MUMBAI: Two weeks after the BMC election results were declared on Jan 16, the Mumbai mayoral election is still nowhere in sight. While it was already decided, based on the reservation draw, that the city will get a woman mayor, the names of contenders from the major political parties are yet to be announced.Civic officials from the municipal secretary’s department said the delay is largely due to corporators from the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena yet to complete their mandatory registration with the Konkan divisional commissioner. “The registration was initially expected to take place this week, but in view of the ongoing political churn, it is now likely to happen only next week,” a civic source said.Officials explained that even after all political parties complete the registration process, a minimum of 7 days is required before a special meeting can be convened to elect the mayor and deputy mayor. This mandatory period allows for the calling of a special meeting by the civic body, allowing parties to nominate any of their corporators for the post and for the circulation of the agenda for the special meeting. As a result, the mayoral and deputy mayoral elections are now likely to be held only after Feb 10.A senior civic official said, “Initially it was expected that this process would be completed by the first week of Feb, but this is unlikely now. Only after party registrations are completed will it be clear how many nominated members each party will be entitled to, as well as their representation on the statutory committees. All of this needs to be finalised before the mayoral election is conducted.”Meanwhile, smaller parties such as the MNS, which has 6 corporators, the Samajwadi Party with 2 corporators, and both factions of the NCP, which together have 4 corporators, will not get any nominated members, as they secured 6 or fewer seats in the BMC elections.

Pakistan’s Salman Ali Agha (AP Photo)

NEW DELHI: As the cricketing world awaits final confirmation from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on the team’s participation in the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, captain Salman Ali Agha has removed at least one uncertainty by firmly locking in his batting position for the global event.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Pakistan are scheduled to depart for Colombo early on February 2, a move that has been widely interpreted as a strong signal that the team will take part in the tournament, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 7. A source close to the board told PTI that all travel arrangements are already in place, making a last-minute boycott highly unlikely.

Even as the political and administrative suspense continues, Salman has made it clear that on-field plans are already taking shape. Following Pakistan’s opening T20I win over Australia in Lahore, the skipper confirmed that he will bat at No. 3 during the World Cup.“Yes, I’ll be batting at No. 3. We expect to face a lot of spin, and I believe I can dominate spin during the Powerplay. That’s why I moved up, and that is where I’ll stay,” Salman was quoted as saying by the ICC.The decision marks a significant shift for the right-hander, who has traditionally batted lower down the order in T20Is. His promotion was on display against Australia, where he struck a fluent 39 at No.3 to anchor Pakistan’s innings in their 22-run victory.

Salman admitted Pakistan could have pushed on further with the bat but expressed confidence in his bowling unit. “We started well but couldn’t finish the way we wanted. After the first 10 overs, the ball stopped coming onto the bat,” he said. “To be honest, I felt 170 was enough. Our spin bowling is outstanding, and I knew it would be tough for them.”Pakistan defended 168 successfully, with Australian batters struggling against spin, losing six wickets in the chase.Off the field, speculation over Pakistan’s participation has refused to die down, following Bangladesh’s removal from the tournament. However, insiders insist the PCB’s approach is rooted in protecting Pakistan cricket’s long-term interests and maintaining relations with the ICC.

