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AAP’s CM face Bhagwant Mann wins with whopping margin

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Bhagwant Mann

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s Bhagwant Mann, who on Thursday won the Dhuri seat with a margin of 58,206 votes, is set to become Punjab’s next chief minister.

AAP is heading to a landslide win in the 117-member legislative Assembly by leading at over 90 seats.

In his first public address in his home town Sangrur after winning the seat and seeing the meteoric rise of the party, Mann promised to fix unemployment as his first task in office.

“No government office in the state will have the photo of the Punjab CM, but will carry a portrait of B.R. Ambedkar.”

Mann said he will take oath as the Chief Minister in Bhagat Singh’s ancestral village Khatkar Kalan and not in Raj Bhawan.

“We will ensure that the youth do not have to go abroad… Within a month, you will observe changes,” he added.

Taking a dig at the opposition leaders, he said, “The elder Badal has lost…Captain (Amarinder Singh) Sahab has also lost. Majithia is also losing. Channi has also lost from both seats.”

The AAP is leading in 91 of 117 seats in the Punjab Assembly, as per the Election Commission of India (ECI) website at 1.10 p.m. The Congress was leading in 17 seats so far.

For the AAP that was banking on ‘Hun ek mauka Kejriwal nu (now one chance to Kejriwal)’ — arguably one of the biggest advertisement blitz campaigns — two-time MP, Mann, took the lead as the chief minister’s face.

In the 2017 Assembly elections, the AAP had made inroads among Jat Sikhs by emerging as the second largest party with 20 seats, 18 of them in the Malwa region. However, it failed to make a mark in Majha and Doaba regions.

Mann held his fort despite Modi wave across the country in 2019 by retaining the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat for the second time in a row.

“The fight is not to save some political families but to save Punjab, the farmers, the agriculture, the industry and the youth. Owing to lack of employment and better education infrastructure, our youth is moving abroad,” was the common talk of Mann in his folksy style in his elections campaigns.

Formerly a popular comedian-actor, Mann, known for his trademark ‘basanti’ turban, a colour associated with Shaheed Bhagat Singh, has had his fair share of controversies in recent years, especially linked to his drinking habit.

In these polls, AAP’s vote share is estimated to be close to 42.45 per cent compared to 22.9 per cent of the Congress and 17.9 per cent of the SAD.

The meteoric rise of AAP in the 2014 Parliamentary polls and then in the 2017 Assembly elections in Punjab followed by its nosedive owing to ‘mass exodus’ of its legislators proved a litmus test for the party in the 2022 Assembly polls in the state.

Political observers say AAP was seen as the alternative to the traditional parties that had dominated Punjab’s electoral space for decades.

Learning a harsh lesson from its mistake during the 2017 Assembly polls of not declaring a chief ministerial candidate, this time AAP’s CM face Bhagwant Mann was locked in a multi-cornered contest with Congress’ ‘Aam Aadmi’ Charanjit Singh Channi, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Badal, Capt Amarinder Singh, whose new party Punjab Lok Congress is in alliance with the BJP and the Samyukt Samaj Morcha, the fledgling coalition of farm unions.

Channi, Sukhbir Badal and Captain Amarinder Singh faced humiliating defeat from their respective seats.

In 2017, AAP sought vote in the name of Arvind Kejriwal, and despite him being tagged an outsider, it managed to win 20 seats in the 117-member Punjab Assembly, emerging as the principal opposition party, pushing SAD to the number three position.

Maharashtra

Mumbai 26 July 2005 Floods: When City Was Submerged With 944 mm Of Rain In 24 Hours Leaving 914 Dead, Thousands Displaced

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Every year, the monsoon season disrupts life across Indian cities with heavy rainfall, waterlogging and traffic chaos. But July 26, 2005, stands out as a day that etched itself into Mumbai’s history as one of its darkest and most devastating.

On that day, Mumbai received an unprecedented 944 mm of rain in just 24 hours, nearly half of its annual average. Between 8 am and 8 pm alone, 644 mm poured down. It remains the eighth-highest 24-hour rainfall ever recorded anywhere in the world. The city, unprepared for such intensity, was brought to a grinding halt.

Internet Flooded With Old Visuals, Still Haunting Mumbaikars

Several netizens took to social media to share haunting visuals from the 2005 Mumbai floods, recalling the day when the city came to a complete standstill. Many described it as an unforgettable chapter in Mumbai’s history, marked by chaos, resilience and unity.

While some reflected on the overwhelming scale of the disaster, others remembered how the crisis revealed the undying spirit of Mumbai, with strangers helping each other and communities coming together in the face of adversity.

Mumbai’s Lifeline Took Serious Hit, 52 Local Trains Damaged

As floodwaters rose, roads vanished beneath torrents of water. Local trains, the city’s lifeline, stopped completely, with tracks submerged and 52 trains damaged. Thousands were stranded in stations, schools and offices overnight. Low-lying areas like Dharavi and the Bandra-Kurla Complex were heavily inundated, while vehicles were swept away or immobilised.

