No Independent MLAs - A First For Himachal's Electoral History

With the two-party system taking deep roots in Himachal Pradesh, and the Congress and the BJP coming to power alternately, the presence of Independents has been declining and, in a first, the assembly has no Independent MLAs in the state assembly.

With victory in two out of three assembly by-elections, the strength of Congress has increased to 40. This is also the first time that a man and his wife - Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and his wife Kamlesh Thakur - would sit in the House. Kamlesh Thakur's win from the Dehra assembly seat has taken the number of women legislators in the state to two.

In the 2022 assembly elections, three Independents - Hoshiyar Singh (Dehra), Ashish Sharma (Hamirpur). and KL Thakur (Nalagarh) - were elected but they resigned after voting for BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan in the Rajya Sabha election on February 27.

The Independent MLAs resigned on March 22 and joined the BJP the next day. Their resignation was accepted by Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania on June 3 and by-elections were held on July 10.

All three former Independent legislators got tickets from the BJP but lost to Congress in two seats while the BJP won one.

During the election campaign, Chief Minister Sukhu maintained that the Independent MLAs did not need to resign as "they can support or oppose any party" and questioned why they sought re-election after 15 months when they did not have to.

The Independent MLAs have played an important role in the state's electoral politics. Sixteen Independents were elected in 1967 while 12 were elected in 1957, eight in 1952, seven each in 1972 and 1993, six each in 1977, 1982, and 2003, five in 2012, three each in 1962, 2007, and 2022, two each in 1985 and 2017, and one each in 1990 and 1998.

In 1998, Romesh Dhawala who was the lone Independent MLA, emerged kingmaker as the Congress with his support, and BJP-HVC (Himachal Vikas Congress) combine had 32 members each in the House which had an effective strength of 64. Elections in three snowbound tribal constituencies were slated for June while in another seat BJP MLA Varinder Kumar died before taking oath, necessitating a by-election.

Being the leader of the single-largest party, Governor VS Ramadevi invited Congress leader Virbhadra Singh to form the government on March 6, 1998, and Mr Dhawala was inducted as a cabinet minister.

However, Virbhadra Singh announced his resignation in the House on March 12 without facing the floor test, and the assembly was held in suspended animation by the Governor.

In the meantime, Mr Dhawala extended support to the BJP-HVC combine and the Governor asked the BJP to form the government Prem Kumar Dhumal took oath as Chief Minister on March 24, and Mr Dhawala was inducted as a minister in his cabinet.

Later that year, BJP-HVC won all four seats in the bypolls and the strength of the ruling alliance rose to 36 and the government lasted the full term.

In this year's Rajya Sabha election too, after both candidates got 34 votes each, the support of three Independents broke the deadlock and helped the BJP candidate win by a draw of lots.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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"I Regret It": Emraan Hashmi On Calling Aishwarya Rai Bachchan "Plastic"

DYK: Emraan Hashmi once referred to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as "plastic" during the rapid-fire round on the fourth season of Karan Johar's talk show, Koffee with Karan. Following his comment in 2014, the actor faced heavy backlash. In an interview with Lallantop, he addressed his contentious comment about Aishwarya and said, "I would love to apologise if she felt offended."

During the interview, Emraan Hashmi was asked if he regrets calling Aishwarya Rai Bachchan "plastic," to which he promptly responded, "I regret it. I keep saying that I have utmost respect for everyone I spoke about." Elaborating further, he admitted, "I regret it because it was distasteful. Lately, people have become very sensitive. People get mad at everything on social media. In terms of the show, we were playing a game, it was all in jest. It was supposed to be taken sportingly. There are many such games in the show. Earlier, people weren't this sensitive."

He continued, "Recently, Karan Johar himself confessed that the rapid fire round in the latest season of the show was the most boring. It's because now, the environment has completely changed. You can't give such answers anymore. At that time, I just wanted to win the hamper and I ended up saying what I said." ICYMI: Aishwarya never directly reacted to the comment. In an interview with Filmfare in 2019, the actress said the worst thing anyone has ever said about her is that she is "fake and plastic."

When asked if he ever met Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Emraan Hashmi said, "I have waited outside Aishwarya Rai's van for about three hours just to catch a glimpse of her after her film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. I was a huge fan. Mohit and I were shooting in Filmistan, I told him, 'You cannot go anywhere.' So we waited together. I still am a big fan of hers."

He added, "I have never met her. I have never had a conversation with her. I would love to meet her. And I would love to apologise if she felt bad about it. I will have to meet her and ask her. I am sorry if I offended you."