NEW DELHI: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has sought to reassure the public over India’s latest Nipah virus outbreak, saying the risk of spread remains “low” and that there is no need for travel or trade restrictions following the confirmation of two cases in West Bengal.The cases were reported from North 24 Parganas district, an area that has seen Nipah outbreaks in the past.Both patients are 25-year-old nurses—a woman and a man—working at the same private hospital in Barasat. They developed initial symptoms in the last week of December 2025, which rapidly progressed to neurological complications. The two were placed in isolation in early January.In an update shared on its website, following confirmation of the cases, WHO said an extensive public health response was activated. Authorities identified, traced, monitored, and tested 196 contacts linked to the two patients. All contacts were asymptomatic and tested negative for Nipah virus infection. As of 27 January, no additional cases were been detected. “ The likelihood of spread to other Indian states or internationally is considered low.”WHO assessed the risk at the sub-national level in West Bengal as moderate due to the presence of fruit bat reservoirs in border areas and the possibility of sporadic spillover. However, the agency said the national, regional, and global risk remains low.“Based on current evidence, WHO does not recommend any travel or trade restrictions,” said the agency.The national government deployed an outbreak response team to West Bengal to work closely with state authorities. Enhanced surveillance, laboratory testing, infection prevention and control measures, and field investigations are underway. WHO said coordinated efforts between central and state health teams have enabled timely containment of the outbreak.“Nipah virus is a zoonotic disease transmitted mainly from bats to humans, sometimes through contaminated food or close contact. With no licensed vaccine or treatment currently available, early detection, supportive care, and strong infection prevention measures remain essential,” said WHO on it’s website.Historically, Nipah outbreaks in the WHO South-East Asia Region have been limited to Bangladesh and India, occurring sporadically or in small clusters. Human-to-human transmission is rare and usually confined to health-care settings or close family contacts, with no known instances of international spread through travel.This is the seventh documented Nipah outbreak in India and the third in West Bengal, following earlier outbreaks in Siliguri in 2001 and Nadia in 2007. The affected districts border Bangladesh, where Nipah outbreaks occur almost annually.WHO said several vaccine candidates are under development, but early supportive care, including intensive treatment for severe respiratory or neurological complications, remains critical for improving survival.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan isn’t just one of the best actresses Indian cinema ever saw, she’s also a global name who has always represented India several times internationally. From winning the Miss World crown in 1994 to becoming one of the most respected actors, her journey has been defined by range, resilience and grace. However, in a recent interview, producer Shailendra Singh has recalled the initial days of her career where she worked for paycheque of modest Rs 5000. Shailendra recalled first noticing Aishwarya when she was barely out of her teens. He said in an interview with Siddharth Kannan, “I spotted Aishwarya when she was 18 or 19 at Marine Drive, if I recall. She came to meet Kunal Kapoor and me at 8:30 in the night with her parents. She was just 18 or 19 and she did our first three advertisements for just Rs 5,000. She was first, I think, an extra, tied to a pole in Mukesh Mills for a commercial. Then she did a Ghrit Kumari Hair Oil ad with Malvika Tiwari, and then she did another commercial with Arjun Rampal. This is how she started.”

Speaking warmly about her, praising her poise and grace. “She’s a lovely human being. I’ve known her all my life, supremely dignified. These are the kind of people who should be the voice of our industry. I ask this question very often: Who’s the brand ambassador of Bollywood? Who’s the custodian?”During the same interaction, the producer also addressed Aishwarya’s much-discussed and controversial relationship with Salman Khan, as he revealed that he had once shared close ties with both actors. Recalling the incident when Salman allegedly caused a scene outside Aishwarya’s residence late at night, Shailendra said, “I know of things. Aishwarya at one point was staying in the same building as Sachin Tendulkar, if you remember? And Salman went there and all that, you remember all of it? Aishwarya came to an award show wearing dark glasses and stuff like that. As they say in Romeo and Juliet, it’s a violent love story. He’s a passionate guy, and she’s a very dignified, very respectful person, all of that I know of her. She’s brilliant.”When asked whether Aishwarya ever personally confided in him about the fallout or the circumstances surrounding her appearance in dark glasses at the awards ceremony, Shailendra was quick to clarify the limits of their bond. “No, no. We weren’t that close. I knew her from the days of Rajeev Mulchandani (supermodel)? I think that was her first relationship, and she hasn’t had many relationships in the industry. She is a very private person. I think we should respect that.”Shailendra also spoke about the incident that ultimately ended his friendship with Salman Khan. Recalling an attempt to collaborate on a film titled Captain, he said the relationship soured after a meeting that left him hurt. “Our friendship was very strong, so I went to him and said I want to make this film with you, a full commercial project,” he said. However, the meeting did not go as planned. “When I went to meet him, he had called several people into the meeting. That was my last meeting with Salman. I felt deeply insulted,” Shailendra added.

Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code was introduced to provide a strong remedy against the institutionalized social vice of dowry harassment. (AI imge)

In a significant judgement delivered on 22.07.2025, the Supreme Court pointed out that though laws protecting women against cruelty and dowry harassment cannot be eliminated, misuse of the same has to be stopped in order to stop ruining lives and families.Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code was introduced to provide a strong remedy against the institutionalized social vice of dowry harassment and inhumanity against married women. Throughout the decades, the provision has rescued a great number of women who are abused in the matrimonial home. However, alongside its indisputable significance, courts have frequently been confronted with cases where the provision has been applied in a broad and blanket fashion, dragging whole families into a criminal prosecution before the dust of a marriage break had settled.It is this ongoing conflict between protection and excess which provided the background to the action of the Supreme Court in Shivangi Bansal v. Sahib Bansal. In this case, the Court not only settled a bitter matrimonial feud, but also reinstated the Allahabad High Court structure of Family Welfare Committees (FWCs) as a procedural protection measure to prevent abuse of Section 498A.The couple, Shivangi Bansal and Sahib Bansal, got married in December 2015 as per Hindu tradition. In December 2016 a daughter was born. After years of marriage, severe matrimonial problems emerged and the parties parted ways in October 2018. What followed was an extraordinary flood of law suits. The wife filed several criminal charges against the husband and his kin, which included a broad-based FIR that referenced Sections 498A, 307, 376, 377, 313, and 120B of the IPC, and the Dowry Prohibition Act. It was followed by domestic violence proceedings, maintenance cases, criminal breach of trust complaints, and a number of revisions and special leave petitions.The husband and his family, in turn, also initiated proceedings against the wife and her relatives. The conflict escalated into parallel litigation in courts in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and even to the Supreme Court involving even third parties and a full meltdown in family and social relationships.The cumulative effect of these proceedings was devastating. The husband had served 109 days in jail with his father serving 103 days in jail even though the charges were later dropped. The Court observed that damage to the family in terms of social, psychological and professional issues was irreparable.The bench led by Chief Justice B.R.Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih found it prudent to protect against abuse of Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code, upheld the Family Welfare Committee (FWCs) constitution as provided by the Allahabad High Court and in a rare decision ordered a wife to issue an unconditional apology publicly following the conclusion that false and sweeping criminal charges had caused the husband and his family to spend in prison.The Court also used its extraordinary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to break up the marriage, terminate all the pending civil and criminal cases between the parties and bring a total and final stop in years of fruitless litigation.In a sweeping order, the Court:

The Supreme Court further took care to explain that abuse of Section 498A does not in any way erode its constitutionality or social utility. At the same time, it acknowledged a growing tendency where criminal law is deployed as a pressure tactic in matrimonial disputes, often without regard to proportionality or truth.In this context, the Supreme Court expressly referred to and upheld the Allahabad High Court’s approach, which had sought to provide a structured buffer between the filing of a complaint and the coercive mechanism of arrest.That the concept of Family Welfare Committees traces its roots to Rajesh Sharma v. State of U.P. (2017), where the Supreme Court had initially experimented with committee-based scrutiny before arrests. That approach was later recalibrated in Social Action Forum for Manav Adhikar v. Union of India (2018), where the Court warned that judicial overreach and the development of comparable statutory mechanisms were prohibited.Despite this, the Allahabad High Court, taking note of persistent misuse concerns, framed detailed procedural safeguards, carefully attempting to strike a balance between protection and prevention of abuse.The Allahabad High Court directed the following safeguards, which now stand endorsed by the Supreme Court:Cooling-Off PeriodAfter the lodging of an FIR or complaint involving Section 498A (along with allied offences carrying punishment below 10 years and excluding serious offences like Section 307 IPC), no arrest or coercive action shall be taken for a period of two months.Mandatory Reference to Family Welfare CommitteeDuring this cooling-off period, the matter must be referred to a Family Welfare Committee (FWC) constituted in each district.Composition of FWCsEach district shall have one or more FWCs under the District Legal Services Authority, comprising at least three members, such as:

