The Week Ahead: Cong embarks on nationwide outreach; UP government report on Lakhimpur killings likely on Wednesday

Mumbai Following Sunday’s India-Pakistan clash at the T20 World Cup in Dubai, India gets a longish breather before their next match against New Zealand on October 31

Mumbai Following Sunday’s India-Pakistan clash at the T20 World Cup in Dubai, India gets a longish breather before their next match against New Zealand on October 31. That one’s going to be another exciting face-off between Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson, two of the best contemporary batters across all formats, and may prove crucial for the tournament’s eventual outcome. Both India and New Zealand were pre-tournament frontrunners, if not outright favourites.

A vehicle set ablaze after violence broke out after farmers agitating were allegedly run over by a vehicle in the convoy of a union minister, in Lakhimpur Kheri on Sunday (ANI)

In other important matches, Pakistan play New Zealand and South Africa play West Indies on Tuesday, while England have their big match against Australia on Saturday.

While the T20 World Cup might dominate the sports page headlines this week and the next, the next six days are going to be blazing hot for Indian politics. Monday will see a nationwide outreach drive by the Congress on the same day that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address a big rally in his constituency of Varanasi.

A status report by the Uttar Pradesh government on the Lakhimpur Kheri killings is expected this Wednesday. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee is likely to visit Goa this week around the same time that the RSS is holding its All India Executive meeting in Karnataka for three days. This is her maiden visit to the western state where the TMC is making inroads. TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has already announced that the party will make an electoral foray into 15 states in the coming years.

Now wonder then, that, the big daddy of all political developments in India is still elections. Voting for by-polls in about 30 assembly constituencies and some Lok Sabha segments across India will be held on October 30. This is the biggest chunk of by-polls to be held this year and could be seen as getting the pulse of the people before the 2022 assembly polls in four states.

In Chhattisgarh, a meeting of state Congress party office bearers is scheduled on October 26 in which decisions on restructuring of the party unit is likely to be taken. This comes at the time when there is speculation on chief minister Bhupesh Baghel being replaced by health minister TS Singhdeo, who might return to the state this week after a long stay in Delhi where he said to have met senior party leaders.

Today will also see the introduction of new guidelines for international passengers, according to which all international passengers will have to produce a negative RT-PCR report for Coronavirus disease on arrival. Airlines will have to ensure availability of negative RT-PCR report before allowing the travellers to board. Fully vaccinated travellers coming from a country with which India has reciprocal arrangements for mutual acceptance of World Health Organisation approved Covid-19 vaccines will be allowed to enter the country without having to undergo the mandatory seven-day home quarantine and test on arrival. India has signed agreements for mutual recognition of nationally or WHO recognised COVID-19 vaccines with 11 countries - the UK, France, Germany, Nepal, Belarus, Lebanon, Armenia, Ukraine, Belgium, Hungary and Serbia.

In the national Capital, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) will decide on regulations for Chhat Puja celebrations. Chhat Puja this year will be celebrated on November 10 – six days after Diwali. On September 29, DDMA had prohibited Chhat Puja celebrations at riverbanks, near water bodies, grounds, parks, temples and public spaces in Delhi citing Covid-19 transmission related risks, even though community celebrations of other festivals such as Durga Puja, Ramleela, and Dussehra (with a set of limited restrictions) were allowed. This led to protests by the Bharatiya Janata Party which claimed that the prohibition on community celebration of Chhat Puja would hurt people of Poorvanchal who reside in Delhi. Poorvanchal is a popular term referring to the region that covers Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. Chhat Puja is a popular festival among people belonging to these states.