Morning briefing: TMC snubs Congress alliance efforts; Salman Khurshid’s appeal sparks buzz, all the latest news

A shortlist of the biggest headlines, recommended stories, and a special collection of news items you should check out.

Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien reaffirmed the party's decision to contest all 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal, along with a few seats in Assam and one in Meghalaya. This statement follows reports of revived talks between TMC and Congress for a possible alliance in West Bengal. Despite initial claims of going solo, Congress stated that discussions with TMC were back on track. Meanwhile, Congress has formed alliances in Uttar Pradesh with the Samajwadi Party and in Maharashtra with Shiv Sena and NCP. Talks for seat-sharing are ongoing with allies in Maharashtra. Dig deeper

More news on seat-sharing talks: AAP, Congress finalise 4:3 seat-sharing formula for Lok Sabha seats in Delhi

MVA seat-sharing pact finalised: Sharad Pawar

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. (ANI)

Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid, despite the Farrukhabad seat being allotted to the Samajwadi Party (SP) in a seat-sharing deal, appealed to voters for their support, sparking speculations around his next move. Khurshid won from Farrukhabad in 2009 but faced defeats in subsequent elections. The SP-Congress agreement assigns 63 seats to SP and 17 to Congress in Uttar Pradesh. Khurshid clarified his social media post should not be “interpreted unnecessarily”, adding that he was a member of the Congress committee that held seat-sharing talks with the SP, and has no complaints. Dig deeper

The Latest News

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Global Matters

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Sports Goings

BCCI Secretary Jay Shah recently warned India players against prioritizing IPL over domestic cricket, cautioning of "severe implications." Despite this, Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer's reluctance to participate in the Ranji Trophy season may lead to them losing their central contracts, as per a report by The Times of India. The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee has apparently excluded their names from the list of centrally contracted players for the 2023-24 season due to their absence from domestic cricket. Ishan withdrew from India's tour of South Africa in December due to mental health reasons and has not played Ranji Trophy games for Jharkhand. Meanwhile, Iyer's absence from Mumbai's recent matches due to a purported back injury has been questioned by the NCA's sports science head, who confirmed his fitness. Dig deeper

Entertainment Focus

Salman Khan attended the opening match of the Celebrity Cricket League in Sharjah, joining his brother Sohail Khan for the event. He shared moments on Instagram, including interactions with his mother, niece, and nephew, along with enjoying fries fed by his niece. Salman sported a blue shirt and denims for the occasion. Other videos surfaced, showing Salman with family, posing with the CCL trophy, and interacting with singer Abdu Rozik. The CCL, featuring over 200 film stars across eight teams from various Indian film industries, will span three weekends with 20 matches. Notably, Salman is riding high on the success of his recent action thriller "Tiger 3" and is set to appear in Vishnuvardhan's "The Bull" and possibly "Tiger vs Pathaan" alongside Shah Rukh Khan. Dig deeper

Lifestyle and Health

Samantha Ruth Prabhu recently embarked on a holiday to Malaysia, specifically enjoying her time in Langkawi. She shared glimpses of her getaway, including a post featuring her donning a brown bikini while taking a dip in a lake. Samantha tagged her location as The Datai Langkawi and captioned the post with "Highest love [white heart emoji]." Besides swimming, she also engaged in other activities and showcased the beautiful property where she stayed. Her brown bikini set comprised a textured top with a plunging neckline and twisted design, paired with bottoms featuring high-leg cut-outs. Accessories included a delicate necklace with a diamond pendant. Samantha's look was completed with soft curls, nude lip shade, and a radiant complexion. Dig deeper

That’s all we have at this hour in our Morning briefing. Catch you in the afternoon