With the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Ladakh leaders agreeing in principle to extend constitutional safeguards under Article 371 to the Union Territory, the Ladakh administration has decided to constitute Autonomous Hill Development Councils (AHDCs) in all seven districts.

In a major political development that completely alters Bihar’s electoral landscape, Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor announced on Sunday, July 5, 2026, that he will make his personal electoral debut by contesting the upcoming assembly by-election from Patna’s high-profile Bankipur constituency. Addressing a packed press conference, the 48-year-old former poll strategist explicitly framed the upcoming democratic contest as a direct, clear “referendum” on the popularity and performance of the two-month-old, BJP-led state government headed by Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary—who assumed office following Nitish Kumar’s elevation to the Rajya Sabha. The urban Bankipur seat, widely considered an ironclad BJP bastion since the 1990s, fell vacant after sitting legislator and BJP national president Nitin Nabin resigned upon being elected to the Upper House. Launching an aggressive campaign pitch, Kishor appealed to Bankipur’s highly educated electorate to vote purely on merit rather than traditional caste math, claiming that even as a lone representative of his newly formed party, his legislative impact would decisively outweigh the entire treasury bench. As the Election Commission of India (ECI) officially sets the voting date for July 30, 2026, with counting scheduled for August 3, the grand opposition alliance of the RJD and Congress is yet to reveal its strategy, while expelled RJD leader Tej Pratap Yadav’s independent faction has already complicated the field by fielding social activist Veena Manvi.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has expressed strong support for the proposed One Nation, One Election (ONOE) initiative and said the Delhi government is prepared to shorten the tenure of the current Delhi Legislative Assembly if required to align Assembly elections with the Lok Sabha polls.

On June 30, 2026, twenty-three Opposition political parties and one Independent Member of Parliament sent a joint memorandum to the Chief Justice of India (CJI), Justice Surya Kant, in New Delhi to demand judicial intervention against the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process

A massive ideological and statutory controversy has erupted across Maharashtra’s political spectrum following the online leak of a viral video showing the newly appointed Nagpur Police Commissioner, Vishwas Nangare Patil, publicly praising the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The 45-second clip—recorded during a high-profile Hindu Sammelan organized by the Sakal Hindu Samaj—features the decorated 26/11 gallantry award-winning IPS officer describing RSS founder Dr. K. B. Hedgewar as a “farsighted nationalist” while applauding the internal discipline of the right-wing cadre. Coming mere days after Patil took charge of the law-and-order apparatus in the state’s winter capital, the explicit endorsement drew swift, aggressive condemnation from opposition forces. The Maharashtra Congress launched a formal statutory offensive, petitioning the state Home Department to clarify if the commissioner secured mandatory prior approvals, asserting that the public adulation represents a flagrant violation of political impartiality under the All India Services (Conduct) Rules. Adding significant momentum to the backlash, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray launched a blistering personal attack, accusing the high-profile bureaucrat of harboring compromised “dual loyalties” and mockingly challenging Patil to shed his uniform to formally enlist as a political worker for the BJP. Defending his stance amid the escalating uproar, Patil issued a comprehensive clarification, emphasizing that his routine attendance at socio-cultural and interfaith assemblies functions as community outreach under the legal parameters of the Indian Constitution, while ruling party leaders unified to shield the top cop from demands for disciplinary suspension

For years, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) marked July 21 as ‘Shahid Diwas’ (Martyrs’ Day) with a display of political dominance that few rivals in West Bengal could match. The rally in Kolkata’s Dharmatala neighbourhood drew vast crowds, showcased defections from opposition parties and often served as a stage for Mamata Banerjee, the party’s founder, to sketch the contours of the next political battle.