Lefty Jaiswal Joins the Big League of Kohli, Tendulkar and Gavaskar

A tour to Australia demands a high level of skill and commitment from an Indian cricketer. The batters find the pitches there hard, bouncy and arriving at them quickly off the pitch. Sometimes the harsh sunlight makes it very tough to focus. Though at the receiving end on most occasions, many Indian cricketers have found ways to adjust to the speed and bounce, like Sachin Tendulkar, who as a teenager stroked his way to two centuries in Perth and Sydney on his first tour of Australia during the 1991-92 series. And now the young lefty Yashasvi Jaiswal has cut and carved a century in his first Test in Australia scoring 161 in the second innings after not opening his account in the first. Thus he joined an elite group of Indians who have scored the magic three figure mark in Perth. His immediate predecessor was Virat Kohli. The others were the legendary Sunil Gavaskar, doughty Mohinder Amarnath and master blaster Tendulkar, all making centuries at the famous WACA ground, known for pace and bounce. After a not so bright tour of South Africa early this year falling to fast bowlers Nandre Burger (3 times) and Kagiso Rabada, the attacking left-hander is on another tough tour, especially with the prospect of thwarting the home team’s troika in Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. He fell to a loose drive in the first innings, but made amends in the second, grinding it out for seven hours and forty minutes to make a 296 ball century, the highest by an Indian in Perth. Great going Yashasvi, one has to say! (By G Viswanath)

Dhanush Slaps Nayanthara With Rs 10-Crore Notice For 3-Second Clip

The Nayanthara-Vignesh Shivan wedding in 2022 was much talked about, kindled oodles of curiosity and news. Okay, Nayan is known as the Lady Superstar of Kollywood and this couple were newsmakers for a long time …speculations and guesswork rife over whether it was yet another Nayan dalliance in her longline of ditched paramours Prabhudeva, Simbu in that list. Finally the wedding was celebrated with pomp and style, Netflix signed a deal for OTT rights at an astronomical figure, no one could corroborate. Then, all concerned moved on … .Nayan is now mother to two cute boys. The wedding footage and other highlights of Nayan’s films were curated to make a biopic, Nayanthara, Beyond The Fairy Tale, and it went OTT live with many expectations that it would hit the high jinx for Nayan…actually it has not garnered much praise. But the Fairy Tale turned into a Horror Story when she was slapped with a notice to pay Rs 10 crore for a 3-second clip from her movie Naanum Rowdy Thaan, a hit movie from Dhanush’s home production. Nayan was livid. Adding insult to injury, Dhanush further insisted that the clip be deleted immediately. Currently Dhanush is directing Idli Kadai produced by Akash Bhaskar. His recent wedding attended by Sivakarthikeyan, Anirudh, Dhanush and Nayanthara, husband in tow turned viral worthy … .the angry vibes both conveyed made news. The protagonists were sitting poles apart and faces turned away. Karma, it is said, has a way of punching holes in egos. (By Padma Ramnath)

BJP’s Clean Sweep In Maharashtra Could Pave The Way For BMC Elections

A clean sweep for the BJP could pave the way for the crucial Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls in the state. Elections for India’s richest civic body and politically significant Mumbai city had been kept in abeyance for over two years to prevent Uddhav Thackeray from getting the upper hand in Maharashtra. The BMC, with a budget of over Rs 52,000 crore, had been UBT’s major source of its political and financial clout for decades, making him a dominating force in Mumbai. The Sena had been accusing the BJP of being too scared to take polls in Mumbai. But after a sharp drubbing of Uddhav in the state polls, the gates could now be open for the BMC polls along with the various pending local body polls. The BJP, it seems has got into the act. It’s launching a membership drive for the party, clearly to wrest control of the BMC, which has a huge corpus of over Rs 80,000 crore. The BJP has other factors working for it too. Though the Shiv Sena won the highest number of elected corporators with 84 seats, the BJP was quite close to it with 82 seats in 2017. Mumbai’s sharp demographics shift — with the Maharashtrians being reduced to less than 39% of the population of Mumbai, could work to the advantage of the BJP. After this assembly poll drubbing, it remains to be seen how the politically and financially weakened Thackeray’s Shiv Sena rises up to fight against the BJP in the forthcoming city elections, its last bastion left. (By Hepzi Anthony)

TMC Reshuffle On Cards: Will Abhishek Banerjee Be Appointed As Deputy Chief Minister?

