Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will resign from the state Legislative Council on March 30, days after being elected to the Rajya Sabha. The move is expected to lead to his resignation as Chief Minister. Party leaders confirmed the decision, though some members were not in favour of it. Nitish Kumar said earlier he wished to serve in both state and national legislatures. Opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav claimed he was forced into the Rajya Sabha by allies. Nitish Kumar, Bihar’s longest-serving Chief Minister, was elected to the Upper House on March 9 and is now set for a political shift. (PC: PTI)

Vijay announced candidates for the Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2026 and confirmed he will contest from Perambur and Trichy East. His party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, is making its debut. He urged voters to back the party, saying, “Vote for whistle, it’s a whistle revolution election.” He asked people not to see any difference between him and other candidates. Voting for all 234 seats will take place on April 23. The ruling DMK faces a multi-cornered contest. Vijay said his candidates come from ordinary backgrounds and promised clean governance. (PC: NDTV)

The political fight in West Bengal has intensified ahead of the April assembly polls. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of triggering riots in the state. Union home minister Amit Shah hit back, saying the Trinamool Congress was making the special intensive revision (SIR) of voter rolls a “massive issue”.   Speaking in Kolkata, Shah said such revision was done nationwide but required judicial officers only in Bengal. He questioned if “infiltrators” should decide the state’s future. Banerjee’s party has rejected the claims. Polling will take place in two phases on April 23 and 29. (PC: HT)

The Bharatiya Janata Party released its third list of 19 candidates for the West Bengal assembly elections. The list includes the mother of the RG Kar Medical College rape and murder victim. She will contest from Panihati. The state will vote in two phases on April 23 and April 29. Counting will take place on May 4.   Speaking earlier, she said, “For women’s safety and security… I joined the BJP.” She also added, “I don’t want what happened to my daughter to ever happen to another woman.”   The BJP has now announced candidates for most of the 294 seats in the state. (PC: HT)

The government has asked the Congress party to vacate its 24, Akbar Road office by Saturday, party sources said. The bungalow served as the party’s headquarters for 48 years. Congress had opened its new office, Indira Bhavan, last year but still uses the old site. The party has also been told to vacate the Indian Youth Congress office at Raisina Road. Congress is exploring legal options for relief. “The emotional connection will remain strong,” leaders had said earlier. The Akbar Road office has historic value and was central to the party’s work for decades after the 1970s split.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will not attend the Centre’s all-party meeting on the West Asia crisis. The meeting has been called to discuss the Iran-US conflict. Gandhi said he has a prior programme in Kerala. “I would not be able to attend because I have a programme in Kerala,” he said. He also criticised the government’s handling of the crisis, calling it a “structural blunder.” He alleged the Prime Minister follows the United States in decisions. The meeting will be chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is likely to attend. The government has urged parties to present a united stand. (PC: HT)

The NDA has finalised its seat-sharing plan for Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. AIADMK will contest 178 seats, while BJP will fight 27 out of 234 seats. PMK has been given 18 seats and AMMK 11. AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami called it a “victory alliance” and expressed confidence of forming the government. He said talks within the alliance were smooth. BJP leader Piyush Goyal said people will reject the DMK-Congress alliance. He added voters want development and better governance. Elections in Tamil Nadu will be held on April 23. Further seat talks with allies may continue.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi warned that India may face rising inflation due to a weak rupee and higher fuel costs. He said, “These are clear signals of the inflation to come.” The rupee recently fell to a record low against the US dollar. Gandhi said this could raise prices of daily goods and hurt small businesses. He added that production and transport costs will increase. He also claimed fuel prices may rise after elections. He criticised the government, saying it has “no strategy.” The concerns come as global tensions push up oil prices and affect India’s energy supply. (PC: AICC)

The Supreme Court questioned what happens if a Chief Minister enters a raid site, while hearing the I-PAC case linked to Mamata Banerjee. The court said this was not a “happy situation” and asked if the Enforcement Directorate can be left without a remedy. “What if tomorrow some other Chief Minister barges into such a raid?” the bench said. The ED called Banerjee’s actions a “gross abuse of power” and sought a police case. The state argued that allowing central agencies to sue states could harm the federal structure. The court said such “unusual” cases should not create a legal vacuum. (PC: X)

Mamata Banerjee said her party Trinamool Congress will win over 226 seats in the 2026 West Bengal elections. She said, “We will win more than 226 seats.” The party will contest 291 of 294 seats. Three seats are left for ally BGPM. Banerjee will contest from Bhabanipur. She faces Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP. She said those not given tickets will get roles in the organisation. She also said the BJP’s tally will fall. Voting will take place in two phases in April. (PC: HT)