LIVE news updates today: Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde emerged victorious as Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar delivered a crucial verdict on the petitions by Shiv Sena factions seeking disqualification of each other's MLAs.
Eknath Shinde-led faction is the real Shiv Sena political party when rival factions emerged in 2022, Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar said.
The Maharashtra Assembly speaker delivered his verdict on the disqualification pleas today, more than 18 months after the Shiv Sena suffered a vertical split, a development that led to the change of guard in the state. The cross-petitions were filed by rival Sena factions.
Both factions have declared that they would approach the top court in case of an unfavourable verdict by the speaker.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi,and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury declined the Ram Temple invitation, calling it an Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh/Bharatiya Janata Party (RSS/BJP) event, news agency PTI reported today. Religion is a personal matter but RSS/BJP have made the Ayodhya temple a political project, the Congress said.
India to be third largest economy by 2027-28 with more than $5 trillion GDP, said Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. India's economy to be worth $30 trillion by 2047, she added. More than 50 crore Indians have bank accounts at present compared to 15 crore in 2014, said Sitharaman.
The panel on 'One Nation, One Election' led by former president Ram Nath Kovind has received over 5,000 suggestions from the public on simultaneous polls, news agency PTI reported today. Last week, the high-level committee had invited suggestions from the public "for making appropriate changes in the existing legal administrative framework to enable simultaneous elections in the country".
The Supreme Court today adjourned the hearing on the bail plea of former JNU student Umar Khalid till January 24. He is lodged under anti-terror law UAPA over his alleged involvement in the conspiracy behind the northeast Delhi riots of February 2020.
At least five people were injured after three coaches of the Charminar Express train derailed at the Nampally Railway Station in Telangana today. The incident happened around 9:15 am, Rakesh, chief public relations officer of the South Central Railway said.
Adani Group will invest over Rs 2 trillion in Gujarat, billionare Gautam Adani said at the Vibrant Gujarat Summit.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 10th edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Summit today. UAE President Mohamed Bin Zayed is attending the event as chief guest alongside several other world leaders and industry experts. This year's summit will mark ‘20 years of Vibrant Gujarat as the Summit of Success’. More than 1,000 exhibitors from 20 countries are expected to participate in the summit. The venue will have 13 halls based on various themes – including ‘Make in Gujarat’ and ‘Self-reliant India’.
India's permanent representative to the United Nations, Ruchira Kamboj, strongly condemned the loss of civilian lives in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas saying that the alarming humanitarian crisis was 'clearly unacceptable'. "The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has led to a large-scale loss of civilian lives, especially women and children, and has resulted in an alarming humanitarian crisis. This is clearly unacceptable and we have strongly condemned the deaths of civilians. At the same time, we are aware that the immediate trigger were the terror attacks in Israel on October 7, which were shocking and deserve our unequivocal condemnation. India has a zero-tolerance approach to terrorism," Kamboj said.
Delhi recorded its coldest day at 5.3°C as as bone-chilling cold persists in North India. Uttar Pradesh sees temperatures below freezing, with Kanpur at 1.1°C and Agra at 1.0°C. People in both regions struggle to stay warm, resorting to bonfires and night shelters. The night shelters in Delhi are aimed at providing a refuge to homeless people, who live on the streets and have nowhere else to go in the cold. The shelters offer blankets, beds, hot water, and food to those seeking shelter.
 "LIVE: Eknath Shinde faction is real Shiv Sena, rules Maha speaker")
