Politics
Samajwadi Party throws a spanner even as its allies stay undecided
The Samajwadi Party (SP) has thrown a spanner in the Presidential elections by announcing that it will neither support a BJP candidate, nor a Congress nominee in the upcoming polls.
SP’s national spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said, “Our party president and quite a few senior leaders feel that SP should maintain equal distance from the BJP and the Congress in the Presidential elections.”
In political circles, SP’s decision is being seen as a clear message to the Congress to not to mess with its internal matters.
Sources said that Akhilesh Yadav had taken a strong exception to Acharya Pramod Krishnam’s recent meeting with senior SP MLA Mohammad Azam Khan in jail.
While the BJP seems to be in a comfortable position to see its nominee through in the polls, for the Congress, the Presidential elections will be a major opportunity to position itself as the main challenger to the saffron brigade in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
For this, the Congress would need the support of all the BJP rivals, and SP’s latest stance could leave the Congress strategists eyeing SP votes a bit concerned.
As the electoral college which elects the President comprises all members of both Houses of the Parliament and MLAs from all the states, SP will be a noticeable player. Presently, SP and its allies have 125 MLAs, 16 MLCs and 8 MPs (both Houses).
Interestingly, none of the SP allies have so far made any comment on SP’s decision on Presidential elections.
The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), according to sources, is �uncomfortable’ with SP’s posture.
“You need to take a stand in politics and cannot always queer the pitch. We do not understand what SP wants but we will take a decision at the appropriate time,” said a senior RLD leader.
The RLD has eight MLAs in the UP Assembly.
The Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) is also a Samajwadi ally with six legislators and its President Om Prakash Rajbhar is also maintaining a studied silence on the issue.
Meanwhile, according to sources, a section of senior legislators in the SP is also against the decision announced by Akhilesh Yadav.
These legislators are apparently waiting for Shivpal Singh Yadav to decide his stand on the issue and may eventually go with him.
A senior SP MLA told IANS, “In politics, we cannot build castles in the air. We have to go either with the Congress or the BJP because we are not in a position to influence the outcome of the Presidential elections. Our leadership is not even negotiating with other non-BJP parties on the issue.”
The Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), meanwhile, have been reduced to the status of non-players in the Presidential polls from Uttar Pradesh.
The Congress has just two members in the state Assembly, while the BSP has one.
Crime
Thane Police Crack Dombivli Bar Murder Case Within 24 Hours, Arrest Six Accused After Film-Style Chase In Nashik

Dombivli: In a shocking incident, a 38-year-old man was brutally murdered following a minor altercation outside a bar in Dombivli MIDC area. The Manpada Police cracked the case within 24 hours and arrested six accused from Nashik after a dramatic, film-style chase through narrow lanes.
The arrested accused have been identified as Amar Rajesh Mahajan (36), Akshay Kumar Shankar Waghle (26), Atul Balu Kamble (24), Nilesh Madhukar Thosar (42), Prateek Singh Prem Singh Chauhan (26), and Lokesh Nitin Chaudhary (24).
The incident took place around 12:15 a.m. on Sunday, November 9, near the entrance of Malvan Kinara Bar and Restaurant in the MIDC Phase 2 area. The victim, Akash Bhanu Singh (38), was stabbed to death following a dispute over an accidental push.
According to the complaint filed by Akash’s younger brother, Badal Singh, who works at a call center in Navi Mumbai, Akash had gone to the bar with his friends for dinner. As they entered, Akshay Waghle accidentally brushed against him. Although Akash apologized and explained it was unintentional, Waghle became aggressive, assaulted him, and threatened to kill him.
Soon after, Waghle called his associates to the spot. The six accused dragged Akash out of the bar, brutally assaulted him on the road, and stabbed him multiple times, killing him on the spot. When Sunil Kagale, a bystander, tried to intervene, the gang attacked him with knives as well leaving him injured.
The case posed a major challenge for police, as there were no immediate clues or CCTV evidence from the crime scene. However, under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner of Police Atul Jende, Assistant Commissioner of Police Suhas Hemade, and Senior Police Inspector Sandipan Shinde, the Manpada police team launched an intensive investigation.
A team led by Assistant Police Inspectors Sampat Phadol, Mahesh Rale-bhat, and Sagar Chavan used technical surveillance and local informants to trace the accused to Nashik. Acting on a tip-off, police teams coordinated with Nashik City Police and raided multiple locations. On seeing the police, the accused tried to flee, but officers chased them down in a cinematic-style pursuit through the streets and successfully arrested all six.
Thane Police Commissioner Ashutosh Dumbre commended the Manpada Police team for their swift action and exemplary investigation that led to solving the murder case within 24 hours.
Maharashtra
Maharashtra drug racket exposed from MP police station, 4 arrested

Mumbai: Police Crime Branch has claimed to have busted a drug smuggling gang in Maharashtra from Madhya Pradesh MC and arrested four accused involved in it from MP. All four are accused of running a drug racket in Maharashtra. On November 3, Imran alias Babu Khan (38), Waqas Abdul Rab Khan (30), Taqdeen Rafiq Khan (30), Kamlesh Ajay Chavan (23) from Nowpara were reported to have supplied drugs from Madhya Pradesh and sold them in Maharashtra. After this, the police arrested all four and seized more than one kg of MD, which is said to be worth more than Rs 2 crore, from their possession. This was informed by the DCP Crime Branch Amar Singh Jadhav here. He said that a big drug racket has been busted and there is a possibility of more arrests.
Business
India, Canada discuss ways to boost bilateral trade, promote investments

New Delhi, Nov 13: Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Maninder Sidhu, Canada’s Minister of International Trade, discussed ways to further boost bilateral trade and promote investments, it was announced on Thursday.
Sidhu is in India to find opportunities to advance trade and investment linkages between the two nations.
“It was a pleasure to co-chair the 7th India-Canada Ministerial Dialogue on Trade and Investment as part of the New Roadmap 2025 along with @MSidhuLiberal, Canada’s Minister of International Trade,” Goyal posted on the X social media platform.
The minister further stated that they discussed “avenues to strengthen bilateral trade, promote investments and deepen cooperation between our countries”.
During his India visit, Sidhu is set to promote Canada’s commitment to supporting and growing the well-established commercial ties shared by Canada and India, including artificial intelligence, clean technology and digital industries, and explore new opportunities for partnerships that benefit workers and businesses in both countries.
“This visit to India will reinforce Canada’s commitment to diversifying our trade relationships and attracting new investment,” an official statement quoting Sidhu said. “As one of the fastest-growing major economies, India offers significant opportunities for Canadian businesses and workers. Our commercial ties continue to expand — bilateral trade surpassed $30 billion in 2024 — and there is even greater potential ahead,” the statement added.
India is a key partner as Canada strengthens its economic links in the Indo-Pacific region under a comprehensive strategy for the region. In 2024, India was Canada’s seventh-largest goods and services trading partner, with two-way trade valued at $30.9 billion.
Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar and his Canadian counterpart, Anita Anand, held discussions on strengthening cooperation across key sectors, including trade, energy and security. Both leaders met on the sidelines of the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Niagara.
EAM Jaishankar also praised the progress made under the New Roadmap 2025, aimed at enhancing bilateral ties between India and Canada and expressed hope for rebuilding a stronger partnership.
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