Daily wrap: Modi-Shah meet; Jaitley resigns; Patnaik takes oath

Eight hours of PM-Shah meetings to choose ministers; no names out yet

With the swearing-in of the new Modi cabinet all set to take place in less than 36 hours, speculation is rife over who all would be part of it. To decide on the probable names for the new cabinet, Prime Minister Modi and party chief Amit Shah had a marathon meeting for nearly five hours on Tuesday. This evening too they both had a three-hour meeting.

Also read: Arun Jaitley writes to PM, opts out of next cabinet

Around 65 ministers are expected to be sworn in on May 30 including new faces from states such as Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal and north east. While a few prominent ones from the erstwhile cabinet would be retained, those who didn’t make a mark in the elections may be dropped. Among the challenges the Modi-Shah duo faces relate to striking a balance between different regions, caste, community and religion.

Also read: Amit Shah, Prasad, Kani, Irani cease to be members of Rajya Sabha

Mumbai doc suicide: Three accused held, college panel confirms charges

The three doctors who allegedly abetted the suicide of Dr Payal Tadvi, a second year postgraduate student of the Gynaecology and Obstetrics department of Mumbai-based BYL Nair Hospital, have been arrested. Also, the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) has suspended the three doctors. An FIR has been filed against the three senior doctors Dr Hema Ahuja, Dr Ankita Khandelwal and Dr Bhakti Mehare under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, IPC sections for abettment to suicide and Maharashtra Prohibition of Ragging Act, 1999. The three will be produced in the court on Wednesday.

Naveen takes oath as Odisha CM; Modi in congratulatory tweet assures central support

Biju Janata Dal president Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday took oath as the Chief Minister of Odisha for a fifth consecutive term. Patnaik was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Ganeshi Lal in a grand ceremony at the Idco Exhibition Ground here. The BJD, which won 112 seats in the 147-member Assembly in the recently concluded elections, held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls, has been in power in Odisha since 2000.

Nanguneri Assembly seat to face by-polls as Vasanth Kumar resigns

On getting elected MP of Kanyakumari, Congress leader and MLA of Nanguneri constituency H Vasanthakumar met Tamil Nadu Assembly speaker P Dhanapal and submitted his resignation at the secretariat in Chennai on Wednesday. This is in line with the rule that anyone getting elected while being a member of either the legislative Assembly or Parliament should give up one position within six days.

CPI likely to lose national party status after poll debacle

The Communist Party of India (CPI) is likely to lose its national party status following the debacle in the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections in which the party won just two seats. The CPI along with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) are facing the prospects of losing their national party status after their dismal performance in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections as well.

DMK: Will not seek backdoor entry to govt, may not press for trust vote

Until recently, DMK leader MK Stalin had been claiming that there would be regime change in the State and the Centre when results were out. On May 28, five days after results, he, however, told mediapersons to wait and watch when asked if the DMK would move a no-confidence motion in the Assembly. Spelling out DMK’s thinking, the party’s organ Murasoli on May 29, said that the party has little interest in toppling the AIADMK government.

Indian weightlifters caught for doping violation

Several Indian weightlifters have been tested positive by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) for banned substances, the sports national body IWLF confirmed on Wednesday (May 29). The details of the lifters, who were randomly tested during the National weightlifting championships held on February 21-28, are not yet known. The news comes ahead of the Commonwealth Championship slated to begin from July 9 at Apia, Samoa. Traditionally India is known to dominate at the Commonwealth level. “Yes, some weightlifters have been tested positive but we are awaiting the full report prepared by NADA. Once the entire report is sent to us only then can we make any further comments,” IWLF General Secretary Sahdev Yadav told PTI. As per procedure, the B samples of the lifters will now be tested. If those samples also return positive the weightlifters could face a ban up to four years.

First mail, then WhatsApp: How a ‘story’ captivated imaginations for a decade

We come across many short stories in our lives. Some narrated as fiction, and some presented as true stories. Needless to say that the one branded as ‘real’ sell more and are taken more seriously. One such story is that of a sales person called Kalaivani who was working at Giri Trading Agency Pvt Limited’s outlet in Mylapore and a chance encounter with a reporter from the Washington Post, a Tamilian who has interviewed the likes of Paris Hilton and Oprah Winfrey. The journalist named Vishwanath, who arrives in the temple locality of Mylapore in the city of Chennai is intrigued by her knowledge of Hindu religious works like Tattva Bodha and her understanding of the works.