
The agency, Analytico Data Analysis Pvt Ltd, which worked with the Congress in Amethi during the last Lok Sabha elections and also the Jharkhand assembly elections, has been brought in to boost the party’s prospects for the upcoming Delhi elections at the request of the central leadership. Their role involves supporting booth-level coordination and election strategies to ensure the party remains competitive. The agency has identified 20 assembly seats with significant Muslim and Dalit populations, including Badli, Jangpura, Chandni Chowk, Matia Mahal and Sultanpur Majra. They are also refining strategies like Dalit outreach, led by Rahul Gandhi. According to the agency, the party has a good chance of winning five of these seats.
Govt adopts no-risk approach in hunt for next SEBI chief face
With the Security and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch’s tenure set to end on February 28, the government has initiated the process of finding a replacement. Earlier this week, the government put out an advertisement, in search for the right face for the top post. Officials concerned indicate that this time, the government is careful about appointing private sector professionals, especially in light of the Hindenburg controversy surrounding Buch. With sources in North Block hinting that the next SEBI chief could come from a bureaucracy, financial services or regulatory sector background, some names are doing the rounds as possible choices. This include Economic Affairs Secretary Ajay Seth, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority chairperson Debashish Panda and former SBI MD Dinesh Khara.
From conferences to concerts, India plays host to large events
On January 25-26, Coldplay set a new record for the largest stadium concert of the 21st century, drawing over 15,00,000 fans to Ahmedabad and breaking George Strait’s record of 1,10,905 attendees in Texas. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been an ardent advocate of India taking its rightful place as a host for largescale events — with its rich heritage of music and dance, and its ability to organise massive gatherings from cricket matches to religious and cultural festivals. He reiterated this message at the ‘Make in Odisha Conclave’ as well. As officials work on this vision, many recall the creation of the Raisina Dialogue in 2016, an annual conclave organised by the External Affairs Ministry in partnership with a private think-tank in Delhi. Modi had enquired the then-foreign-secretary-and-now-minister S Jaishankar on why Indian experts should frequently travel abroad to attend conferences rather than hosting such events in India. This made the MEA work on a conference to hold global conversations.
A foolproof charge sheet that helped seal Tahawwur Rana’s fate
As both India and the US work on procedures to extradite 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind Tahawwur Hussain Rana, many in the National Investigation Agency (NIA) believe that the US Supreme Court rejected Rana’s review petition due to a foolproof charge sheet making for an airtight case. The charge sheet was the result of meticulous investigation carried out by NIA inspector general Sanjeev Singh, a 1987-batch Bihar cadre IPS officer, who died in 2020. Though Singh is no more around to see the fruition of his labour, he has backed every charge with undeniable evidence, which became the foundation for Indian investigators to convince their US counterparts about Rana’s role. According to an associate of Singh, who was part of the probe team, “After completing the investigation, sir named two serving Pakistani Army officers in the charge sheet for the first time. They were Major Iqbal and Major Sameer Ali.”