A day after defeating KCR's BRS, Telangana's Congress MLAs authorized the party high command to choose their leader. State chief Revanth Reddy proposed the resolution allowing AICC to pick the CM for the state, which 10 MLAs backed. Senior leader DK Shivakumar stated, "AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge will take a call on who should become the Chief Minister." Earlier reports predicted Revanth Reddy was the frontrunner after extensive campaigning, though other heavyweight options like CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and Ex-state chief Uttam Kumar Reddy also exist. Congress leader V Hanumantha Rao said chances are high for Revanth to become the CM. But the last word rests with the Congress central leadership on who will steer Telangana next after reclaiming power from KCR. 

At least 13 people died in renewed violence in Manipur's Tengnoupal on Monday when two militant groups exchanged fire. Officials said inputs were received of a shootout in Leithu village. Forces rushing there found 13 bodies, apparently from elsewhere, but no weapons nearby. Police haven't confirmed the identities of the deceased. Manipur has witnessed clashes between Meitei and Kuki groups since May killing about 182 and displacing over 50,000. Only on Sunday, mobile internet was restored following a 7-month ban over the violence targeting certain ethnic-dominated districts. Fresh bloodshed indicated Tengoupal remained in the grip of communal clashes between militants that have torn Manipur's fragile social fabric. [Image: Representative Photo]

The Chennai airport has been closed for operations till 9 am on Tuesday due to the adverse weather conditions triggered by Cyclone Michaung. As severe rain creates havoc in the city, the Chennai police said they received reports of five deaths related to heavy downpours. The Tamil Nadu government has appealed to private companies to allow their employees to work from home as much as possible. It has already declared a public holiday tomorrow in Chennai and three other districts, closing schools, colleges, educational institutions, and government offices. Meanwhile, Taiwan's Foxconn has halted production of Apple iPhones at its facility near Chennai due to heavy rains, Reuters reported on Monday. Foxconn is yet to decide whether to resume production on Tuesday. Dozens of trains connecting Chennai have been cancelled due to waterlogging after Cyclone Michaung unleashed heavy torrential rains on Tamil Nadu. At least 26 trains have been fully cancelled while two were cancelled partially. Passengers affected by train cancellations will receive full refund.

Heavy rains hit parts of Andhra Pradesh on Monday under the influence of Cyclone Michaung as the state government issued an alert to the eight districts as it nears the southern coastal region before landfall. "Cyclone Michaung is moving north-westwards in the south-west Bay of Bengal. It is moving at a speed of 8 km per hour and is currently 90 km from Chennai and 140 km from Nellore. It will cross the coast between Nellore and Machilipatnam as a strong storm near Bapatla on Tuesday morning... Fishermen should not venture into the sea and people should stay alert," stated the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority. Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy held a review meeting on the cyclone with senior officials and set several relief efforts in motion. Also, an alert was issued to the districts of Tirupati, Nellore, Prakasam, Bapatla, Krishna, West Godavari, Konaseema, and Kakinada.

Heavy rain has caused severe waterlogging in Chennai as cyclone Michaung approaches the North coast of Tamil Nadu before it heads towards Andhra Pradesh. The cyclone is expected to make landfall around midnight between Machalipatnam and Nellore in Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh. Chennai airport has suspended operations till 11:30pm (IST) on Monday, with 12 domestic outbound flights and four international flights being cancelled. Three incoming international flights were diverted to Bengaluru due to the weather conditions. Flights at Chennai airport were grounded as rainwater clogged the runway. Tuesday has been declared a public holiday in Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, and Tiruvallur districts of Tamil Nadu given the devastation of Cyclone Michaung. All schools, colleges, educational institutions, and government offices, including the offices of public undertakings/corporations, boards, banks, and financial institutions in the four districts will be closed due to the harsh weather conditions. However, all essential services including hospitals, police, water supply, milk supply, power supply, and offices engaged in disaster response, relief and rescue activities, shall function as usual.

