Results of the five Assembly bypolls across four states will be declared on Monday. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the CPI(M) are looking at the bypolls in West Bengal and Kerala, where they are in power respectively, as precursors to the Assembly polls slated next year in their states. A bypoll win would give them a boost in the 2026 final, with the campaigns reflecting their stakes. The BJP wants to retain its old bastion in Gujarat, but it is also hoping to clinch another seat where the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is steadily growing. In Punjab, the ruling AAP is facing a challenge from not only the Congress but also the BJP. The Kaliaganj seat in West Bengal, Nilabur in Kerala, Ludhiana West in Punjab, and Visavadar and Kadi in Gujarat are the seats which saw the byelections. Amit Shah in Varanasi Union Home Minister Amit Shah will arrive in Varanasi on Monday evening on a two-day visit to chair the Central Zonal Council meeting to be held on June 24, a senior officer said. The 25th Central Zonal Council meeting is proposed on Tuesday which will be attended by chief ministers of four states including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh. Varanasi Divisional Commissioner S Rajlingam said that Union Home Minister Shah will reach Varanasi on Monday evening for the meeting. He said that UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami, Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav, and Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai, along with other ministers and officials, will participate in the meeting. Rajnath to release collection President Murmu’s speeches Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday will release a curated collection of 51 speeches of President Droupadi Murmu delivered by her during her second year in office, the government said. This volume follows its predecessor in chronicling the evolving discourse on governance, inclusivity, and national aspirations, it said on Sunday. The event will take place at the Rashtrapati Bhavan complex. Singh will release the compilation the president's speeches, 'Wings to our Hopes '? Volume II', and its Hindi version, 'Ashaon Ki Udaan? Khand 2', on Monday, a senior official said. The collection has been compiled by the Rashtrapati Bhavan and published by the publications division of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Birla to inaugurate Estimates Committees’ conference Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will inaugurate the National Conference of Estimates Committees of Parliament and State Legislative Bodies here on Monday. During the two-day conference, chairpersons and members of Estimates Committees of Parliament and legislative bodies of states and union territories will brainstorm on the 'Role of Estimates Committee in Effective Monitoring and Review of Budget Estimates for ensuring Efficiency and Economy in Administration'. The Lok Sabha speaker will also release the 75th anniversary souvenir of the Estimates Committee of Parliament. – With PTI inputs
