Politics
BJP set to win 8 of 11 Rajya Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh
With the Election Commission announcing the notification for the 57 seats of Rajya Sabha (RS) biennial elections slated to be held on June 10, the spotlight has turned to Uttar Pradesh which will be sending 11 members to the Upper House.
However, unlike previous Rajya Sabha elections, this time the contest is restricted to the ruling BJP and the opposition SP, while the Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party have been relegated to non-players because of their miniscule presence in the state Assembly.
Of the total 403 MLAs in the state Assembly, BJP and its alliance partners, including Apna Dal (S) and Nishad Party, have 273 in Vidhan Sabha.
The SP, along with alliance partners like Rashtriya Lok Dal and Om Prakash Rajbhar-led Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP), has 125 seats.
Besides, the Congress has two seats, Raja Bhaiyya-led Jansatta Dal (Loktantrik) two and the Bahujan Samaj Party has one seat.
As per the numbers, the BJP is in a position to win at least eight RS seats, while the SP would stake claim to at least three seats.
For both BJP and SP camp, there are five floating votes of BSP, Jansatta Dal and Congress.
Of these, the BSP and Jansatta Dal are likely to go with BJP.
A candidate will need 37.63 votes for one seat. This means the BJP will require 298.64 votes to win eight seats, around 26 additional votes as it has 273 votes.
So, the second preference vote will also come into play.
Similarly, the SP will require 111. 99 votes for three seats which means that the party can get three seats without much support from alliance partners.
However, this will depend much on how disgruntled SP MLAs like Shivpal Yadav, Azam Khan and his son Abdullah Azam Khan will vote.
Sources said that Azam Khan might ask for his wife Tanzeem Fatima’s seat in Rajya Sabha to put pressure on Akhilesh Yadav.
According to political observers, as these MLAs have strained ties with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav.
Meanwhile, cross-voting in RS cannot be ruled out because the voting in RS poll is a closed one, while for council seats, it is open. The voters need to show their vote before casting it in the council elections.
Sources said that the SP alliance partners, especially RLD’s Jayant Chaudhary, might also put pressure on Akhilesh and demand at least one RS seat.
Similarly, Om Prakash Rajbhar’s move would also be closely watched especially after reports of his hobnobbing with BJP leaders post assembly elections results.
Some of the big names in politics who are retiring form Rajya Sabha include BJP’s Shiv Pratap Shukla, Hari Om Yadav, Surendra Singh Nagar, Sanjay Seth, Jai Prakash Nishad and Zafar Islam.
SP’s Vishambhar Prasad Nishad, Sukhram Singh Yadav and Reoti Raman Singh are also retiring from RS.
BSP’s Satish Mishra is among those who are retiring and all eyes are on how he manages to re-enter the upper house.
National News
Mega Block On Sunday, 23-11-2025: Mumbai Local Train Services To Be Affected On CR’s Main Line, No Block On Harbour & Trans-Harbour Line; Check Details

Mumbai, Nov 22: Central Railway, Mumbai Division will operate Mega Block on its main line suburban sections to carry out various engineering and maintenance works on Sunday, 23th November.
UP and DOWN FAST Lines between Thane and Kalyan stations from 10.40 am to 3.40 pm
Down Fast/Semi-Fast local services departing CSMT Mumbai from 09.34 am to 15
3.03 pm will be diverted on Down Slow line between Thane and Kalyan stations halting at Kalva, Mumbra and Diva stations in addition to their respective scheduled halts and will arrive destination 10 minutes later than their scheduled arrival.
Up Fast/Semi-fast services departing Kalyan from 10.28 am to 3.40 pm will be diverted on Up Slow line between Kalyan and Thane stations halting at Diva, Mumbra and Kalva stations in addition to their respective scheduled halts and further re-diverted on Up Fast line at Mulund station and will arrive destination 10 minutes later than their scheduled arrival.
Down Mail/Express trains departing CSMT/Dadar will be diverted on 5th line between Thane and Kalyan stations.
Up Mail/Express trains arriving CSMT/Dadar will be diverted on 6th line between Kalyan and Thane/ Vikhroli stations.
There will be no Mega block on Harbour line & Trans-Harbour line-Only special traffic block between Belapur & Panvel.
According to Railway, these maintenance mega blocks are essential for infrastructure upkeep and safety. Passengers are requested to bear with the Railway Administration for the inconvenience caused.
National News
Navi Mumbai: Overturned Tar Tanker Causes Traffic Snarl On Nerul–Uran Road; Cleared After 12 Hours

