Seattle Daily Star

The Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SP) has indicated it may extend support to the Centre’s proposed Delimitation Bill, provided the legislation guarantees an equal 50% increase in Lok Sabha seats for every state. If the party ultimately backs the proposal, it would mark a significant departure from the broader Opposition’s stance on the issue. The development comes amid growing political speculation after reports of meetings involving senior leaders from both NCP factions and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The discussions have also fuelled renewed chatter about a possible thaw between the Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar camps. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule clarified that the party’s final decision would depend entirely on the contents of the bill presented in Parliament. Sharad Pawar-led NCP is expected to support the proposed bills despite remaining outside the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA). She said the party w...

Kangana Ranaut's film 'Emergency' has been postponed yet again, following opposition from Sikh organisations. The actor-turned-MP made the announcement today, stating that the delay stems from pending certification by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). Kangana Ranaut "With a heavy heart, I announce that my directorial Emergency has been postponed. We are still waiting for the certification from the censor board. The new release date will be announced soon. Thanks for your understanding and patience," Ms Ranaut posted on X. The film, co-produced by Kangana's Manikarnika Films and Zee Studios, was initially set to release on September 6. However, due to the lack of a censor certificate, Zee Entertainment Enterprises took the matter to the Bombay High Court, seeking intervention to clear the film for release. This legal battle has led to further delays, and with no favourable outcome from the court, the release is now indefinitely postponed. On Wedne...

Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia will be joining the India National Congress at 1:30 pm today, ahead of the Haryana Assembly elections. The development comes mere days after the two wrestlers met with the party's leader, Rahul Gandhi, in New Delhi on September 4. Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia After the meeting between the political leader and the star Olympians, the move to join the political party was widely speculated. Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat were amongst the number of wrestlers who protested against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, former BJP MP and then chief of Wrestling Federation of India, who they accused of harassing several young junior wrestlers. After the meeting between Gandhi and the wrestlers, various opposition ministers spoke out. BJP MP and Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar was one of them, saying: "I think our athletes got trapped in a political maze during the protests. What started back then is reaching its climax now. The wrestlers' prot...

Granting bail to Arvind Kejriwal will not "demoralise" the Delhi High Court, which last month refused the Chief Minister relief over his arrest by the CBI in the alleged liquor policy scam, the Supreme Court said Thursday. A bench of Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice Surya Kant waved away the federal agency's argument against releasing the AAP leader, saying, "Don't say that." Arvind Kejriwal was arrested Appearing for the CBI, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju also argued that Mr Kejriwal had incorrectly bypassed the lower court - i.e., Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court - and approached the High Court for bail. "He approached High Court without going to Sessions Court... on merits, trial court could have seen it first. High Court can only see in exceptional cases..." he said, declaring releasing Mr Kejriwal now would demotivate the High Court. The CBI's logic also drew a sarcastic swipe from AAP MP Raghav Chadha, who posted on X, "If the S...

The two-day-old strike by the employees of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) was called off late Wednesday evening after Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced to increase their basic salary by Rs 6,500 with retrospective effect from April 2020. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has increased the basic salary of MSRTC employees by Rs 6,500 with retrospective effect from April 2020. The decision was welcomed by the action committee of employees, leading to the withdrawal of the strike. The Chief Minister expressed his displeasure over employees going on strike during Ganesh Chaturthi, which led to inconvenience for hundreds of passengers. The action committee of 11 trade unions in Maharashtra called a strike on Tuesday because of their pending demands. A meeting of the employee unions was held and chaired by Eknath Shinde at the Sahyadri guest house in Mumbai on Wednesday. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Ind...