The scale of disruption was staggering. Over 37,000 auto-rickshaws, 4,000 taxis, 900 BEST buses and 10,000 trucks and tempos were either damaged or rendered unusable. Even the skies were no refuge. For the first time ever, Mumbai’s airports shut down, with Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport and the Juhu airstrip closed for more than 30 hours. More than 700 flights were cancelled or delayed, creating nationwide ripples in air traffic.

Over 900 Killed, Property Worth ₹5.5 Billion Destroyed

The economic loss was estimated at Rs 5.5 billion (around 100 million USD). But the cost in human lives and suffering was far greater. According to official reports, 914 people lost their lives, many due to drowning, electrocution and landslides. More than 14,000 homes were destroyed, leaving thousands without shelter, food or drinking water.

Communication networks also failed. Around 5 million mobile users and 2.3 million landline connections went dead for several hours, hampering emergency rescue operations. Emergency services were overwhelmed, as the city grappled with a disaster it had never imagined.

The 2005 floods served as a harsh wake-up call, exposing Mumbai’s vulnerability to extreme weather. In the years since, the government has worked on improving disaster preparedness, such as creating specialised disaster management units, upgrading early warning systems and installing floodgates and dewatering pumps at critical points.

Yet, even two decades later, as visuals from 2005 resurface each year, a haunting question persists: Is Mumbai truly prepared to face another flood of that magnitude?

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National News

Congress Leader Jairam Ramesh Slams PM Modi’s ‘Boasted Friendship’ With Donald Trump, Cites US Engagement With Pakistan

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New Delhi: The Congress on Saturday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “much boasted friendship” with US President Donald Trump is now proving to be “hollow” and cited several overtures the latter recently made to Pakistan.

In a post on X, Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh also alleged that Indian diplomacy was failing in the light of the US partnering with Pakistan.

“The abject failure of Indian diplomacy, especially in the past two months, is revealed most tellingly by four facts. These expose the tall claims made by the Prime Minister and his drum-beaters and cheerleaders,” he said in his post.

Ramesh said that since May 10, 2025, Trump has claimed 25 times that “he personally intervened to stop Operation Sindoor, threatening India and Pakistan that if they didn’t bring the war to a halt, they would not have a trade agreement with the USA.” On June 10, 2025, he claimed, Gen Michael Kurilla, the head of the US Central Command, hailed Pakistan as a phenomenal partner of the US in countering terrorism.

On June 18, 2025, Trump held an unprecedented luncheon meeting with Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir in the White House, Ramesh noted.

“Two months earlier, Munir’s inflammatory, incendiary, and communally provocative remarks had provided the backdrop to the brutal Pahalgam terror attacks on April 22, 2025,” he said.

Just yesterday, the Congress leader claimed that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and thanked Pakistan for its partnership in countering terrorism and preserving regional stability.

“The PM’s clean chit to China on June 19, 2020, has already cost India heavily. His much boasted friendship with President Trump is now proving to be hollow,” Ramesh said in his post.

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National News

Government Cracks Down on OTT Platforms Over Obscene Content

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New Delhi, July 25, 2025 — In a significant move targeting explicit digital content, the Government of India has taken steps to block several over-the-top (OTT) platforms accused of streaming obscene and vulgar material. Platforms such as ALTBalaji, ULLU, and a few others have come under the scanner for allegedly violating Indian content regulations and societal norms.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, acting on multiple complaints from citizens and civil society groups, initiated the ban after conducting an internal review. Authorities stated that certain shows and web series available on these platforms contained content that was “sexually explicit,” “vulgar,” and “not suitable for public viewing,” especially in households with children.

The decision has stirred a wider debate around content regulation and creative freedom in India’s rapidly growing digital entertainment sector. While officials maintain that the step was necessary to uphold decency standards and protect cultural values, critics warn of overreach and censorship.

A senior official said, “This is not about targeting creative freedom. This is about ensuring that OTT content does not cross legal and moral boundaries. There are clear guidelines, and platforms are expected to adhere to them.”

The platforms affected reportedly failed to comply with warnings issued earlier regarding their programming. Despite advisory notices and reminders to filter or restrict adult content, several web series continued to feature nudity, explicit scenes, and suggestive themes without proper age-gating or viewer discretion tools.

In recent years, OTT platforms have grown in popularity, especially among younger audiences, with many bypassing traditional film and TV regulations. The government had previously introduced a self-regulation framework for digital content providers, but critics say enforcement has been lax, leading to the current clampdown.

Some media rights advocates and artists expressed concern over the lack of transparency in the banning process and called for an independent review mechanism. Others, however, welcomed the move, stating that unchecked access to graphic content could have a detrimental effect on social behavior and minors.

As of now, the banned platforms remain inaccessible in India. The Ministry has hinted at further actions if other OTT providers do not align their content with the prescribed code of ethics and IT rules.

This development marks a turning point in India’s digital media regulation and sets the stage for possible stricter content monitoring across streaming platforms in the future.

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