India

Former cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin campaigned for Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in Baharampur ahead of the West Bengal assembly polls, aiming to boost the campaign as Chowdhury returns to state politics after his 2024 Lok Sabha defeat

Bharatiya Janata Party criticised Opposition parties after the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 on women’s reservation failed in Lok Sabha. PM Narendra Modi blamed Congress, DMK, TMC, and SP for blocking the Bill, calling it a setback to women’s representation efforts

The Calcutta High Court has set aside the appointment of assistant professors as presiding officers for West Bengal assembly polls, ruling that the Election Commission failed to justify the decision as per its guidelines on assigning senior officials to polling duties

The newly formed NDA government led by Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary will face a trust vote in the Assembly on April 24, following his recent swearing-in after Nitish Kumar stepped down to take up responsibilities at the Centre

Rahul Gandhi alleged in Tiruchirappalli that AIADMK is acting as a mask for the BJP, which aims to install a compliant chief minister in Tamil Nadu, while also accusing the Centre of targeting opposition and weakening federal balance

Bengal BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya attacked the TMC government, calling it a “living fossil” surviving on borrowed time. He alleged collapse of law and order, economic decline and political violence, while expressing confidence that BJP will win the upcoming elections

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam chief Vijay claimed the party is gaining strong grassroots support across Tamil Nadu while accusing the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam of blocking campaign permissions and spreading misinformation, asserting that a “people’s movement” will challenge ruling-party dominance in the upcoming polls

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the defeat of the women’s reservation amendment bill in the Lok Sabha was a victory for democracy, alleging the Centre aimed to alter the federal structure and use delimitation for political gains in upcoming elections

Two Naga civilians were killed in a militant attack along the Imphal-Dimapur highway in Manipur. The Tangkhul Naga Long accused Kuki cadres under the Suspension of Operation pact of targeting a civilian convoy, while the Kuki-Zo Council strongly denied involvement, attributing the incident to factional tensions.

Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin accused the Centre of withholding Rs 3,000 crore meant for education and “snatching” the state’s rights, while also criticising alleged Hindi imposition and highlighting DMK welfare schemes ahead of assembly elections

The Election Commission of India has enforced strict measures for West Bengal’s April 23 polls, including 100-metre security perimeters, multi-level voter verification, and door-to-door slip distribution to ensure free, fair, and disturbance-free voting across 152 constituencies

The death toll in the Vedanta power plant blast in Chhattisgarh’s Sakti district has risen to 23, with several workers still under treatment. Authorities are probing the cause, while questions have been raised over the FIR naming company officials

Rahul Gandhi accused Narendra Modi and Amit Shah of using the women’s reservation bill to push delimitation, alleging a bid to weaken states, while attacking BJP and AIADMK during Tamil Nadu poll campaign rallies

Iranian forces fired on India-bound vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, halting 13 of 14 ships carrying crude, LPG and fertilisers, triggering returns and delays, as India coordinates for safe passage amid escalating tensions between Iran and the United States

Ahead of Assembly polls, the Election Commission of India said media entry inside polling stations will be strictly regulated by presiding officers, prohibiting photography inside voting compartments and enforcing verification processes to ensure secrecy, security and integrity of the electoral process

Two Naga civilians were shot dead by unidentified gunmen along the Imphal–Dimapur National Highway (NH-2) in Manipur, triggering outrage and conflicting claims between community groups, as security forces launched operations amid rising tensions in the conflict-hit region

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned Iran’s Ambassador to India after Indian-flagged vessels, including a crude oil tanker, came under fire from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard gunboats in the Strait of Hormuz. While the crew remained safe, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) confirmed multiple incidents, including a container ship hit by a projectile.

Flight operations at Pune airport resumed after an overnight disruption caused by a technical snag in an IAF fighter aircraft. The runway was cleared early morning, with several flights cancelled or diverted before services gradually returned to normal

The Supreme Court of India issued sweeping directions to improve national highway safety, banning roadside parking and encroachments, mandating surveillance and emergency systems, and affirming safe travel as part of Article 21, after fatal accidents exposed serious infrastructure and enforcement failures

The Union Cabinet has approved the Bharat Maritime Insurance Pool with a sovereign guarantee of Rs 12,980 crore to ensure affordable and continuous insurance for Indian maritime trade, reducing dependence on foreign insurers amid rising global volatility and geopolitical risks

A devastating road accident near Pollachi claimed nine lives from a Malappuram school community, leaving Pang village in mourning as bodies returned in ambulances, prompting grief, government aid assurances, counselling support, and calls for investigation into the tragedy

Facing financial strain, the Himachal Pradesh government led by Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has deferred salaries of public representatives for six months, including the Chief Minister, ministers and MLAs, clarifying it is a temporary measure to ease fiscal pressure

The SEC and Gautam Adani, along with Sagar Adani, have jointly sought more time from a US court to file submissions in a securities case, proposing a revised schedule while continuing to contest allegations and pursuing dismissal

Edappadi K Palaniswami attacked the ruling DMK at a Coimbatore rally, framing the 2026 Assembly polls as a fight against dynasty politics, asserting the AIADMK-led NDA will oust the “anti-people” government, while praising Narendra Modi’s leadership