Delhi Confidential: Solo For Net Gain?

Former UP chief minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav appears to be crafting strategy for a solo game for the next Assembly polls, scheduled for 2022.

Former UP chief minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.

Having allied with the Congress in 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls and the BSP for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, former UP chief minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav appears to be crafting strategy for a solo game for the next Assembly polls, scheduled for 2022. Meanwhile, he has picked up another solo game: tennis. Akhilesh is believed to have taken to the game after leaving the CM’s residence in 2017. In the last two years, the SP leader has gained enough confidence and is learnt to regularly invite opponents for a game of tennis.

Load Of Less Entry

IIM-Jammu, set up by the incumbent government, has approached the HRD Ministry for more money. While the demand isn’t unusual, the reason is. The funds crunch is on account of fewer admissions this year than what the institute had planned. IIM-Jammu increased its intake this year from 60 seats to 155 and, for this, the institute spent money to create the necessary infrastructure. In its letter to the ministry, institute chairman and entrepreneur Milin Kamble has attributed the loss in admission to “recent developments in J&K” and requested that the government bear the revenue loss of Rs 11 crore due to low admissions.

On Ad Blitz

On the New Year’s Day, the BJP released a three-minute video to showcase the government’s achievements in the year gone by. “From the Balakot airstrikes to Citizenship Amendment Act and more, it has been an eventful year,” the party says. On the economy front, though, the video has only one issue to point out: that India did not join the RCEP to “uphold benefits of farmers and MSMEs”. The video, which talks about the government’s efforts at “fostering India’s integrity and strengthening foreign ties”, highlights the Balakot strike, passage of law criminalising triple talaq, abrogation of Article 370, 40 lakh people living in unauthorised colonies in Delhi having been given ownership, and the amended citizenship law. It also features the ‘Howdy Modi’ event in the US and the fresh developments in India-China ties.