UDF returns to power after 10 years; thousands gather for swearing-in in Thiruvananthapuram
Congress president Mallikarjuna Kharge and senior party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were scheduled to attend the swearing-in ceremony. THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala capital turned into a sea of white on Monday as thousands of UDF workers and supporters from across the state gathered for the oath-taking ceremony of the Congress-led government, which returned to power after a decade-long Left rule with a thumping victory in the Assembly polls. The pavilion set up at the Central Stadium for the swearing-in ceremony was packed with UDF workers and supporters wearing white khadi shirts and mundu, waving flags of alliance partners and raising slogans in support of the coalition. The crowd, including children, braved the humid weather to attend the event. Many others who could not enter the venue gathered around the stadium in large numbers. Many people told reporters that they had waited 10 years to see their alliance return to power and said it would be a great government. “When a UDF government comes back to power after 10 years, it will energise every Congress worker,” they said and shouted — “team UDF and UDF zindabad”. Supporters also danced to the beats of drums played inside and outside the pavilion, celebrating the alliance’s return to power. From 8 am onwards, party leaders, MLA-elects and MPs arrived at the venue one after another. Congress president Mallikarjuna Kharge and senior party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were scheduled to attend the swearing-in ceremony. Tight security arrangements were put in place across the state capital ahead of the high-profile event. Special traffic arrangements were also made in view of the large number of VIPs and UDF supporters arriving in the city. Traffic and parking regulations remained in effect from 7 am to 4 pm. The Assembly elections to the 140-member House were held on April 9, and the results were declared on May 4. The Congress-led UDF won 102 seats, while the LDF secured 35 seats and the BJP won three. The MLAs are scheduled to take oath on May 21, followed by the election of the Assembly Speaker on May 22. The Governor’s policy address is scheduled for May 29, and the state budget is likely to be presented by June 5. Courtesy : TNIE Note: This news is originally published on https:/thenewindianexpress.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
V D Satheesan takes oath as Kerala Chief Minister with 20-member Cabinet as UDF returns to power after a decade
Congress-led alliance assumes power in Kerala after sweeping Assembly poll victory over the LDF; Rahul Gandhi, Kharge and top leaders attend swearing-in ceremony. A decade after being pushed to the opposition benches, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) stormed back to power in Kerala on Monday, with VD Satheesan taking oath as the state’s 13th Chief Minister at a high-voltage ceremony in Thiruvananthapuram. In a packed Central Stadium drenched in Congress flags, drumbeats and chants of “UDF zindabad”, Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office and secrecy to Satheesan and his 20-member Cabinet, formally ending the CPI(M)-led LDF’s 10-year rule in the state. Thousands of UDF workers and supporters from across Kerala flooded the capital city from early morning, turning the venue and surrounding roads into a sea of white khadi shirts and mundu. As Satheesan rose to take oath in the name of God, the crowd erupted in celebration, marking what many Congress workers described as the party’s biggest political comeback in years. The 61-year-old Paravur MLA, credited with rebuilding the Congress organisation and scripting the UDF’s emphatic electoral victory, assumes office after leading the alliance to a stunning 102-seat triumph in the 140-member Assembly. The LDF was reduced to 35 seats, while the BJP won three. The swearing-in ceremony doubled as a show of strength for the Congress nationally, with party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra occupying the front row. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar were among the senior Congress leaders who attended the event. Former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, now set to become the Leader of Opposition, was also present along with Left leaders and BJP representatives, including state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar. Satheesan’s ministry signals both continuity and generational transition. Fourteen of the 21 ministers, including the Chief Minister himself, are first-timers in executive office, a rare reshaping of Kerala’s political establishment. Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, who was widely seen as a contender for the chief ministership, took oath as the third member of the Cabinet and is expected to handle the powerful Home portfolio. K. Muraleedharan, A.P. Anil Kumar and KPCC president Sunny Joseph are among the senior Congress faces in the ministry. The IUML, the second-largest constituent in the UDF, secured five Cabinet berths with P.K. Kunhalikutty emerging as the coalition’s second most powerful figure politically. RSP leader Shibu Baby John, Kerala Congress (Joseph) leader Mons Joseph, Kerala Congress (Jacob) leader Anoop Jacob and CMP leader C.P. John also joined the ministry. The Cabinet includes two women ministers , Bindhu Krishna and K.A. Thulasi, while Scheduled Caste representation has increased to two with Thulasi and A.P. Anil Kumar becoming ministers. Among the new-generation faces in the ministry are P.C. Vishnunadh, Roji M. John, T. Siddique, M. Liju and O.J. Janeesh from the Congress, besides IUML leaders N. Shamsudheen, K.M. Shaji, P.K. Basheer and V.E. Abdul Gafoor. The mood outside the stadium resembled a festival. Supporters danced to percussion performances, waved giant party flags and burst into slogans as ministers took oath one after another. Security was tightened across the capital with heavy police deployment and traffic restrictions in place throughout the day. For the Congress in Kerala, the day marked more than just a change of government. It signalled the return of the UDF after two consecutive defeats, the rise of Satheesan from Opposition leader to Chief Minister, and the beginning of what the party hopes will be a long-awaited political reset in the state. Courtesy : TNIE Note: This news is originally published on https:/thenewindianexpress.