Role and FunctionThe FWC is required to:

No Witness RoleMembers of the FWC cannot be cited as witnesses in any subsequent proceedings.Limited Police ActionWhile arrests are barred during the cooling-off period, police may conduct peripheral investigation, such as medical examination and recording statements.Post-Report ActionAfter receiving the FWC report, the Investigating Officer or Magistrate is free to proceed in accordance with law, based on the merits of the case.Training and OversightFWCs are to receive periodic training, and their functioning is to be reviewed by the District & Sessions Judge or Principal Judge, Family Court.The fact that this framework was approved by the Supreme Court is a judicial breakthrough: it does not mean that the Section 498A will be weakened, but instead the humanization of its application will be done.(Vatsal Chandra is a Delhi-based Advocate practicing before the courts of Delhi NCR.)

Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar (PTI file photo)

NEW DELHI: Was Ajit ‘dada’ Pawar considering an NCP merger before his death? A close aide said he was “100% keen.”The sudden death of Maharashtra deputy chief minister and NCP chief Ajit Pawar in a plane crash on Wednesday has left a political vacuum in the state’s ruling establishment, and reopened questions about a reunion that may have been closer than many realised.Ajit Pawar, the second-most powerful figure in the Devendra Fadnavis-led Mahayuti government and a key pillar alongside Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde, was at the centre of Maharashtra’s three-power-axis politics. With the Baramati strongman gone, the future of the Nationalist Congress Party, fractured since its dramatic split in 2023, now hangs in uncertainty.In his final days, was Ajit Pawar actively working towards merging both factions of the NCP?According to those closest to him, the answer is yes.A senior aide told news agency PTI that the late leader was keen on a reunion of the two factions led by him and his uncle, Sharad Pawar. Kiran Gurjar, a longtime associate who has known Ajit Pawar since before his entry into politics in the mid-1980s, said the deputy CM had confided in him just five days before the fatal crash.“He was one hundred per cent keen on merging both the factions. He had told me five days ago that the entire process was complete and the merger was imminent in the next few days,” Gujar said.Echoing the sentiment, a leader from the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) Eknath Khadse told ANI, “Both factions of NCP to come together.”Ajit Pawar himself had earlier told TOI that reuniting the party was his immediate political goal, with the blessings of uncle Sharad Pawar.The irony of the moment is stark. Ajit Pawar was the architect of the 2023 split that broke the NCP and aligned a majority of its legislators with the BJP–Shinde Sena-led Mahayuti government. That move left Sharad Pawar with the remaining faction in opposition. Yet Ajit Pawar also managed to retain the party’s official identity, with the Election Commission recognising his group as the “real” NCP and awarding it the “watch” symbol.Despite the split, channels between the two sides never fully closed. Mutual respect within the Pawar family endured, and the two factions recently came together for local body elections, fuelling speculation that a merger was only a matter of time.Now, the ruling NCP finds itself leaderless. With senior leader Chhagan Bhujbal not in good health and Ajit Pawar gone, the party faces an uncertain future. Sharad Pawar, the party’s founder and patron, continues to head the opposition NCP (SP).Within Ajit Pawar’s faction, voices are already emerging over succession. Many party members want his wife and Rajya Sabha MP Sunetra Pawar to take charge. Others have floated the name of Parth Pawar, while some see Ajit’s son Jay Pawar as the natural political heir from the Baramati bastion.“NCP’s identity goes with the Pawar family and so far the party’s functioning revolved around Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar and Supriya Sule. Now with the untimely death of Ajit Pawar, many party seniors as well as grassroots workers feel that only his wife Sunetra can take his position,” one NCP functionary told TOI.Ajit Pawar had already begun preparing the next generation. In 2024, he introduced Jay Pawar to Baramati’s political circles and held meetings with local units during the election campaign. After Sunetra Pawar’s defeat in the Lok Sabha election, Ajit had expressed his wish to step aside and nominate Jay as the party’s candidate for the Baramati assembly seat.“Ajitdada was keen to bring Jay into active politics. He was preparing him for a bigger role in the party. After his death, the demand is growing particularly from Baramati for Jay to get into politics. Though NCP seniors are not averse to his entry, they felt that his mother Sunetra, who comes from a political family, will be able to command more respect and keep the NCP flock together, if a merger does not work out,” an observer told TOI.Sunetra Pawar had contested against Supriya Sule in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections but lost. This time, party insiders believe that if a Pawar from Ajit’s family contests from Baramati, no major party is likely to field a rival candidate.Yet Ajit Pawar’s death has complicated what once looked like an imminent reunion. The merger talks were expected to gain momentum after the February 5 zilla parishad elections, but without the man driving the process, consensus may be difficult.Another close aide and NCP functionary said that the talks of reunion were “only limited to Pawar family members”.He added, “They were still working out a strategy to involve other senior members from both sides to take the proposal forward. Due to Ajit Pawar’s death, the process of having a reunion is likely to halt for some time till the NCP finds its new chief.”Political observers note that the biggest challenge lies in power alignment. Ajit Pawar’s faction is part of the ruling Mahayuti, while Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP) remains in opposition. Convincing MLAs in government to give up power — or persuading the opposition faction to join the BJP-led alliance, will not be easy.Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule, the working president of NCP (SP), now face a crucial decision: whether a reunion is worth the ideological and political compromises it may demand.Whether the two NCPs reunite or chart separate futures, one reality is clear — Ajit Pawar’s sudden death has altered Maharashtra’s political equations in ways that will take time to settle.

