Morning Digest: Mahayuti yet to take a call on new Maharashtra Chief Minister; U.S. agency conducting due diligence on Adani’s Sri Lanka project, and more

The Hindu Morning Digest gives a select list of stories to start the day. Read the top news today on November 25, 2024

Even as the Election Commission presented its notification and the government gazette with the names of elected candidates in the Assembly polls to the Governor of Maharashtra, government formation in the State may take time, sources indicated to The Hindu. As per the internal communication of the legislature secretariat sources, the swearing-in and the Assembly session may take place on 27 or 28 of November.

A U.S. agency that agreed to lend more than $500 million to a Sri Lanka port development backed by the Adani Group said it is still conducting due diligence on the project in the wake of bribery allegations against the group’s billionaire founder Gautam Adani and other top executives. The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation has not reached a final agreement on the loan, an official with the agency said in an email.

The autopsy report of three of the six members of a Meitei family who were allegedly abducted by armed militants during an encounter with security forces in the Jiribam district of Manipur. The report said that one of the victims, a 3-year-old boy, had a bullet wound on his chin and his right eye was “missing”. The body had several lacerations, indicating injuries by a blunt object, and was infested with maggots when brought for post mortem, the report said.

This Maharashtra Assembly election result marks a significant shift from the Lok Sabha elections, held earlier this year where the Mahayuti trailed behind the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) by a considerable margin. The Assembly outcome highlights Mahayuti’s strong performance, clearly scoring over the competition and securing a clear mandate. Given this decisive victory, it is important to examine key voting issues that shaped the electorate’s choices and contributed to the election outcome.

The Kolkata police arrested Bikash Mishra, accused in the coal smuggling scam case being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The arrest comes at a time when the process of framing charges in the multi-crore scam has commenced before a special CBI court at Asansol in West Burdwan district.

West Bengal Governor C. V. Ananda Bose found himself embroiled in a new controversy after photographs of him unveiling his statue emerged on social media. The Governor has launched elaborate celebrations to mark two years in office. As the photograph went viral, the Raj Bhawan Media Cell issued a statement saying that the statue was presented to the Governor and he did not unveil it. The development, however, sparked criticism in political circles with the ruling Trinamool Congress and Left parties criticising the Governor. Trinamool spokesperson Jayprakash Majumder described the act as “megalomania”.

A woman was duped of ₹34 lakh in a case of "digital arrest" by cyber criminals who threatened her with fake notices by the Enforcement Directorate, officials said. “The fraudsters claimed that a parcel was being sent from Mumbai to Iran in her name containing five passports, two debit cards, two laptops, 900 U.S. dollars and 200 grams of narcotics,” they said.