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Robert Vadra withdraws from Delhi HC plea challenging trial court order in Haryana land deal case
The counsel for Vadra said he would make “appropriate submissions” before the trial court at an “appropriate stage.” Businessman and spouse of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, Robert Vadra, on Monday withdrew in the Delhi High Court his petition challenging a trial court order summoning him for questioning in a money laundering case linked to a land deal in Haryana. The probe against Vadra is linked to the land deal at Manesar-Shikohpur (now Sector 83) in Gurugram district. “Learned counsel for the petitioner, at the very outset, submits that as per his instructions, the petitioner is not interested in pursuing the present petition and they seek to withdraw the same unconditionally,” Justice Manoj Jain recorded in the order. The counsel for Vadra said he would make “appropriate submissions” before the trial court at an “appropriate stage.” All rights and contentions of the parties are kept open and the petition is disposed of, Justice Jain said. Last week, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had opposed the petition, contending that it was based on a false legal submission. The agency made the claim while countering the submission by Vadra’s lawyer, senior Advocate Abhishek Singhvi, who argued that ED lacked the jurisdiction to probe the case as the offences filed against the petitioner under the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act were not “scheduled offences” under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act at the relevant time. Singhvi argued that the land deal admittedly happened between 2008 and 2012, and the offences forming the basis of the ED case were only included in the schedule in 2013 and 2018. However, the ED’s lawyer said the petitioner’s contention was incorrect and was a “complete false statement on law.” On April 15, 2026, the trial court took cognisance of offences in the charge sheet filed by ED in July 2025 and asked Vadra and others to appear before it on May 16. This was the first time that any probe agency filed a charge sheet against the 57-year-old Vadra in a criminal case. In April 2025, the ED had questioned him for three consecutive days. In the cognisance order, Special Judge Sushant Changotra had said that the chargesheet and a prima facie broader scrutiny of the documents, disclosed sufficient material to proceed further against Vadra and eight other accused persons. “Accordingly, I take cognisance of the offences under Section 3 (money laundering) read with Section 70 (offences committed by companies) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, punishable under Section 4 of the Act,” the judge had said. The land deal pertaining to the case was done in February 2008 by a company named Skylight Hospitality Pvt Ltd, where Vadra was a director earlier. Under the deal, the company purchased a 3.5-acre plot in Shikohpur from Onkareshwar Properties for Rs 7.5 crore. At the time, Haryana was ruled by the Congress government led by Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Four years later, in September 2012, the company sold the land to realty major DLF for Rs 58 crore. The deal got embroiled in controversy in October 2012 after IAS officer Ashok Khemka, then posted as director general of land consolidation and land records-cum-inspector-general of registration, cancelled the mutation after categorising the transaction as violative of the state consolidation act and some related procedures. Vadra has been denying any wrongdoing, calling the case a “political vendetta” against him and his family, including former Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi. Besides Vadra, summonses were also issued to Kewal Singh Virk, Sky Light Hospitality Pvt Ltd (now Skylight Hospitality LLP), Sky Light Realty Private Limited, Real Earth Estates Private Limited (now Real Earth Estates LLP), Blue Breeze Trading Private Limited (now Blue Breeze Trading LLP) and others. Courtesy : TNIE Note: This news is originally published on https:/thenewindianexpress.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Thirumaavalavan: The centre of Tamil Nadu’s power game