Navi Mumbai, Nov 22: After close to 12 hours of operation, the tanker filled with tar that overturned on Friday was finally cleared from the Nerul–Uran road, bringing relief to thousands of motorists who were stuck in day-long congestion.
The tanker, carrying highly flammable liquid bitumen from Chembur to Uran, had overturned near Ekta Vihar Society around 6.30 am, choking traffic on the busy stretch for several hours. Although police managed to allow movement through a single lane, vehicles headed towards Uran crawled through the day, leaving commuters frustrated.
According to officials, the driver lost control of the tanker, causing it to topple in the middle of the road. Senior Police Inspector Pramod Bhosale of the Belapur Traffic Division and his team rushed to the spot along with the fire brigade soon after the accident.
With the bitumen inside the tanker at a temperature of nearly 180°C, there was a significant risk of ignition, prompting the fire brigade to launch cooling operations and prevent any spillage on the road. The tar was carefully transferred to another tanker over several hours.
By around 5 pm, a crane was used to lift and remove the overturned vehicle, allowing authorities to restore normal traffic flow, Bhosale said.
The Nerul–Uran route, which sees heavy movement of JNPT-bound trucks as well as routine traffic to the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation headquarters, remained clogged for most of the day. Many motorists were stuck in long queues, bearing the brunt of the prolonged congestion caused by the accident.
Maharashtra
Disturbance at Kalyan Ideal College over offering Bajrang Dal prayers, students pressured to apologize with Jai Shri Ram slogan, tension remains under control

Mumbai: Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal were in a frenzy over prayers at Ideal College in Kalyan, adjoining Mumbai. Its mischief increased so much that it forced the students to apologize. This extremist group intimidated the students and forced them to apologize in front of the statue of Shivaji Maharaj and the southern extremist was seen raising the slogan of Jai Shri Ram with hooliganism. This video is viral on social media, but so far the police has not taken any concrete action on this issue. Controversy arose over offering prayers at Ideal College in Kalyan area. The students apologized, while the college administration has promised action.
According to initial details, the controversy escalated after a video of some students of the pharmacy department of Ideal College offering prayers on the college campus went viral on social media. As soon as the news of this was received, workers of Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal reached the college and lodged a protest with the administration. Meanwhile, the local police also reached the college after the commotion and reviewed the situation but no case has been registered in this matter.
According to the college administration, some students were offering prayers in an empty classroom for a few minutes. Someone shared the incident on social media. After the video went viral, some organizations protested and demanded action against the students involved.
The police reached the college and brought the situation under control. However, the college administration requested the police that since the matter is related to the academic campus, it should be resolved at the college level. Respecting the administration’s request, the police handled the situation peacefully.
The college administration then summoned the concerned students. The students admitted that they had offered prayers but they had no intention of inciting any controversy or inflaming religious sentiments. To avoid any misunderstanding, the students apologized to the administration and the staff present there.
The college administration said that discipline and rules are essential in educational institutions. Such religious activities are not in accordance with the rules of the institution and strict vigil will be maintained to ensure that no student repeats such incidents in future. He also assured that necessary action will be taken against the students involved.
The college campus is under complete control after the incident and the police have withdrawn from the spot after a short period of surveillance.
Currently, the police administration has handled the matter peacefully, while the college has also taken cognizance of the matter internally. However, no statement has been issued by anyone yet.
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