Pioneer in short

Congress Veteran Mohsina Kidwai DIES

Veteran Congress leader and former Union minister Mohsina Kidwai passed away on Wednesday at the age of 94, marking the end of a distinguished political career spanning over six decades. She died at a hospital in Noida after age-related ailments and was laid to rest at Nizamuddin, with Rahul Gandhi among those attending her last rites. A close associate of former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, Kidwai held key portfolios including health, labour, and rural development. She was also a long-serving parliamentarian, having been a member of both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, and a prominent figure in the Congress Working Committee. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge described her passing as a "profound loss," while Priyanka Gandhi Vadra praised her as a trailblazer who inspired generations of women. Shashi Tharoor called her a "titan" of the party who embodied dignity and wisdom. Beginning her political journey in Uttar Pradesh in 1960, Kidwai rose steadily through the ranks, becoming one of the few women leaders to hold top organisational roles

Cash for vote row rocks Kerala

Political tensions escalated in Kerala on Wednesday, a day before Assembly polling, as parties traded allegations of voter inducement and Model Code of Conduct violations across multiple constituencies. The Congress accused BJP candidate Sobha Surendran of being “caught red-handed” distributing cash to voters in Palakkad. Surendran denied the charge, calling it “fabricated” and politically motivated, and said she would file a police complaint. A video cited by the Congress allegedly showed money being offered to an elderly woman, though she denied receiving cash, stating she had only sought financial help for medicines. The Election Commission’s flying squad investigated the incident and submitted a preliminary report, with further inquiry underway.