The 63-year-old suddenly became the hinge between two futures: helping Vijay complete his rise to power, or accepting an extraordinary proposal from the DMK and the AIADMK to become the state’s first Dalit Chief Minister. Chennai: On May 8 and 9, Tamil Nadu politics began revolving around a Dalit man who did not hold enough MLAs to form or topple a government, or even dominate the Assembly numerically. Yet every major party waited for VCK president Tholkappiyan Thirumaavalavan. The 63-year-old suddenly became the hinge between two futures: helping TVK president C Joseph Vijay complete his rise to power, or accepting an extraordinary proposal from the DMK and the AIADMK to become the state’s first Dalit chief minister. Thirumaavalavan was neither reluctant nor confident about the latter proposal. He knew the move might have carried the tacit blessings of the BJP — his ideological adversary for nearly two decades. Yet, the DMK and the AIADMK continued to court him in a last-ditch effort. While the DMK agreed to the idea of a Dalit CM, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami initially opposed it. The original plan behind the DMK-AIADMK alignment was to let Palaniswami head a coalition government with smaller allies on both sides, backed by external support from the DMK On May 8 evening, when his decision was expected, Thirumaavalavan went incommunicado. He was later spotted at then-outgoing CM M K Stalin’s residence, and kept most visitors away, deepening speculation around his next move. The next day, TVK’s Aadhav Arjuna landed at Thirumaavalavan’s office and received the letters of support from the VCK’s two MLAs, effectively bringing down the curtains on one of the most dramatic coalition moments in TN’s politics. VCK sources insisted that the delay was not because Thirumaavalavan was interested in the CM’s post, but because he wanted to consult senior office-bearers and district-level functionaries. Political journey Born in Anganur in the Ariyalur district, Thirumaavalavan worked in the Tamil Nadu Forensic Sciences Department in Coimbatore, Chennai, and Madurai before coming into contact with Malaichamy, founder of the Dalit Panthers Iyakkam. After Malaichamy died in 1989, Thirumaavalavan assumed leadership of the movement and began working in villages across southern Tamil Nadu, where caste oppression often remained invisible. The organisation entered electoral politics in 1999 at the insistence of Congress veteran G K Moopanar, who attempted to build a Third Front against both the DMK and the AIADMK. The experiment failed electorally, but it marked Thirumaavalavan’s transition from an activist to a full-time politician. Over the next two decades, he emerged as one of Tamil Nadu’s most recognisable Dalit voices, particularly for his confrontational politics against caste violence and, later, his uncompromising opposition to the BJP and its Hindutva ideology. His politics increasingly fused Ambedkarite, Marxist, and Periyarist frameworks, while consciously bringing Muslims into a broader subaltern political coalition against majoritarian nationalism. Ironically, Thirumaavalavan first entered the Assembly from the Mangalore constituency in the Cuddalore district while aligned with a DMK-BJP alliance. He later described that phase as a political “misadventure” and resigned his seat in 2004. Since then, he has never aligned with the BJP. He also adopted a firm stand against the PMK — a Vanniyar-based party — after caste violence targeting Dalits intensified in northern Tamil Nadu. In 2011, he declared that he would never again be part of any alliance that included the PMK. Ideology vs survival? Both the DMK and the AIADMK continued courting him over the years because the VCK wielded influence across parts of northern and central Tamil Nadu, especially among Dalit youths. A three-time Lok Sabha member from Chidambaram, Thirumaavalavan became electorally useful to larger alliances while also remaining ideologically inconvenient to them. Feeling that the VCK had little independent future if it remained permanently tied to the Dravidian majors, he experimented with a Third Front in 2016 under actor Vijayakanth alongside the Left parties. The alliance collapsed electorally, and Thirumaavalavan himself lost narrowly. Since then, he has returned as a trusted DMK ally. But during the DMK’s 2021-2026 tenure, he faced increasing criticism from Dalit activists and younger cadres for his perceived silence on caste atrocities and for not holding the Stalin government sufficiently accountable. As the VCK’s seat share diminished over successive elections, many supporters urged him to walk out of the DMK alliance altogether. Yet the BJP’s presence within the AIADMK-led front closed that route. At the same time, Thirumaavalavan struggled to prevent a visible drift of Dalit youth toward Vijay and the TVK. In what many saw as an attempt to reassert independent strength, he briefly announced his candidature from Kattumannarkoil before withdrawing it after reported unhappiness within the DMK. Ultimately, the VCK won only two seats this time. Yet in a fractured Assembly, those two seats suddenly became decisive. Part of Thirumaavalavan’s long-term political project has been to expand the VCK beyond a purely Dalit party by drawing in Muslims and even sections of non-Dalit backward communities — particularly Vanniyars. It has produced partial electoral success but also internal anxieties over ideological compromise and political dilution. With just two MLAs, the VCK is now well-positioned to achieve one of its founding principles — seeking a share in power and being part of a government. And Thirumaavalavan seems to be moving towards accepting this historic opportunity and seeing his men enjoying power. Courtesy : DH Note: This news is originally published on https:/deccanherald.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Southern CMs Vijay, Revanth, Sidda likely to join Satheesan’s swearing-in in show of opposition unity
