The BJP-led NDA has created history in Kerala by winning the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation in the local body elections. The victory ends the Left Democratic Front’s 45-year control over the civic body. The NDA won 50 of the 101 wards, emerging as the single largest group. The LDF slipped to second place, while the Congress-led UDF finished third. The NDA also won Tripunithura Municipality and retained Palakkad Municipality. These results mark a major political shift in Kerala’s urban centres. The outcome is expected to influence strategies ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. (PC: India Today)

Union Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu said that IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers was “apologising to the people of India” in the viral photo where he is seen folding his hands. The minister said the gesture was not directed at him alone but at all passengers who faced trouble due to IndiGo’s major flight disruptions this week. Thousands of travellers were stuck at airports across the country after the airline cancelled many flights. The minister said the government has asked IndiGo to fix the situation quickly. He also warned that airlines must not cause such problems for passengers again. (PC: X)

During a parliamentary debate on electoral reforms, Amit Shah accused the Congress of systemic “vote chori” (vote theft), alleging three historical episodes involving Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. He argued that the Congress’s successive election defeats stem from flawed leadership rather than faulty EVMs or voter-list issues. Shah defended the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as necessary to remove “infiltrators” from voter lists. He said EVMs had been used successfully under Congress rule in 2004 and 2009. (PC: Rediff)

A sharp clash broke out in Parliament as Amit Shah and Rahul Gandhi argued during the debate on electoral reforms. Gandhi challenged Shah to “have a debate” on his press conferences about voter list issues. Shah refused and said he would decide the order of his speech, not the Opposition. Shah accused the Congress of double standards and claimed the first “vote chori” happened when Nehru was chosen over Patel. He also said Indira Gandhi changed the law after her election was struck down. Gandhi called Shah’s reply “defensive and fearful,” while Shah said he would not be provoked. (PC: X)

Rahul Gandhi and Amit Shah clashed in the Lok Sabha during a debate on electoral reforms. Gandhi interrupted Shah’s speech and challenged him to a “debate” on his press conferences. Shah replied that he would decide the order of his speech and asked the Congress side to be patient. Gandhi later said Shah looked “defensive and nervous.” The clash came after Shah dismissed Gandhi’s claim of voter list fraud, saying the Election Commission had already clarified the issue. Shah said the Haryana address Gandhi cited was a large family property, not a fake house. (PC: HT)

HRDS India — a group linked to Vinayak Damodar Savarkar — named Tharoor as one of six recipients of their inaugural 2025 award. Tharoor responded that he only learned of the honour via media reports while in Kerala; he had neither given consent nor accepted the award. He described the public announcement of his name without his approval as “irresponsible,” and said he would not attend the award ceremony. Tharoor also criticised the lack of clarity about both the award’s nature and the organisation behind it. (PC: NDTV)

IndiGo’s large-scale flight cancellations have put sharp focus on Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, the youngest minister in the Modi government. Naidu met IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers in Delhi to review steps taken to stabilise operations. The three-time Srikakulam MP, seen as a close aide to Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu, entered politics after his father’s death and has built a reputation for calm leadership and strong policy work. He has also been praised for supporting women’s rights. In Parliament, he said the crisis was caused by IndiGo’s “crew rostering and internal planning” failures, not regulatory changes. (PC: X)

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM)-aligned Humayun Kabir — a suspended Trinamool MLA — has announced his plan to launch a new political party in West Bengal on December 22. He claims to be “Bengal’s Owaisi,” citing personal assurances from Asaduddin Owaisi, and intends to contest 135 of the state’s 294 assembly seats in 2026. Kabir warned that the “Muslim vote bank” of Trinamool will be finished — positioning his party as a Muslim-representative alternative, and potentially altering communal and electoral dynamics in Bengal ahead of next year’s polls. PC: NDTV)

A drug bust in Madhya Pradesh has created a political controversy after 46 kg of cannabis was seized in Rampur Baghelan. Police arrested Pankaj Singh Baghel, who named Anil Bagri, brother of Urban Development Minister Pratima Bagri, as a supplier. The seizure, valued at nearly Rs 9.23 lakh, came after a tip-off. Minister Bagri said criminals will not be spared, regardless of relations. The opposition Congress criticized the BJP government, questioning law-and-order oversight. Bagri, one of the youngest ministers in Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s cabinet, faces scrutiny as the case unfolds and political pressure mounts. (PC: The Indian Express)

Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition, raised three questions in Parliament during the debate on electoral rolls. He asked why the CJI was removed from the panel selecting election commissioners, why election commissioners were given legal immunity, and why CCTV footage of elections can be destroyed after 45 days. He said these steps threaten democracy. Gandhi also made four demands: 1) give machine-readable voter lists one month before elections, 2) stop destroying CCTV footage, 3) allow experts access to EVMs, and 4) change the law that lets election commissioners act without accountability.