A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Alliance with BSP is enough to beat BJP in Uttar Pradesh, Congress not needed, says Samajwadi Party leader: Kiranmoy Nanda said the Rahul Gandhi-led party is an ‘insignificant force’ in the state.   
  2. Secretaries of three Uttar Pradesh ministers arrested on corruption charges, say reports: Chief Minister Adityanath suspended them last week after ABP News aired a sting operation on December 26.   
  3. Ram temple and triple talaq may harm NDA in General Elections, says Chirag Paswan: The Lok Janshakti Party leader claimed that the BJP-led alliance can win 35 to 40 seats in Bihar if the two subjects are kept off the agenda.   
  4. JNU professor who criticised administration is denied leave to receive prestigious Infosys Prize: Art historian Kavita Singh is the dean of Jawaharlal Nehru University’s School of Arts and Aesthetics.   
  5. Mamata Banerjee can become the first prime minister from West Bengal, says state BJP chief: The fate of the state depends on the chief minister’s success, Dilip Ghosh added.   
  6. Tamil Nadu parties want Tiruvarur bye-election to be deferred, cite ongoing cyclone relief work: Only TTV Dhinakaran’s Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam is not in favour of postponement. 
  7. Talks with Democrats to resume today, says US President Donald Trump: The president said not much headway was made in the meeting between Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic Party leaders on Saturday.   
  8. Heavy snowfall cuts off Kashmir Valley from rest of the country: The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, the Srinagar-Leh National Highway and Bandipora-Gurez road have been closed.   
  9. Ahmadiyya writer’s speech in Pune cancelled after protestors allege his views are heretical, says report: Basharat Ahmed dismissed the accusations and said the demonstrators want members of his sect to be officially recognised as non-Muslims.   
  10. US woman in vegetative state gives birth, police begin sexual assault inquiry: The woman, who has been in coma for at least a decade, surprised the staff at the Arizona medical facility she is in when she went into labour on December 29.