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BJP’s replacement of Tripura CM with eye on 2023 polls

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After Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Karnataka, the BJP has changed its Chief Minister in Tripura, months ahead of the Assembly polls in the Northeastern state, with a view on electoral calculations and gains.

The election to the 60-member Tripura Assembly is due in January-February 2023.

Though the script was written in Delhi, the real drama was played in Agartala to overcome the anti-incumbency factor at least eight to nine months ahead of the crucial Assembly polls, which is expected to be multi-cornered between the CPI-M, the Congress, new entrant Trinamool Congress (TMC), besides the ruling BJP.

A year after the BJP-Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) government assumed charge on March 9, 2018, ending the 25-year rule of the Left Front, Tripura has witnessed waves of revolt by dissident BJP MLAs led by Sudip Roy Barman against Biplab Kumar Deb, who also subsequently announced to obtain a people’s mandate by calling a public meeting.

His move was later cancelled following the intervention of the Central BJP leadership.

Amid open resentment by a section of the ruling BJP MLAs and leaders in Tripura, the Cabinet expansion took place on August 31, 2021, by inducting three ministers even as the dissident MLAs and BJP leaders boycotted that swearing-in-ceremony.

The dissidence in May 2019 was sparked off after the State Health and Family Welfare and the Information Technology Minister Roy Barman was sacked following differences with Deb.

Sudip Roy Barman, six other MLAs and many leaders had quit the Congress in 2016 to join the TMC and next year (2017) they joined the BJP and helped it win the Assembly elections in 2018.

However, then, Sudip Roy Barman and Ashis Kumar Saha, who resigned from the state Assembly and the BJP on February 7, 2022, rejoined the Congress in New Delhi on February 8.

Earlier, BJP MLA Ashish Das, after openly criticising the saffron party and its leadership, including Deb, joined the TMC on October 31, 2021, following which he was disqualified from the state Assembly.

Following the tumult, several senior Central BJP leaders on a number of occasions visited Tripura to quell the internal dispute and plug the shortcomings, both in the government and the party organisation.

Political Commentator and Editor of Tripura’s leading English daily “North East Colors”, Sanjib Deb said that it is clear and loud that though removed from the post of Chief Minister, Biplab Kumar Deb is not going to be dumped, rather the steering is going to remain with him.

“After submitting the resignation, Deb told the media that he is going to remain with the party organisation. What is most important is that in the meeting of the BJP Legislature Party on Saturday, Biplab Kumar Deb had proposed the name of Manik Saha while the Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Varma seconded it,” he said.

He said when Biplab Kumar Deb became the Chief Minister, there were talks in Tripura that the government is the BJP’s, Council of Ministers are from Congress (as most Ministers are from the party) and administration is of the CPI-M (as the officials were recruited during the 25 years of Left Front government).

Political analyst and writer Sekhar Datta said the change of Chief Ministership in Tripura was long overdue.

“BJP has taken the decision to avoid the anti-incumbency issues eight to nine months before the crucial Assembly elections. The BJP retained power in Assam (2021) and Manipur (2022) in the Assembly polls. So retaining power in Tripura in the 2023 polls is a vital issue for the saffron party to keep its aim ‘Congress Mukt Northeast region’.”

Local print and electronic media mostly welcomed the BJP’s decision and criticised Deb’s style of functioning.

Editor of Tripura’s leading vernacular daily ‘Syandan Patrika’, Subal Kumar Dey said he had written in April 2020 about “Deb’s autocratic governance”.

“Only due to Deb’s dictatorial style of work and undemocratic mindset, three BJP MLAs were forced to leave the party weakening the organisation and the government,” Dey.

BJP sources said Biplab Kumar Deb will be Tripura BJP President as the incumbent Manik Saha had to quit the post on becoming the Chief Minister.

RSS loyalist Deb became the state BJP President in January 2016, a year after he returned to the state after spending many years outside it.

Crime

Woman tourist harassment case: Two Kerala cops suspended, two taxi drivers arrested (Lead)

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Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 3: In a swift action following the viral video of a woman tourist being harassed by local taxi drivers in Munnar, the Kerala Police, on Monday, have suspended two officials and taken two taxi drivers — identified as Vinayakan and Vijayakumar — into custody.

The case has sparked widespread outrage on social media, prompting the state government to promise corrective steps to ensure tourist safety in the hill station.

The video, originally posted by Janvi, a Mumbai-based assistant professor, showed a group of taxi drivers confronting and intimidating her and her friends for booking an online cab instead of a local taxi near the KSRTC bus stand in Munnar on October 30.

The drivers, reportedly opposed to app-based taxi services, allegedly warned the tourists that they would not be allowed to travel unless they hired local taxis.

Janvi alleged that when she approached the police for help, officers failed to act, echoing the stance of the taxi union.

