Daily Briefing: Bengal reels from Adhikari aide’s killing, Vijay’s TVK struggles for majority in Tamil Nadu

• Post-poll violence in Bengal
• Op Sindoor: A year later
• What is hantavirus?

🚨 Big Story

Following the landslide victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West Bengal Assembly elections 2026, the tensions in the state escalated late Wednesday when Chandranath Rath, executive assistant to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, was shot dead in the Doharia area of Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas district. A close aide of Adhikari who is the frontrunner for the post of Chief Minister, Rath died on the spot after motorcycle-borne assailants shot at him. His driver also sustained injuries. According to a senior police officer, “It’s a planned murder. Because after he shot Rath, the killer waited for him to die.”

Meanwhile, accusing the BJP and the Election Commission of India of “stealing” the mandate in West Bengal through “manipulation of EVMs” and violence, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee refused to resign as the Chief Minister. Her party also announced that it would be moving court against the Assembly election results. However, state Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal met Governor R N Ravi and submitted the gazette notification of the election results, clearing the decks for the Governor to invite the BJP, the party voted to power in a landslide, to form the next government.

Down South: The political race in Tamil Nadu birthed a new possibility that would have sounded improbable just a day ago: leaders of Dravidian arch rivals DMK and AIADMK are exploring a joint fallback scenario if Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) falls short of the majority mark. This latest twist in the state’s post-election churn came after Vijay’s path to becoming the next Chief Minister hit an unexpected pause. It also revealed how deeply the state’s political establishment was against a Congress-backed Vijay government, as the Congress earlier broke its longstanding alliance with the DMK to extend the support of its five MLAs to the TVK.

The strategist: For much of the TVK’s campaign in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, the party’s public face was its founder, Vijay – cinematic, emotionally charged, almost deliberately elusive. But behind the actor-turned-politician’s electoral rise stood a quieter figure: John Arokiasamy, the strategist who has now emerged as one of the most closely watched backroom operators in Tamil Nadu politics. Soft-spoken and rarely visible at public rallies, Arokiasamy played a role far beyond that of a conventional election consultant. Within TVK circles, he is seen as a central organising mind, someone involved not only in messaging and electoral strategy, but also in shaping the party’s structure, internal functioning and political positioning.

⚡ Only in Express

May 7 marks a year of Operation Sindoor – a strike by the Indian armed forces on terror targets in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Pakistan followed by hostilities between the two countries over four days. A year since, the Indian military has focused on two crucial aspects: large-scale construction of underground infrastructure and the establishment of a strong air defence system. Among the several changes being considered are deployment of troops and equipment, acquisition of new technology and weapons, including a range of drones and counter-drone systems, and newer ways of fighting wars. Here are some learnings from Op Sindoor.

📰 From the Front Page

Sporting ties: A year after the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, India has now formally opened the door for Pakistani athletes and teams to compete on its soil in international events. In the form of a policy that separates bilateral ties from global sporting commitments, India declared, “Indian teams will not be participating in competitions in Pakistan. Nor will we permit Pakistani teams to play in India.” It further stated that Indian teams and its players will participate in international events with teams or players from Pakistan. And similarly, Pakistani players and teams will be able to take part in such multilateral events hosted by India. The move signals a more supportive visa regime for athletes, officials and international federation representatives.

Tiniest: Photographic evidence for the presence of the rusty-spotted cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus), one of the world’s smallest species of wildcat, was reported last week in the peer-reviewed journal Zoo’s Print. The findings indicate the presence of a resident population of the species in the Aravalli landscape in Faridabad and Gurgaon. The cat, which is native to India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, is classified as ‘Near Threatened’ on the IUCN Red List, and is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act. It measures no more than 35-48 cm in length, about half of which is a bushy tail.

📌 Must Read

Delhi tops: The National Capital of India, Delhi recorded 13,396 crime cases — the highest — against women, and 1,267 cases against senior citizens among the country’s 19 Metro cities in 2024. At 41.6%, it also reported the highest rate of crimes committed by juveniles, according to the latest Crime in India report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). Not only this, the Capital topped the list of Indian cities when it came to cases of theft, with nearly 30% of all such offences being reported in Delhi.

In our Opinion section today, Syed Ata Hasnain delves into the features of Operation Sindoor, and the embedded lessons that would help India manage conflicts in a complex, multi-domain environment in the future. Hasnain writes: “Operation Sindoor also underscores a broader lesson: Future conflicts will not resemble the past. They will be shorter, sharper, and fought across domains that blur the line between war and peace. Urban centres, digital infrastructure, and societal cohesion may become as significant as traditional battlefields. The ability to absorb shocks, maintain normalcy, and control narratives will be as critical as military success.”

Emergency: According to the World Health Organization, seven cases of hantavirus, including three confirmed and five suspected, have been identified among the people aboard a luxury cruise ship MV Hondius, which departed from Argentina last month. While three of them have died, one is in intensive care in a South African hospital, and another is getting treated in Switzerland. What are the symptoms of hantavirus? How does it spread? Here’s all you need to know.

⏳ And Finally…

In our latest edition of Idea Exchange, senior Congress leader V D Satheesan sits down with my colleague Liz Mathew, to contemplate whether someone like him, without any administrative experience, should become the Chief Minister of Kerala. “The vision of a leader is very important and the main thing is team building. Selecting the right people around, that shows your leadership,” Satheesan, a five-time MLA from Paravur, said.

🎧 Lastly, don’t forget to tune in to today’s episode of our 3 Things podcast, where we discuss the factors behind Mamata Banerjee’s defeat in West Bengal and BJP’s sweeping victory; first phase of India’s Census exercise; as well as Cabinet’s approval of an emergency credit guarantee scheme for MSMEs and airlines affected by the ongoing US-Iran war.

That’s all for today. Have a wonderful day!

Until next time,
Ariba

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