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On Rohit Sharma's Wimbledon Appearance, RCB's "Garden" Post Is Pure Gold

India's T20 World Cup-winning captain Rohit Sharma made a special appearance at the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club to watch the men's singles semi-finals of the ongoing Wimbledon. Rohit was pictured near courtside and was seen wearing an olive suit with tean brown tie and leather shoes. Last month, Rohit led India to just their second T20 World Cup title, and first in 17 years. In the final, India beat South Africa by 7 runs in Barbados. 

Just over a week after the Indian players celebrated the T20 World Cup success with the fans in Mumbai, Rohit was spotted watching the Wimbledon semi-finals.

As pictures of Rohit standing near the Centre Court went viral, IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) poked fun at the Indian skipper with a hilarious post on Instagram.

"Skipper himself in the garden," RCB captioned the post.

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For the unversed, Rohit made the word garden his patent after he urged the Indian youngsters not to roam in the ground during the Test series against England earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Rohit attended the first semi-final between Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz at the centre court on Friday.

After winning the T20 World Cup, Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from the 20-over format. The Men in Blue got hold of the prestigious T20 WC trophy for the second time, defeating South Africa by seven runs in Barbados on June 29.

With 4231 runs in 159 games, Rohit is the format's best scorer going out. He also owns the record for most hundreds (five) in T20 internationals. He has won two T20 World Cups: the first in 2007 while competing and the current one in 2024 as captain.

Alcaraz advanced to Wimbledon 2024 men's singles final after beating Medvedev 6-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

The defending champions will now take on four-time Wimbledon winner Novak Djokovic, who defeated Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets the other semi-final.

(With ANI Inputs)

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Outgoing Nepal PM Approved China Rail Deal Ahead Of Trust Vote: Report

A day before Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' lost a vote of confidence in Parliament, he gave a nod to an agreement to connect the Himalayan nation with China by rail under Beijing's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative.

Quoting government sources, the MyRepublica news portal said this decision carries more operational than political significance and aligns with Nepal's participation in Chinese President Xi Jinping's multi-billion-dollar pet infrastructure project.

"The Cabinet meeting held on Thursday decided to approve the 'Strengthening the Development Cooperation in Building the Trans-Himalayan Multidimensional Connectivity Network' agreement between Nepal and China," the report quoted Communication Minister and the government's spokesperson Rekha Sharma as saying.

However, a minister downplayed its immediate impact, stating, "This is an initial decision; details of project implementation and BRI modalities are yet to be finalised."

'Prachanda' lost the vote of confidence in Parliament on Friday after coalition partner Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) withdrew support for him, a development that will lead to the formation of a new government led by ex-prime minister K P Sharma Oli.

Prachanda received only 63 votes in the 275-member House of Representatives (HoR) and there were 194 votes against the motion. At least 138 votes are needed to win the vote of trust.

A total of 258 HoR members participated in the voting while one abstained.

Prachanda's move, made just before he departed from office, is viewed not only as progress towards implementing BRI projects but also crucial for initiatives like the Kerung-Kathmandu railway and broader infrastructure development along the Nepal-China border, the report said.

Earlier, ahead of signing a power-sharing agreement with UML, the Nepali Congress had resolved to "only accept grants and not loans under the BRI project". The government was also set to decide on implementing the 2017 BRI agreement with China, which has been pending at the cabinet.

The BRI has raised global concerns over China's debt diplomacy of extending huge loans to smaller countries for unsustainable infrastructure projects. The Hambantota port, which was funded by a Chinese loan, was leased to Beijing in a 99-year debt-for-equity swap in 2017 after Sri Lanka failed to pay off the debt.

India has protested to China over BRI's $60-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor flagship project as it is being laid through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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7 Congress MLAs Cross-Voted In Key Maharashtra Polls: Sources

In a worrying sign for the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra, which was riding high after winning 30 of 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state, at least seven Congress MLAs cross-voted for candidates from the ruling Mahayuti alliance in the Legislative Council polls on Friday, sources said. 

The polls, which are generally a straightforward affair, were seen as the semi-finals ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections - expected to be held around November - because 12 candidates were vying for 11 seats. 

The opposition alliance had forced the election by fielding one more candidate than it had the numbers to elect, possibly hoping to benefit from cross-voting by MLAs from the ruling coalition, but seems to have ended up losing votes instead.

The Maharashtra Assembly has a strength of 288 MLAs but currently has 274 sitting legislators. This meant that each MLC candidate needed 23 first-preference votes to win.

