KOLKATA: : An uncharacteristic silence descended upon the otherwise bustling arteries of central and north Kolkata. As TV screens flashed saffron, signalling a historic and decisive victory for BJP, the chaos of Smith Lane, Dedar Baux Lane and Abdul Hamid Lane in central Kolkata was replaced by a watchful, heavy silence, report Zeeshan Javed &…
(Image Credits: Instagram) On a night obsessed with excess, spectacle, and who wore what, Indian designer Manish Malhotra quietly flipped the narrative at the 2026 Met Gala and carried something into the spotlight that the fashion world often forgets. In an industry where craftsmanship is celebrated, but the creators behind it are not, this didn’t…
Delimited seats give saffron party a multiplier effectDelimitation proved the wild card in Assam’s first assembly poll since the boundaries of constituencies were redrawn in 2023, cutting the number of Muslim-majority seats from 35 to 22 to leave BJP’s two main rivals — Congress and AIUDF — fighting an existential battle against each other. Although…
The big shock was his party’s defeat; the bigger shock, his own drubbing in Kolathur in north Chennai, which is considered part of the DMK heartland. For M K Stalin, the ‘Vijay effect’ is arguably the most unsettling political moment of his career.DMK had banked on Stalin’s governance record in terms of industrial growth and…
Dressed in a custom look by his longtime friend and collaborator Manish Malhotra, Johar’s ensemble was rooted in storytelling. The outfit, titled Framed in Eternity, took inspiration from the works of legendary Indian painter Raja Ravi Varma – and you could see that influence instantly. He wore a sharp, structured jacket with strong shoulders, layered…
PUDUCHERRY: : A fragmented opposition, All India NR Congress (AINRC) founder and chief minister N Rangasamy’s charisma and his govt’s freebies ensured NDA retained office inPuducherry. Opposition parties failed to present a unified front against the AINRC-BJPAIADMK-LJK combine. Congress fielded candidates in five constituencies allotted to DMK, causing confusion among functionaries, cadres and voters. NDA…
Throughout the campaign, Mamata Banerjee leaned on her 2021 playbook, asserting that she was the ‘sole candidate’ across all 294 seats. This time, however, the strategy that had fended off anti-incumbency backfired. Voters were not going to make the same mistake again.In a political earthquake that ended 15 years of Trinamool Congress dominance in Bengal,…
CHENNAI: TVK president C Joseph Vijay’s electoral debut was shaped by a tightly controlled campaign run by a close-knit core team, a targeted political strategy against the governing DMK, and a rapid expansion of support among minorities, Dalits and section of women voters.Key members of his circle, including N Anand, Aadhav Arjuna, K A Sengottaiyan,…
Few state polls have been as dramatic as this round. TOI explains the verdicts through 10 decisive factors, from freebies becoming entitlements to women’s safety, and from Hindu vote to Gen Z angst:1) Return of anti-incumbencyFor a while, anti-incumbency seemed like a fading ghost. Repeated successes of several incumbents, most notably Narendra Modi, had cast…
Congress overcomes weak organisation with united frontThe Congress-led UDF swept back into govt in Kerala on Monday after a 10-year hiatus, riding a largerthan-expected anti-incumbency wave across the state against the Pinarayi Vijayan govt. UDF won 102 seats in the 140-member legislative assembly. The magnitude of the victory surprised even the winners. The major factor…