As the countdown to the T20 World Cup 2026 reaches its final week, former India stalwart Suresh Raina has made a bold prediction regarding who could end the nation’s 16-year drought for a World Cup century. Since Raina’s own 101 against South Africa in 2010, no Indian has crossed the triple-figure mark in the tournament’s history.

Suresh Raina’s surprising pick for India’s T20 World Cup 2026 century scorer

Despite his recent struggles in the ongoing series against New Zealand, Raina has thrown his full support behind Sanju Samson. Speaking to News18 on January 29, 2026, Raina backed the Kerala wicket-keeper to join him in the exclusive club of World Cup centurions.

“Sanju Samson can be in that list. He opens the batting and has the ability. He has already scored a century in South Africa. Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan are also there. One of them can make it. But somehow, I think Sanju can make a century in this T20 World Cup. I think form is temporary. Sanju has that class. He has done it over the years, whether he is playing for India or not.” Raina said.

Raina also drew a comparison between Samson and the current captain, noting: “Look at Suryakumar Yadav. He hasn’t scored runs in almost one year. But still, the coach backed him. I think the same story is with Sanju. If he gets a chance, he will definitely do well.” Raina concluded.

Also READ: India’s leading wicket-taker in T20 World Cup 2026? Suresh Raina and Anil Kumble reveal their picks

India’s final dress rehearsal and T20 World Cup 2026 path

The fifth and final T20I against New Zealand on January 31 will be a homecoming for Samson at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. This match will serves as the final opportunity for Samson to repay Raina’s faith before India shifts focus to their official World Cup campaign.

India’s upcoming cricket matches and events

Also READ: Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan and other experts predict Team India’s leading run-scorer at T20 World Cup 2026

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