Japan kicks off election campaign as support for the ruling LDP dips
The Hindu
Mr. Kishida's approval rating also fell, slipping three percentage points to 46%, although his party is still expected to retain power, albeit with fewer seats
Japan on October 19 kicked off its first official day of campaigning ahead of the , with a media poll showing support for the ruling party easing, in a blow for recently installed .
Support for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) was at 38.8%, according to a poll by public broadcaster NHK conducted over the weekend, down from 41.2% a week earlier.
Mr. Kishida's approval rating also fell, slipping three percentage points to 46%, although his party is still expected to retain power, albeit with fewer seats.

In , the grape capital of India and host of the Simhastha Kumbh Mela every 12 years, environmental concerns over a plan to cut 1,800 trees for the proposed Sadhugram project in the historic Tapovan area have sharpened political fault lines ahead of local body elections. The issue has pitted both Sena factions against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which leads the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra. While Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief, and Uddhav Thackeray, chief of the Shiv Sena (UBT), remain political rivals, their parties have found rare common ground in Tapovan, where authorities propose clearing trees across 34 acres to build Sadhugram and a MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) hub, as part of a ₹300-crore infrastructure push linked to the pilgrimage.