The presence of these leaders is being viewed as politically significant, particularly in the context of the growing coordination among non-BJP parties in the southern region and the Congress party’s efforts to strengthen its influence across the South. The swearing-in ceremony of Keralam Chief Minister-designate V. D. Satheesan on Monday is set to acquire a wider political dimension with the expected participation of chief ministers from neighbouring southern states, reflecting both regional solidarity and the evolving political equations in South India after the recent Assembly elections. Chief ministers from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana have been invited to attend the oath-taking ceremony scheduled to be held at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. The presence of these leaders is being viewed as politically significant, particularly in the context of the growing coordination among non-BJP parties in the southern region and the Congress party’s efforts to strengthen its influence across the South. The invitation extended to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay has attracted considerable attention. Vijay, who recently assumed office after the Tamil Nadu Assembly election, shares a politically important equation with the Congress leadership, which had supported his government formation efforts in the state. His expected participation in the Keralam ceremony is being seen as a continuation of the emerging political engagement between regional parties and the Congress in southern India. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy are also expected to attend the event, lending support to the new United Democratic Front government in Keralam. Both Karnataka and Telangana are currently governed by the Congress, and their participation is likely to reinforce the party’s attempts to project a united southern political front. Senior Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, are also expected to be present at the ceremony, adding to the national political visibility of the event. Political observers believe the swearing-in ceremony could become more than a routine constitutional event, as it is likely to serve as a platform for opposition leaders from the South to signal greater cooperation on national and regional issues. The participation of chief ministers from neighbouring states also underlines Keralam’s continuing importance in the broader opposition landscape ahead of future political alignments at the national level. Preparations for the ceremony are underway in Thiruvananthapuram, where thousands of party workers, supporters and leaders from across the country are expected to gather for the formal inauguration of the new government. Security arrangements have been intensified in the state capital in anticipation of the arrival of senior political leaders and large public participation. Satheesan, who led the UDF to a decisive electoral victory in Kerala, is expected to take oath along with members of his cabinet at the ceremony. The event is likely to mark the beginning of a politically significant phase for the Congress-led alliance in Kerala, while also highlighting the party’s broader attempts to consolidate its presence across southern India through coordination with regional allies and friendly state governments. Courtesy : TNIE Note: This news is originally published on https:/thenewindianexpress.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Kharge only leader fit to replace Siddaramaiah if CM change needed: Rayareddy
CM’s economic advisor Basavaraja Rayareddy says Siddaramaiah will complete term, calls for cabinet reshuffle by May 30 and targets PM Modi over fuel prices and economy. KOPPAL: If there is a need to change Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, then AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge is the only one qualified to replace him, said the CM’s economic advisor, Basavaraja Rayareddy. “Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will meet (LoP in Lok Sabha) Rahul Gandhi soon and the cabinet reshuffle or expansion in the state can be done by May 30. I believe that Siddaramaiah will continue as CM till the end of the current term. It is not right to change the CM repeatedly. If the cabinet is re-formed, effective governance can be given to people during the remaining two years. We can correct our shortcomings and come to power in 2028 as well,” Rayareddy said at a press conference on Saturday. “We will face the upcoming elections under the leadership of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and KPCC President D K Shivakumar. Mallikarjun Kharge, who has the same administrative experience as Siddaramaiah, should become the CM.” Asked if he has sought a ministerial berth, Rayareddy said, “I have not asked for anything I promise.” “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has increased the prices of petrol and diesel using the pretext of West Asia war. The country’s rupee has depreciated and the Modi administration has completely failed. He should resign. An economist should become the PM,” he said. Basavaraja Rayareddy Courtesy : TNIE Note: This news is originally published on https:/thenewindianexpress.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Thiruvananthapuram gears up for swearing-in of Congress govt