“We were forced to take another vehicle and eventually cut short our trip out of fear,” she said in the video, which has since been deleted but had already gone viral.

Following the public outcry, the Munnar police registered a suo motu case under Sections 126(2), 351(2), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, relating to wrongful restraint and criminal intimidation.

The FIR did not initially name any accused, but police have since identified three taxi drivers, two of whom are in custody, with the third expected to be taken into custody soon.

State Tourism Minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas called the incident “unfortunate” and said it “should never have happened,” adding that steps will be taken to strengthen police vigilance and prevent the harassment of tourists in the future.

The incident has reignited debate over the monopoly of local taxi unions in tourist destinations and the challenges faced by app-based cab services in Kerala.

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Entertainment

Kartik Aaryan-starrer ‘Tu Meri Main Tera, Main Tera Tu Meri’ hops on December 25 release after ‘Alpha’ moves to April

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Mumbai, Nov 3: Bollywood is a place where timing is of essence. Be it the box-office clashes or their aversion, timing plays a huge role in how things play out on the ticket windows.

The Kartik Aaryan-starrer ‘Tu Meri Main Tera, Main Tera Tu Meri’, which was earlier scheduled to close the entertainment year on December 31, 2025, now has a new release date. The film is set to arrive in cinemas on December 25, 2025.

Over the past few years, Kartik Aaryan has emerged as one of the most bankable stars in the country, consistently delivering hits across genres. Whether it’s a mass entertainer, a romantic drama, the actor’s name alone now commands strong box office openings. His relatability, charm, and growing stardom have positioned him as the face of the new-age commercial cinema, someone who bridges the gap between youth appeal and family audiences.

However, the true star power also lies in being smart with the release of the films. The change in the release date of the film comes shortly after Alia Bhatt-starrer ‘Alpha’ vacated December 25, and shifted to April 17, 2026. Kartik, and the makers made a quick decision to consolidate the closing week of 2025 at the box-office.

With Tu Meri Main Tera, Main Tera Tu Meri, Kartik seems to have found his festive rhythm from lighting up Diwali with laughter and emotion in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 to now taking over Christmas with love and melody. Well, the excitement is sky rocketing amongst the audience and business.

The film also marks the reunion of Kartik Aaryan and Ananya Panday, who are all set to recreate their sizzling on-screen chemistry after years. They were earlier seen together in ‘Pati Patni Aur Woh’.

Produced by Dharma Productions and Namah Pictures, the rom-com is directed by Sameer Vidwans, with whom Kartik delivered the much-loved romantic drama ‘Satyaprem Ki Katha’.

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Business

Indian stock markets end higher after two days of losses

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Mumbai, Nov 3: Indian equity markets ended a volatile session on a positive note on Monday, snapping a two-day losing streak.

Gains in real estate and state-owned bank stocks helped lift the indices despite early weakness.

After opening lower, the Sensex recovered to touch an intra-day high of 84,127 before closing 39.78 points, or 0.05 per cent, higher at 83,978.49.

The Nifty also gained 41.25 points, or 0.16 per cent, to end at 25,763.35.

“The Nifty oscillated between 25,700 and 25,800 through the day, showing resilience after briefly dipping below the October 24 low of 25,718,” analysts said.

“The zone between 25,660–25,700 once again acted as a strong demand pocket, helping the index recover intraday losses and maintain a constructive tone ahead of key global data releases,” they added.

Among the Sensex stocks, Maruti Suzuki fell over 3 per cent and was among the top losers along with Titan Company, BEL, TCS, ITC, NTPC, Bajaj Finserv, Tata Steel and tech Mahindra.

On the other hand, Mahindra & Mahindra, State Bank of India, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, and HCL Tech were the major gainers.

In the broader markets, the Nifty MidCap index rose 0.77 per cent, while the Nifty SmallCap index advanced 0.72 per cent, showing strength beyond the frontline stocks.

Among sectoral indices, PSU bank shares led the rally, with the Nifty PSU Bank index climbing 1.92 per cent.

Bank of Baroda surged 5 per cent, while Canara Bank, Bank of Maharashtra, Bank of India, and Indian Bank also gained.

The Nifty Metal and Realty indices also added up to 2 per cent each.

Meanwhile, the FMCG, Private Bank, and IT indices slipped up to 0.4 per cent, capping the market’s overall gains.

Analysts said that despite mixed global cues and cautious investor sentiment, buying in select sectors helped the markets end the day in the green.

“The domestic market ended on a marginal positive note as profit booking was visible at the higher levels due to the absence of fresh domestic triggers,” market watchers said.

“While the broader market outperformed since the quarterly earnings are steering investors’ preference to take a short- to medium-term view,” they mentioned.

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