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) is witnessing an internal debate over a potential elevation of Abhishek Banerjee, the party’s National General Secretary and nephew of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee for the position of deputy chief minister. With an organisational reshuffle looming, Abhishek has submitted a comprehensive report to Didi, sparking resistance from the party’s old guard. Prominent leaders, such as Bharatpur MLA Humayun Kabir, are openly advocating for Abhishek to be made deputy CM and Home Minister. Kabir cited recent law and order issues, RG Kar rape case and attack on Kolkata Municipal Corporation councillor as reasons for stronger leadership. However, veteran leaders like Saugata Roy expressed reservations about the Kolkata Police’s efficiency, a veiled critique of current governance. Firhad Hakim, a senior minister, clarified his stance, emphasizing unwavering support for Mamata’s leadership while defending his earlier comments. Hakim reiterated that Didi remains the cornerstone of TMC’s electoral success and governance credibility. This internal friction comes against the backdrop of TMC’s strong performance in the recently concluded bypolls. The party swept six constituencies, including Madarihat in North Bengal, a seat it won for the first time. The success has bolstered confidence in the leadership duo of Mamata and Abhishek, who jointly selected the winning candidates. A national working committee meeting at Mamata’s Kalighat residence on November 25 is expected to address the reshuffle issue. For TMC balancing generational aspirations with the experience of senior leaders remains a critical challenge. (By Tanya Bagchi)

Cong Refuses To Accept Reality Of Maha Verdict, Wonders How Can Things Change In 5 Months

Even as the Congress got demolished in the Maharashtra polls and scored the worst ever tally of 16 seats, the party went on to draw satisfaction from the fact it had at least secured the Dharavi assembly  seat with a margin of 24,000 votes. Just to showcase how the locals had given their verdict on the redevelopment plan to be undertaken by Adanis. Victory for the Congress in the area was seen as a rejection of the tender given to Adani for redeveloping the place. As for the bad news in the results, the party managers did not care if it was a complete rejection of its politics of appeasement, caste census and minority quota. The party insisted that the results were “absolutely strange, inexplicable and beyond comprehension”, considering BJP had fared so poorly in the Parliament elections barely 5 months ago. “The farmers were angry, the working class in the state was against the government but the results that have come are completely opposite,” pointed out a senior party leader. Congress sources, however feel much of the damage to the MVA was done by high handedness of Congress chief Nana Patole who was fancying himself as the next CM and had spurred Sharad Pawar’s suggestion of projecting Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray as CM candidate. Another thing that hit the Congress was most leaders rushed to Wayanad where Priyanaka Gandhi was anyway going to win.  (By Lakshmi Iyer)

TTK Healthcare’s Unique Drive To Usher In Clean Home Environ At Orphanages, Old Age Centres

This one is a well-known name in South India and a popular one at that. And, it has come out with a unique campaign. Well, it has launched a year-long Diwali-to-Diwali campaign. Christened “Your Happy Nest,” this campaign will see Good Home, a brand of the consumer product division of TTK Healthcare, embark on an innovative initiative to inculcate the culture of a clean home environment. Good Home is a Rs 100-crore plus brand, and one of the fastest growing brands in the TTK Healthcare portfolio. Under the “Your Happy Nest“ campaign, Good Home will clean one orphanage/old age home every week until next Diwali, using its cleaning and home care product range to deliver “clean, hygienic and fragrant homes.” To begin with, it has launched a campaign in a home for elderly ladies – Parivartan Mahila Sanstha – in Dombivali East in Thane district of Maharashtra and also in a children’s home – Udavum Nanbargal in Alathur in Thiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu. Good Home will provide the selected centres a year-long supply of cleaning and air care products and provide tips on maintaining cleanliness. The “Your Happy Nest” campaign will soon move to other states. The objective is to uplift these chosen homes and bring comfort and happiness to the residents. Well, they also serve who make the homes sweet! (By KT Jagannathan)

Will Maharashtra Assembly Function Without LoP?

The next legislative assembly in Maharashtra may have to function without a recognised leader of the opposition (LoP) unless the ruling Mahayuti decides to grant the status to one of the Maha Vikas Aghadi partners as a political favour to the other side. This situation has arisen since none of the opposition parties has been able to secure the minimum 29 seats in the lower house required to gain the status of the LoP, as is required by rules and precedents. The piquant legislative logjam is created as the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition has won a landslide victory, bagging 233 seats in the house of 288 seats. On the opposition side, the Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray has obtained just 20 out of 95 seats it contested. The Congress being the largest partner of the MVA had contested 103 seats but won only 16. Veteran leader Sharad Pawar’s NCP is the worst sufferer with barely 10 seats. In the past, various small opposition parties would form a group that would be recognised by the speaker to grant LoP status. Such an understanding took place in Maharashtra in 1986 when socialists Mrinal Gore and Nihal Ahmed and PWP’s Datta Patil were made LoP though they had very few members each. But such a gesture was not shown by the Modi government in the Lok Sabha in 2014 and 2019. Hence what happens in Maharashtra will depend upon both sides. (By Dilip Chaware)