Congress is yet to name a CM face with multiple contenders emerging after it won 65 of 119 seats dethroning KCR's BRS in Telangana. State chief Revanth Reddy, 54, is the forerunner for the post after extensively touring Telangana energizing cadres and drawing attention to issues plaguing citizens. His fierce campaigning is credited as catalyzing the resurgence. As the Congress Legislature Party meeting is underway, Congress leader V. Hanumantha Rao said, "We will have to see what is decided in the CLP meeting. Most probably, Revanth Reddy has chances to become the Chief Minister going by all the work he did." The other contenders for the post feature, CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka due to his 1,400 km march that helped gauge voter issues to guide the comeback strategy. Ex-state chief Uttam Kumar Reddy also retains strong support despite the 2021 replacement.

As Congress lost 3 heartland polls, West Bengal CM and Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee pinned the defeats on the lack of the INDIA bloc seat-sharing strategy. She asserted, "Congress has won Telangana. They would have won MP, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan. Some votes were cut by INDIA parties. This is the truth." Emphasizing pre-poll unity, Mamata argued "Along with ideology, you need to have a strategy. If there is a seat-sharing arrangement, BJP won't come to power in 2024." As Banerjee stressed that it is a "defeat of the Congress, not the people", Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, too, suggested that regional parties must lead the fight against BJP in areas they hold sway in. Though the remarks signal rumblings inside the INDIA bloc, Mamata stressed the alliance "will rectify mistakes" ahead of 2024.

Dave Sharma, who was Australia's first Indian-origin MP upon his 2019 election win, was sworn in as Senator on Monday to replace ex-Foreign Minister Marise Payne. Sharma lost his Sydney seat last year but defeated ex-NSW minister and frontrunner Andrew Constance and won back the New South Wales Liberal Senate race. Sussan Ley, Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party, said Sharma is a “welcome addition” to the federal Liberal team. Sharma, who served as Australia's Ambassador to Israel from 2013 to 2017, was backed by the moderates within the party. “Dave’s keen foreign policy intellect will be particularly welcome given we are in the most dangerous set of geopolitical circumstances since WWII,” Sussan Ley wrote on X after Dave's appointment. The 47-year-old's return comes after he scripted history as the first Indian-Australian federal lawmaker in 2019. 

The Zoram People's Movement (ZPM), an alliance of six parties led by former IPS officer Lalduhoma has emerged victorious in the hard-fought Mizoram election winning 27 seats, surpassing the halfway mark in the 40-seat Assembly. Key players like incumbent CM Zoramthanga's MNF, Congress, and BJP were also in the fray for the 40 seats on November 7. However, a major upset saw CM Zoramthanga himself lose his constituency to ZPM's Lalthansanga by 2,101 votes. While ZPM marked a clear victory with 27 seats, Zoramthanga's MNF ended up with 10, losing 17 seats from the last 2018 elections. The BJP (2 seats) and the Congress (1 seat) scored below expectations. "The CM will meet the governor around 4 pm. He is likely to offer his resignation," his office stated. With Lalduhoma securing a clear win to spearhead the government, ZPM will hold a meeting of newly elected MLAs to decide on the formation. 

Chennai airport closes operations until 11:30 PM Monday as severe Cyclone Michaung triggered intense Chennai rains, throwing daily life into disarray from heavy downpours and strong winds. With conditions worsening, Michaung also disrupted flights, seeing 10 cancellations and 20 delays overnight amid the inclement weather. While airport operations continue otherwise, airlines have asked passengers to confirm the fight status before leaving home. Cyclone Michaung is forecast to cross the Andhra coast between Nellore and Machilipatnam soon. IMD expects wind speeds around 80-90 kmph, potentially exceeding 100 kmph. As the system closes in, air travel and normalcy stand hampered by torrential Chennai rains and precarious winds nearing 100 kmph speeds.