2 min readMar 13, 2026 06:30 AM IST
First published on: Mar 13, 2026 at 06:30 AM IST
S B Chavan will be sworn in as Chief Minister of Maharashtra. The swearing-in of most of the members of the new Council of Ministers is also slated for the same day. The Chief Minister-elect, who will be relinquishing charge as the Union Home Minister, said in New Delhi that he will take into his ministry persons of talent, experience and capacity to work without consideration of group affiliations. He is against the creation of a post of deputy chief minister.
Tensions in Pakistan
Nine prominent opposition leaders of Pakistan, including National Democratic Party leader Khan Abdul Wali Khan have been put under house arrest to prevent them from attending a meeting against the government action on poppy growers. Besides Wali Khan, the other prominent leaders put under house arrest include the party’s central vice president, Haji Ghulam Ahmad Bilour, and provincial president Mohammad Afzal Khan.
Golden Temple ‘incidents’
The Centre has told the Punjab government that “secessionist activities” continue to take place in the Golden Temple complex and that the latter should check these. In communication with the Chief Minister, Surjit Singh Barnala, the Union Minister of State for Internal Security, Arun Nehru, is understood to have pointed out that the “Khalistan” flag continued to fly at the top of a building in the complex where it was put on January 26. He has asked the state government to bring it down.
Surplus budget for Bengal
The West Bengal Chief Minister, Jyoti Basu, now looking after finance, presented in the state Legislative Assembly a surplus budget of Rs 50.53 crore for 1986-87, inclusive of a Rs 28.57 crore opening balance. Basu proposed new levies to mop up Rs 40.5 crore, of which Rs 30 crore alone would come from increased cess on coal. However, Basu said the surplus had to take into account the payment of five instalments of dearness allowance to state government employees besides the additional commitment of Rs 8 crore for development of infrastructural facilities in the Calcutta metropolitan development areas and other urban areas.