Major Reshuffle In Odisha, 11 IAS Officers Get Fresh Appointments

Though Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi was PM Narendra Modi’s selection, now it seems he is under pressure to deliver results on all fronts — governance practices, wooing investments into the state, employment generation and delivery of social welfare schemes. The yardstick to measure him is whether his governance style is better than his predecessor Naveen Patnaik, a tall leader. Effectively, it means Majhi needs the right man for the right job. And this explains why he has embarked on a major reshuffle exercise within the state bureaucrats. To start with he has requested the centre to depute two senior IAS Odia officers Manoj Kumar Sahoo (Amrut Cadre) and Sanjeeb Kumar Mishra (ex-Secretary & Controller of Examinations of NRA) to Odisha to work in the CMO’s office. In October 2024, Majhi had shuffled 55 IPS officers, including SPs of 21 districts. Again on November 23 he effected a major reshuffle in the IAS cadre by transferring 11 officers and giving them new assignments including strengthening his own home ministry. He has now brought in Trilochan Majhi IAS as Additional Secretary Home to support him in key decisions making. He has appointed Sudhansu Mohan Samal, Additional Secretary, Water Resources Department, as Managing Director of Odisha Mining Corporation Ltd. Effectively many senior IAS officers have got new postings. Will this reshuffle help Majhi effectively run his government? (By Sangram Mohanty)

Uddhav’s Jilt, Pawar’s Jibe Saw MVA’s Political Last Rites!

The “Mahayuti” NDA government being installed in Maharashtra will register PM Narendra Modi’s emphasis upon fresh faces with mission Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation in January also prioritized. Devendra Fadnavis handled seat sharing talks independently of BJP high command for general elections to 48 Maharashtra parliamentary seats and then 288 assembly constituencies, facing no competition for CM post though no Monday morning swearing in is scheduled either while partymen were advised to maintain radio silence on the subject. Erstwhile Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde’s men gloss over popular Ladki Bahin Scheme reiterating his repeat candidature even as NCP chief Ajit Pawar rues his vociferous opposition to batenge toh katenge theme launched by BJP to counter ‘Vote Jihad’. Even after a record Maharashtra victory BJP cites 34 MVA MLAs elected through ‘Vote Jihad’ to include Mankhurd, Byculla, Mumbadevi, Dharavi, Versova, Bandra (east), Kurla, Anushakti Nagar, Malad (west), Chandivalli, Sion Koliwada, Kalina, Mahim, Malwani, Malegaon assembly segments. Matoshree now worries over the UBT motley crew of MPs taking flight. PM Modi on Saturday ticked his ‘To Do’ box created in 2019 for decimating the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar led political formations from Maharashtra after Matoshree’s alliance jilt and Pawar’s retirement jibe. The Thackeray legacy lies politically squandered over secular ties and now, even cousin Raj’s MNS political future stands jeopardized though MLA aspirant son Amit will likely find MLC accommodation. BJP’s Pankaja Munde, Ashok Chavan may rue their opposition to party tagline. Eventually Modi’s nuanced poll theme Ek Rahenge To Safe Rahenge inspired by old English adage, “United we stand, divided we fall” won Maharashtra’s political bout. So, what was the brouhaha all about? (By Renni Abraham)

Sanjay Raut Blames Chandrachud, RSS For MVA’s Electoral Rout

For the first time perhaps, the judiciary has been held responsible for an electoral rout. Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut has been blaming the former Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud for his party’s electoral defeat. The Sena spokesman has also attacked the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh for the Maha Vikas Aghadi’s decimation in the Maharashtra assembly election in which the opposition has been reduced to a minuscule presence. In the 288 member house, 236 members will belong to the treasury (BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP) benches. Enraged at the poll outcome, Raut retorted while referring to the various petitions pending in the Supreme Court in regard to proceedings against certain MLAs in Maharashtra that Chandrachud had emboldened the defectors by not deciding on the disqualification pleas against them. Raut said the former CJI’s name will be written in black ink in India’s history. Taking a swipe at the RSS, he said the Sangh played a key role in the campaign. The poisonous campaign it conducted hit us adversely. Harping upon the BJP’s so-called Gujarat connection, he advised that the swearing-in ceremony of the new government should be held in the neighbouring state. “If it is held at Shivaji Park, it will be an insult to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and if held at Wankhede Stadium, it will be a disrespect to the memory of the 105 martyrs who laid down their lives for the demand for Samyukta Maharashtra movement,” he quipped. Sena’s mouthpiece Saamna also has lashed at the thumping majority of Mahayuti. It is edited by Sanjay Raut. (By Dilip Chaware)

About The Author

Short Post

•