From Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s media briefing, to events marking veteran socialist leader Jayaprakash Narayan’s death anniversary, here are political developments to watch out for today. Shah, Nadda in Assam: Union home minister Amit Shah and BJP president JP Nadda arrived in Guwahati on Friday evening. They chaired an official meeting on the issue of annual floods in Assam, and held a discussion with the BJP's Assam core committee in the evening. Today, the two BJP leaders will inaugurate the party's newly-constructed state office at Beltola in Guwahati, and also address a rally of party workers at the Khanapara Veterinary Ground. Shah is expected to hold a meeting on narcotics with the chief ministers, chief secretaries and director-generals of police of Northeastern states and chair a review meeting on the North Eastern Space Application Centre (NESAC) this evening. Rahul media briefing in Karnataka: Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi, who is currently engaged in the Karnataka leg of his Bharat Jodo Yatra, will hold a special briefing at 1 pm today at the Cosmopolitan Club at Turuvekere in the Tumkur district of Karnataka. Election Commission seeks Uddhav Thackeray faction’s response on party symbol: The Election Commission (EC) has asked Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray’s faction to respond to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde group's claim of the party's “bow and arrow” election symbol in view of the upcoming Assembly bypoll in the state. In a letter to Thackeray, the Commission directed his party to comment, and provide the requisite documents latest by 2 pm today. "In case no reply is received, the Commission will take appropriate action in the matter accordingly," the Commission said. The Andheri East bypoll is going to be the first major electoral fight between the two factions since Shinde’s revolt in June. The Thackeray group’s candidate is Rutuja Latke, widow of late MLA Ramesh Latke whose death necessitated the election. The BJP, the Shinde faction’s ally, has decided to field BMC corporator Murji Patel from the seat. Jayaprakash Narayan’s death anniversary: Today also marks the death anniversary of freedom fighter and veteran socialist leader Jayaprakash Narayan. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar will visit Sitab Diyara village, the leader’s birthplace, to pay his tributes. On Friday, Kumar also wrote to Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath to complete “long-pending development work” in the ancestral village of Narayan. "The village of JP is a place people want to see. We have done our best, built a ring dam at a cost of Rs 65 crore and spent another Rs 35 crore for work aimed at preventing erosion of the flood prone area," Nitish said. "But parts of Sitab Diyara fall in UP and the government there had agreed, in principle, to do its bit way back in 2017-18," he said, adding: "I have therefore written a fresh letter to UP CM, requesting him to speed up things progressing at a snail pace. This will help residents of that state who may be desirous of visiting the historic place”.