The Mahayuti - part of the larger NDA alliance - which consists of the BJP, the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar wing of the NCP, fielded nine candidates and had 201 MLAs, including Independents and smaller parties, backing it. 

The Maha Vikas Aghadi, which is under the INDIA umbrella, has the Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) as its key constituents and had put up three candidates despite having the support of only 67 MLAs. 

Six MLAs, including an independent, were neutral. 

The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) was hoping that it would get some votes from the Mahayuti, especially amid the buzz of some leaders from the Ajit Pawar NCP group being in touch with the Sharad Pawar faction.

The candidate backed by the Sharad Pawar faction, Jayant Patil of the Peasants and Workers Party, however, lost because he did not get enough votes. The Congress candidate and the Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate sailed through, as did five from the BJP and two each from the Shinde Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's NCP.

Sources said the Congress, which has 37 MLAs, had fixed a quota of 30 first-preference votes for its candidate Pradyna Satav, and seven remaining votes were to go to Milind Narvekar of the Shiv Sena UBT. 

Mr Satav got 25 first preference votes and Mr Narvekar got 22, which means at least seven Congress MLAs cross-voted, they added.

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The White Lotus Star Alexandra Daddario Announces Pregnancy

The White Lotus star Alexandra Daddario is expecting her first child with husband and film producer Andrew Form. Alexandra Daddario, who featured as the cover girl for Vogue magazine, shared her baby bump picture from the shoot and she wrote in the caption in an Instagram post, "Excited for my child to go to pre-school with Margot Robbie and Hailey Bieber's kids." In the comments section, Emily In Paris star Lilly Collins wrote, "Eeeeeeek so happy for you both." Margot Robbie and husband Tom Ackerley are expecting their first child. Hailey and Justin Bieber also announced their pregnancy this year.

Check out the post here:

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In an interview with Vogue, the actress said, "I feel like now that I'm pregnant and it's all successful and everything's healthy, I shouldn't complain." Alexandra revealed that she managed to keep her pregnancy under wraps for almost six months.

She added that she shot for Mayfair Witches while she was pregnant. "I was on set, and I was throwing up and having make-out scenes with my costars right after, By week five, I was like, There's no way I'm going to be able to hide this," said Alexandra. She added, "I was like, If I tell my job that I'm pregnant, I'm going to get a lot of time off to go throw up in peace."

Alexandra Daddario is best known for starring in Percy Jackson film series, Hall Pass Texas Chainsaw 3D, San Andreas, Baywatch  and We Summon the Darkness. She has also starred in the web-series Mayfair Witches and The White Lotus, for which she got an Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie category.

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"Bet On Russia As Reliable Partner Not A Good One": US Official To India

Amid concerns over India's ties with Russia, a top US official on Thursday cautioned New Delhi that a "bet on Russia as a long-term, reliable partner is not a good bet" and Moscow would side with Beijing over New Delhi in case of a conflict between the two Asian giants.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan made the remarks while replying to a question on MSNBC about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to Moscow where he held extensive talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"We've made clear to every country in the world including India that a bet on Russia as a long-term, reliable partner is not a good bet," said Mr Sullivan, who was in India last month for a meeting with his counterpart Ajit Doval.

The top American official had also met Prime Minister Modi during his visit.

"Russia is becoming closer to China. In fact, it's becoming the junior partner to China. And in that way, they would side with China over India any day of the week. And … Prime Minister Modi, of course, has profound concerns about the potential for Chinese aggression against India. Which we have seen over recent years," Mr Sullivan said.

The NSA, however, acknowledged that countries like India have a historic relationship with Russia and it's not going to change dramatically overnight.

"This is playing the long game. It (US) is making investments in democratic partners and allies around the world including countries like India and we think that that will pay off as we go forward," he added.

His remarks came a day after spokespersons of the Pentagon, the White House and the State Department reacted separately to questions on India's relationship with Russia and Modi's visit to Moscow.

Prime Minister Modi was in Russia for two days for the 22nd India-Russia annual summit that has been watched closely by the West amidst the raging Ukraine conflict.

During his talks with Mr Putin on Tuesday, Prime Minister Modi told the Russian President that a solution to the Ukraine conflict is not possible on the battlefield and peace efforts do not succeed amid bombs and bullets.

India has been stoutly defending its "special and privileged strategic partnership" with Russia and maintained the momentum in the ties notwithstanding the Ukraine conflict.

India has not yet condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and has consistently pitched for a resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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