May 2026

NEW DELHI: On paper, the 2026 assembly elections are straightforward: five regions, 824 seats, and a familiar roster of parties battling for power. West Bengal (294 seats), Tamil Nadu (234), Kerala (140), Assam (126), and Puducherry (30) together form a significant, but not unprecedented, electoral exercise.Yet, this is not a routine election cycle.The timing gives…

NEW DELHI: The Baramulla-Uri stretch of the National Highway in Jammu and Kashmir was closed near Lagama on Sunday following a heavy landslide, disrupting vehicular movement on the key route.The landslide blocked the road, prompting authorities to divert traffic via the Bandi-Paranpillan-Dachi route towards Uri to maintain connectivity while clearance operations are under way, news…

Amid the unendurable, inside hospital wards, in the rubble after a calamity, or in the quiet devastation of personal loss, dark, absurd jokes bubble up like twisted lifelines.“We can either laugh in the face of death or die trying not to,” wrote novelist James Grippando. It’s morbid, it’s wrong, yet it cuts through the horror,…

NEW DELHI: Vote counting for the Puducherry assembly elections is set to take place on Monday, with the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the All India NR Congress (AINRC), aiming for a second straight term in power.The counting process will begin at 8 am, and with only 30 constituencies in Puducherry, clear and…