Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, who was sworn in on Thursday, will take a floor test in the Assembly on Saturday to prove his majority. The Governor had granted him 15 days to prove his majority. This is the first time in 29 years a Chief Minister will be seeking a vote of confidence in the House. Barring Panneerselvam and K. Pandiarajan, who revolted against the leadership of the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, all other Ministers in the outgoing Cabinet were retained.

The third phase of polling in 69 constituencies in Uttar Pradesh gets underway on Sunday. The contest will see 826 candidates drawn from 12 districts, namely, Farrukhabad, Hardoi, Kannauj, Mainpuri, Etawah, Auraiya, Kanpur Dehat, Unnao, Lucknow, Barabanki and Sitapur. The first phase of poling in 73 assembly seats saw a 64.22 per cent turnout on February 11, while the second phase on February 15 saw a 65.16 per cent voter turnout. The other four phases will be held on February 23 and 27 and on March 4 and 8. Results will be out on March 11.

A key anti-profiteering clause in the draft Goods and Services Tax law to ensure that the benefit of lower taxes is shared with consumers is likely to be finalised at the 10th meeting of the all-powerful GST Council on Saturday. The Council, headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and comprising representatives of all states, is also likely to finalise the definition of 'agriculture' and 'agriculturist' as well as the constitution of a 'National Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal to adjudicate on disputes.

The Jat agitation for reservation in Haryana is likely to step up a notch with protestors calling upon the general public to intensify protests on Sunday. Unlike the 2016 Jat agitation when the warring fractions presented a fractured front, the protesters now stand united under one banner and have amassed support across all districts, including a large number of women who are also part of sit-in protests in villages.

The leader of Karnataka Chalavali Varalakshmi Paksha and former MLA from Chamrajnagar, Varalakshmi Nagaraj, has made a call for a state wide bandh on Saturday seeking the people's support for lifting the ban on kambala. The chorus to bring back kambala has been increasing and the people power seen during the protests for jallikattu in Tamil Nadu has also given Kannadigas a shot in the arm.

Related Topics