The cabinet will later hold its first meeting and submit its recommendation to the governor for convening the assembly. THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Preparations are in full swing at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram for the swearing-in ceremony of the UDF government scheduled for Monday morning. A massive stage with seating capacity for around 10,000 people is being set up at the venue. It is expected that nearly one lakh people might attend the ceremony. To enable the public to watch the oath-taking ceremony live from 10am on Monday, video walls are being installed around the stadium premises. In addition to that, LED screens will also be set up at various parts of the city, including Nishagandhi Auditorium premises. Entry for the public will be regulated through passes. Following the ceremony, the ministers will proceed to Raj Bhavan for a reception hosted by the governor. The cabinet will later hold its first meeting and submit its recommendation to the governor for convening the assembly. Senior Congress leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi are expected to attend the event. Chief ministers from neighbouring states have also been invited. The schedule announced for the new government includes the cabinet swearing-in on Monday, oath-taking of MLAs on May 21, speaker election on May 22, governor’s policy address on May 29 and presentation of the state budget on June 5. Courtesy : TNIE Note: This news is originally published on https:/thenewindianexpress.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Mamata calls for TMC rebuild after Bengal polls, says ‘those who want to leave can go’
The TMC supremo said the organisation would rise again despite suffering a crushing defeat in the recently concluded assembly elections. After the TMC faced its worst electoral setback in years, party supremo Mamata Banerjee on Saturday urged its candidates who contested the recent assembly polls to rebuild the organisation, asserting that those wishing to quit the party were free to do so. At a meeting with the Trinamool Congress’ contesting candidates at her Kalighat residence, attended by its national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, she said the organisation would rise again despite suffering a crushing defeat in the recently concluded assembly elections. “Those who are leaving for other parties, let them go. I will rebuild the party afresh. To those who are staying, I say rebuild the damaged party offices, paint them and reopen them. If needed, I too will paint them. Trinamool Congress will never bow down. People’s mandate has been looted,” Banerjee was quoted as saying by party sources. The remarks came days after the TMC was reduced from the ruling party to the opposition benches following a dramatic reversal in electoral fortunes. Of the 294 assembly seats in the state, the party managed to win only 80. Mamata Banerjee herself suffered defeat in Bhabanipur, long considered her political bastion. The TMC had fielded candidates in 291 seats, leaving three seats in the Darjeeling hills to its ally Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) led by Anit Thapa. Of these, only 80 candidates emerged victorious, while 211 lost, including several heavyweight leaders and ministers. The meeting at Kalighat was convened for candidates who had contested the elections on the party’s ticket amid reports of internal discontent and speculation over possible defections after the electoral debacle. Saturday’s meeting echoed Banerjee’s remarks made a day after the results were declared. Addressing a press conference on May 5, she had said she was aware that some leaders might switch camps. “I know many will leave for other parties. They may have their own compulsions. I have nothing to say about that. Whoever wants to go may go. I do not believe in forcibly holding anyone back,” she had said. The TMC’s official X handle later posted photographs of the meeting and praised the contesting candidates for their fight during the election campaign. “Today, our Hon’ble Chairperson @MamataOfficial and our Hon’ble National General Secretary @abhishekaitc met with our contesting candidates, at Kalighat. They fought with unmatched courage despite facing unimaginable atrocities and relentless intimidation. The Trinamool Congress stands united as one family. We will never bow before those who loot the people’s mandate. Truth will prevail,” the party posted on X. The post also reiterated the party’s charge that the electoral mandate had been “stolen”, a claim repeatedly raised by TMC leaders after the poll results. Party insiders said Banerjee used the meeting to boost the morale of candidates who had contested the polls and send a message of unity amid a difficult phase for the organisation. Courtesy : TNIE Note: This news is originally published on https:/thenewindianexpress.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
BJP MPs Kishan Reddy, Bandi Sanjay won elections with help of bogus votes: TPCC chief Mahesh
TPCC chief B Mahesh Kumar Goud on Friday urged the Election Commission to ensure that no eligible voter is disenfranchised while conducting the Special Intensive Revision exercise in Telangana. HYDERABAD: Alleging that BJP MPs G Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay Kumar had won elections through “bogus votes” and were therefore nervous about the ongoing debate over voter verification, TPCC chief B Mahesh Kumar Goud on Friday urged the Election Commission to ensure that no eligible voter is disenfranchised while conducting the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Telangana. Pointing out that there are no elections scheduled in the state for the next two years, Mahesh said the Congress had urged the Election Commission to conduct the SIR exercise in Telangana over a one-year period instead of rushing the process. The TPCC chief, along with MLAs, MPs and MLCs, met State Chief Electoral Officer C Sudharshan Reddy at BRK Bhavan and submitted a representation on the SIR process. Addressing the media later, the TPCC chief alleged that large-scale voter manipulation had taken place across 14 states and claimed that the voter verification exercise was being carried out in an “undemocratic manner”. Referring