Top news of the day: BJP-Shiv Sena combine leads in BMC polls; Supreme Court stays HC verdict disqualifying Mukul Roy as MLA for defecting to TMC

BJP achieves momentous victory in the State again, says CM Fadnavis

The BJP-Shiv Sena combine is storming ahead in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, according to trends. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday (January 16) congratulated Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde as well as party workers as trends showed the BJP-Shiv Sena were set to win comfortably in most of the 29 municipal corporations of Maharashtra.

The BMC polls conducted on Thursday (January 15, 2026) saw a voter turnout of 52.94%, down from 55.53% in the last elections in 2017, officials said. The election to the 227-member BMC, which governs India’s richest municipal corporation with a budget of ₹74,400 crore, is being held after a long gap, making it a key political contest.

Supreme Court stays HC verdict disqualifying Mukul Roy as MLA for defecting to TMC

The Supreme Court on Friday (January 16, 2026) stayed a Calcutta High Court order disqualifying politician Mukul Roy from the West Bengal Legislative Assembly for defecting to the Trinamool Congress on the basis of a video clipping of a press conference allegedly showing him with leaders of the ruling party in the State.

“In this AI [artificial intelligence] era, anybody’s face can be used in a video,” Chief Justice of India Surya Kant observed, brushing aside objections raised by senior advocate Gaurab Agarwal, appearing for West Bengal Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari.

Gauri Lankesh murder case accused wins Jalna civic poll as Independent

Shrikant Pangarkar, an accused in the 2017 killing of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh, on Friday (January 16, 2026) won as a corporator from the Jalna Municipal Corporation in Maharashtra. Mr. Pangarkar had contested as an Independent candidate from electoral ward No. 13. He defeated his nearest rival, Raosaheb Dhoble of the BJP.

Gauri Lankesh was shot dead outside her residence in Bengaluru on September 5, 2017. The killing had triggered widespread outrage. In August 2018, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad arrested Pangarkar under provisions of the Explosives Act, the Explosive Substances Act, and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.

Youth, entrepreneurs focussed on solving real problems; Startup India now a revolution: PM Modi

India’s youth and entrepreneurs are focussed on solving real problems, and the Startup India mission has become a revolution, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday (January 16, 2026). Speaking at a mega event marking a decade of the flagship programme ‘Startup India’, Mr. Modi said the ecosystem that started with four start-ups in 2014 has grown to over 125 active unicorns.

Migrant workers being tortured for speaking Bengali in BJP-ruled states, alleges Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday (January 16, 2026) alleged that migrant labourers were being tortured for speaking Bengali in BJP-ruled States. Ms. Banerjee, who headed for north Bengal to attend administrative programmes, accused the BJP of “planning to incite riots in the state”, as “the party realised that it would not be able to win the 2026 assembly elections”.

Greenland is a territory of Denmark, says Russia, slams ‘double standards’ of Western powers

The ‍Kremlin said ​on Friday (January 16, 2026) that Russia ‌considers ​Greenland to be Danish territory, and added that the security situation surrounding ​the island ⁠was “extraordinary” from the perspective of ​international law. The ‍Kremlin also said that the stated ​desire of Italy, France and Germany to resume dialogue on Ukraine with ​Russia was ⁠a significant shift which matched its ​own view ⁠of how things should evolve.

Canada PM Carney announces ‘preliminary’ Canada-China deal to reduce tariffs

Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a deal with China’s Xi Jinping on Friday (January 16, 2026) to reduce tariffs on each country’s products after the two leaders met in Beijing. “Canada and China have reached a preliminary but landmark trade agreement to remove trade barriers and reduce, reduce tariffs,” Mr. Carney told a news conference in the Chinese capital.

“By March the first, Canada expects that China will lower tariffs on Canadian canola seed. The combined rate of approximately 15 percent… this change represents a significant drop from the current combined tariff levels of 84%.”

Modify injunction in Ilaiyaraaja personality rights suit, Sun TV urges Madras High Court

Sun TV Network Limited has approached the Madras High Court with a plea to modify an interim injunction obtained by acclaimed musician R. Ilaiyaraaja in a John Doe suit (a case filed against unknown entities, besides named entities) filed by him to protect his personality rights.

Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy has granted time till January 21 for the musician’s counsel A. Saravanan to obtain instructions on the modification applications filed by Sun TV Network as well as music label Music Masters Audio Video LLP, based in Chennai.

India a key driver of global growth, says IMF spokesperson

India continues to remain a key growth engine for the global economy, with its economic performance staying strong and resilient, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). IMF spokesperson Julie Kozack, who also heads the Communications Department at the IMF said “India is a key growth engine for the world.”

BPL resumes as Bangladesh players call off boycott; CWAB head says getting death threats

Bangladesh’s aggrieved cricketers called off their boycott “in the greater interest of the game” after the country’s Cricket Board (BCB) and the players’ welfare association arrived at a consensus, leading to the resumption of the scheduled BPL T20 matches on Friday (January 16, 2026). The BCB (Bangladesh Cricket Board) on Thursday (January 15, 2026) stared at the prospect of its flagship T20 league coming to a halt after senior national players revolted against director Najmul Islam for his disparaging comments against them.

Published – January 16, 2026 06:32 pm IST