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The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance has registered a significant breakthrough in the Kerala local body elections, emerging as the single largest party in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation and bringing an end to the Left Democratic Front’s 45-year control of the civic body.
The NDA secured 50 of the 101 wards, while the ruling LDF was pushed down to 29 seats. The Congress-led United Democratic Front won 19 wards, with two seats going to Independents. Polling in one ward was cancelled after the death of a candidate last week.
The outcome signals a major shift in the capital’s political landscape and places the NDA in a commanding position to form the next corporation administration.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi met Argentine football legend Lionel Messi in Hyderabad on Saturday, as the superstar arrived for the second leg of his GOAT India Tour 2025.
Gandhi was seen chatting with Messi at the stadium, with Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy also present on stage ahead of the friendly match. During the interaction, Messi presented an Argentine team T-shirt to the Congress leader at the event held at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium.
After scenes of chaos marked the Kolkata leg of the India Goat Tour 2025, the event in Hyderabad concluded smoothly on Saturday evening. Lionel Messi received a disciplined and well managed welcome in the city, with organisers maintaining strict crowd control and seamless arrangements from the moment the Argentine football star arrived.
The chief organiser of Argentine football star Lionel Messi’s Kolkata event was arrested on Saturday after disorder broke out at Salt Lake Stadium, with fans alleging mismanagement and demanding refunds.
Sources said promoter Satadru Dutta was the sole organiser of Messi related events in India, with nearly Rs 150 crore raised from sponsors, while Messi’s appearance fee was reportedly around Rs 98 crore.
With GRAP Stage IV measures now in force, state government schools across Delhi and the NCR may decide to suspend physical classes even for students in Classes VI to IX and Class XI, shifting teaching to an online mode.
Under the CAQM directions, state governments in the NCR and the Delhi government have been asked to mandatorily run classes up to Class V in a hybrid format, combining physical and online teaching where feasible, across Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar.
Stage IV of GRAP, categorised as the Severe+ level, is triggered when Delhi’s AQI crosses 450. On Saturday evening, the city’s AQI stood at 448 at 7 PM, as per CPCB data, after the 24 hour average was recorded at 349 a day earlier, placing air quality in the very poor category.
With air quality deteriorating sharply across Delhi and the NCR, the Commission for Air Quality Management has directed the immediate implementation of all measures under GRAP Stage IV. The decision was taken as the AQI hovered near the severe threshold, triggering the strictest curbs to curb pollution levels.
California and 19 other US states have filed a lawsuit in federal court in Boston seeking to stop the Trump administration’s proposed $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas. The states argue the president lacks legal authority to impose the charge, which far exceeds existing visa processing costs.
India’s startup ecosystem reached a new high in 2025 as the number of government recognised startups crossed two lakh, with a record 44,000 entities added during the year. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said the milestone reflects rising entrepreneurship, stronger policy support and growing participation of women founders across sectors.
The Delhi Flood Control Board has approved the capital’s most extensive drain redevelopment plan, ending nearly a decade of delays. The project includes a 57 kilometre service road along the Najafgarh drain and large scale desilting to reduce traffic congestion and monsoon flooding across key parts of the city.
In a post on X, Shashi Tharoor congratulated the UDF on its overall performance in the Kerala local self-government elections while also acknowledging the BJP’s “historic” victory in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation.
He said the clear mandate highlighted Kerala’s strong democratic spirit and the maturity of its voters in delivering a decisive verdict.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said the Kerala local body election results reflected the electorate’s desire for change. Reacting to the verdict, he described the day as one of “amazing results” for democracy in the state and stressed the importance of respecting the people’s mandate, even when it favours political rivals.
The BJP’s capture of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation has emerged as its biggest success in the Kerala local body elections. The victory ends decades of Left Democratic Front control in the state capital and is being seen as a clear shift in urban voter sentiment.
Party leaders described the result as a landmark moment, underlining the BJP’s growing footprint in Kerala’s urban politics.
IndiGo is set to operate over 2,050 flights today, as per its revised schedule, scaled down in line with government directive.
In line with the operational update shared yesterday, we operated over 2,050 flights with only two cancellations, due to technical issues, with all affected customers reaccommodated in alternate flights immediately: IndiGo
On the 'vote chori' campaign, Dy CM DK Shivakumar says, "We all have been attending the 'vote chori' program. We have asked all our block presidents, workers, and employees to attend it... From Karnataka's Freedom Park, the great movement was started... We will fight for the right to vote. The Congress party has always stood for democracy and the constitution, and every citizen's vote is important, so we will fight and protect them..."
Food Safety Officer, Naresh Kumar, says, "... Upon receiving a complaint, the Food Department team conducted raids on Special Shankar Mishthan Bhandar and collected samples for testing. Their license has been temporarily suspended, and the shop is sealed, and the process to cancel the shop’s food licence has been initiated..." (12.12)
A fan of star footballer Lionel Messi says, "I am from Nepal. I am very excited because seeing Messi was my childhood dream. I can't express my feelings in words. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, which is why I have come to Kolkata from Nepal..."
Joint Commissioner of Police, Southern range, SK Jain, said, "... Operation CyHawk 2.0 was launched within three weeks of the first phase... It was much broader than the first. It was much more precise, and a lot of groundwork was done... We conducted clustering and hotspot intelligence, first analysing the original account... After proper verification, we conducted raids not only in Delhi but also outside in 10 states. We sent our teams to Odisha and Kerala... Legal action has been taken against almost 2,900 people... This time, we've achieved more than 200% success. Similarly, the number of detentions has increased by 160%. If we combine the linkages in the FIRs (old and new), there's a 125% increase since the last operation... We've also worked out several cases of investment fraud, with amounts starting from as simple as 50,000... We are conducting major awareness campaigns among the people. Recently, a major cultural program was organised at Jashn-e-Rakta. There too, a public awareness campaign was organised, including street plays, painting competitions, online quizzes, and band displays, to attract people and make them aware"
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said, "This is the 50th meeting of the Tribal Advisory Committee, and the third consecutive... We are trying to understand and solve the issues faced by tribal communities... Since our government came to power, rapid progress has been witnessed among tribal communities..."
On Himachal Pradesh Assembly LoP and BJP leader Jairam Thakur's statement, he said, "I don't feel like answering to the LoP anymore. He only speaks lies..." (12.12)
Visuals from the Akshardham area as a thick layer of toxic smog blankets the city.
AQI (Air Quality Index) around the area is 419, categorised as 'Severe, as claimed by CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board).
