Of the three Union ministers tasked to represent the Government during talks with protesting farmers, Minister of State (Home) Nityanand Rai could not attend the second round of meeting in Chandigarh on Monday. It is learnt that Rai was in Bihar on Monday, the day Nitish Kumar faced a floor test. Thrust Tour Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav on Tuesday visited Yadav-dominated Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh on party’s instructions to assess the poll preparations. Yadav held meetings with party leaders in five Lok Sabha constituencies — Azamgarh, Lalganj, Ghosi, Ballia and Salempur. Azamgarh Lok Sabha seat is seen as a stronghold of the Samajwadi Party, which Akhilesh Yadav had won in 2019. However, the BJP wrested the seat in the 2022 bypoll. Amid reports that somebody from Akhilesh’s family may contest from the seat, the BJP is taking measures to consolidate maximum Yadav votes in its favour. Return Shift Dr Arvind Panagariya will take charge as the Chairman of the 16th Finance Commission (FC) on Wednesday. He is returning to serve in Lutyens’ Delhi after five-and-half years since he left NITI Aayog in August 2017. Since he was appointed as the Chancellor of Nalanda University, sources said, he has been in touch with the people who matter in the power corridors of Lutyens’ Delhi.