to West Bengal, he alleged that political equations in the state were altered through voter list manipulation, resulting in parties expected to come to power losing elections. He alleged that the large-scale deletion of voters during the SIR process altered the electoral outcome in West Bengal. While 90 lakh names were deleted from the electoral rolls in the eastern state, only 30 lakh were added, he claimed. Mahesh also expressed concern over conducting the SIR process alongside the ongoing Census exercise, stating that it could create confusion and irregularities. He warned that poor voters could face difficulties in producing required documents if their names were deleted from voter lists. Demanding safeguards in the verification process, the TPCC president said that voters should be given at least three months’ time and Booth Level Officers should visit households three times for proper verification. He cautioned that in some places there was a danger of deleting votes under the pretext of identifying “foreign nationals”. The TPCC chief said no citizenship proof should be made mandatory during the SIR process and pointed out that a passport was only one among the 14 accepted documents. He said the voter verification drive should be conducted without harassing citizens. Mahesh also alleged that, under the guise of the SIR exercise, there was an attempt to target and delete the votes of people who believe in secular values. Courtesy : TNIE Note: This news is originally published on https:/thenewindianexpress.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
NEET aspirant dies by suicide in Rajasthan days after exam cancellation over paper leak allegations
According to family members, Pradeep was expecting to score over 650 marks in NEET-UG 2026, a score they believed could have got him admission to any reputed government medical college. JAIPUR: A 23-year-old NEET aspirant died by suicide in Rajasthan’s Sikar on Friday, days after the cancellation of the NEET-2026 examination amid allegations of a massive paper leak. The deceased, identified as Pradeep Mahich, allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister’s scarf at his rented accommodation in Sikar’s Jaldhari Nagar area on Piprali Road. Originally from a village in Jhunjhunu district, Pradeep had been preparing for NEET in Sikar for the last three years. According to family members, Pradeep was expecting to score over 650 marks in NEET-UG 2026, a score they believed could have got him admission to any reputed government medical college. His relatives claim he had been under severe mental trauma ever since the National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the examination following the paper leak controversy. Pradeep’s family and members of the local community gathered outside the mortuary of SK Hospital after the incident. Pradeep, the only son of a financially struggling family, lived in Sikar with his two sisters who were preparing for railway recruitment exams, his father Rajesh Kumar Meghwal said. According to police and family members, the incident took place on Friday afternoon. Pradeep’s younger sister had gone to coaching classes while his elder sister was in the bathroom, when Pradeep allegedly hanged himself inside the room. When the elder sister returned, she found him hanging from the ceiling fan. She immediately informed the landlord and alerted the police. Police personnel reached the spot and rushed Pradeep to SK Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. The police is investigating the matter based on the information provided by the family. The tragedy comes amid a widening investigation into the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, which has placed Rajasthan’s coaching hub Sikar under intense scrutiny. Before the examination held on May 3, a 150-page document titled “Guess Paper” was allegedly circulated among students in Rajasthan’s Sikar and Jhunjhunu districts. The document reportedly contained 410 questions, of which 135 are alleged to have matched the actual NEET paper. According to sources, the similarities extended beyond the questions themselves. Officials reportedly found matches in the sequence of options, language patterns, and even punctuation marks. On May 7, the NTA acknowledged receiving inputs regarding alleged irregularities, four days after the examination. Around the same time, Special Operations Group (SOG) teams reached Sikar and Jhunjhunu to begin an investigation. On May 8, the NTA formally handed over the matter to central agencies. The Rajasthan SOG subsequently launched a full-scale investigation into the alleged paper leak. By May 12, at least 13 people had reportedly been arrested from Sikar and several other locations across the country, including Jaipur, Nashik and Gurugram. Among those currently in custody are Dinesh Binwal, his brother Mangilal, Mangilal’s son Vikas, and another accused, Rakesh, who allegedly operated a consultancy firm linked to the racket. Investigators suspect that Dinesh Binwal allegedly procured the leaked paper for his son Rishi, who was preparing for NEET in Sikar, and later sold it to other candidates for money. The probe has also expanded to examine admissions secured by other members of the Binwal family last year. Sources claim that five children from the families of Dinesh and Mangilal, all considered academically average, had reportedly cleared NEET in 2025. The revelation has now raised fresh questions over the integrity of last year’s examination process as well. Rajesh Asnani Courtesy : TNIE Note: This news is originally published on https:/thenewindianexpress.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights