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Saturday, February 21, 2026
TopicRajya Sabha polls

Topic: Rajya Sabha polls

Who is Syed Naseer Hussain, Congress Rajya Sabha MP in middle of ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ row

BJP claims Hussain's supporters chanted ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ after his victory in RS polls. But, Congress MP says he is being targeted because of his faith & for cornering Centre.

Vikramaditya makes U-turn but Sukhu govt in Himachal still on slippery slope after BJP’s ‘near-coup’

Cross-voting by 6 Congress MLAs in favour of BJP in Rajya Sabha polls set off political crisis in Himachal Pradesh. State BJP leaders claim Sukhu govt ‘no longer enjoys majority’.

Deadbolt the stables, milord & why conscientious cross-voters thrive in politics

The best cartoons of the day, chosen by the editors at ThePrint.

In Himachal, crisis for Congress deepens as party leader Vikramaditya Singh resigns from Cabinet

Son of late ex-CM Virbhadra Singh, Vikramaditya says he & other MLAs have been sidelined over past yr. This comes amid BJP's demand for division of votes in Assembly to pass state budget.

Rajya Sabha polls expose fault lines within BJP-JD(S) alliance in Karnataka ahead of Lok Sabha

Open defiance by 2 BJP MLAs — one of whom cross-voted & the other abstained — indicates simmering dissent within BJP ranks in the state, fuelling speculations of another round of exodus.

Question mark on Congress govt’s survival in Himachal after BJP springs surprise in Rajya Sabha polls

Six from ruling party & three Independents cross-voted to facilitate BJP’s win despite Congress's numerical strength in assembly. Votes were tied & Mahajan won through draw of lots.

Himachal RS polls headed for nail-biter? Congress on guard amid dissent, nominee’s outsider tag

MLAs Sudhir Sharma & Rajinder Rana have been expressing dissatisfaction with party leadership for quite some time. Abhishek Manu Singhvi is Congress candidate from hill state.

Bahubali, seven-time MLA, ex-minister — why BJP, SP made beeline for Raja bhaiya’s Kunda mansion

Kunda strongman will be key to ensuring victory of BJP's eighth candidate. Similarly, SP needs outside support for its third nominee. RS polls to take place Tuesday.

‘This is no family drama’ — after RLD set-back, ally Apna Dal (K) calls SP’s RS candidate list a ‘fraud’

Apna Dal (Kamerawadi)’s Pallavi Patel has objected to SP’s nominations of Jaya Bachchan & Alok Ranjan. For SP, this comes less than a week after former ally RLD joined NDA fold. 

Diamond merchant who donated ‘generously’ to Ram temple — who is BJP’s RS nominee Govindbhai Dholakia

Born into a family of farmers, Dholakia is a philanthropist businessman from Surat. He was announced as one of the BJP’s four nominees for Rajya Sabha polls scheduled for 27 February.

On Camera

Youth Congress, your foolish protest helped the Modi govt climb out of the AI summit hole

In tactical terms, the shirtless protest was worse than a self-goal. Suddenly, the fiascos of the AI Summit were forgotten, and the Youth Congress’s disruption became the issue.

In the West, there’s anxiety. In India, optimism—Rishi Sunak says India poised to be leader in AI

On Wednesday, the former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was speaking in New Delhi at a Carnegie & Observer Research Foundation event on AI.

MoD, IAF agree on some exemptions to HAL for Tejas Mk1A, but no compromise on ‘must-have’ capabilities

IAF is fine with accepting the aircraft with 'must-haves', even if some other steps remain pending, which may take at least another year, it is learnt.

No country is ever fully sovereign. Cold War era taught India its real meaning

India’s fraught neighbourhood places multiple constraints on its strategic choices. It leaves no time to take a deep breath, lean back and reset.