker groups.

The participating unions include the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA), Labour Progressive Federation (LPF), United Trade Union Congress (UTUC), as well as farmers' groups like Samyukta Kisan Morcha and various rural and public sector worker unions, including those from the Railways, NMDC Ltd, and steel industries.

At the core of the agitation is opposition to the four new labour codes passed by Parliament. Trade unions argue that these codes dilute workers' rights by restricting the right to strike, increasing working hours, and reducing employer accountability when labour laws are violated.

Bihar’s capital is set to witness major political activity as Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will visit Patna on July 9 to lead the Grand Alliance’s ‘chakka jam’ against the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list.