Assam politician Nandita Gorlosa has come into the spotlight ahead of the 2026 assembly elections after switching from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to the Congress at the last minute. The sitting MLA from the Haflong (ST) constituency and a former state minister took the step after the BJP denied her a ticket for the upcoming polls, instead nominating newcomer Rupali Langthasa from the seat.. Nandita Gorlosa (right) has handled portfolios such as mines and minerals and tribal faith and culture. (Instagram/@nandita_gorlosa). Her defection, which came just a day before the deadline for filing nominations, triggered a reshuffle in the Congress’s candidate list as the party decided to field her from Haflong. The move is being seen as a significant political development in Assam’s hill district of Dima Hasao, where Gorlosa has served as MLA since 2021 and previously held portfolios such as mines and minerals and tribal faith in the state cabinet.. Nandita Gorlosa is an Assam politician and former minister who has represented the Haflong (ST) constituency in the state assembly.. Gorlosa was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Haflong in 2021 on a BJP ticket. Following her victory, she was inducted into the Assam cabinet and handled portfolios such as mines and minerals and tribal faith and culture.. Born on May 13, 1977, Gorlosa hails from Haflong in the hill district of Dima Hasao. She emerged as a significant political voice in the region and built a support base among tribal communities in the constituency.. In March 2026, she left the BJP after being denied a party ticket for the upcoming assembly polls. The party had instead nominated newcomer Rupali Langthasa from the Haflong seat as part of a broader strategy that saw several sitting MLAs dropped from the candidate list.. Soon after, Gorlosa joined the Congress and is set to contest the election from the same constituency on a Congress ticket. Her entry prompted the party to reconsider its earlier nominee, with Congress leaders saying the move could strengthen the party’s prospects in the key tribal seat.. Her defection came just before the nomination deadline for the 2026 Assam assembly elections, scheduled for April 9, making it one of the notable last-minute political shifts in the state’s pre-poll landscape. 

 After being denied a party ticket for next month’s assembly polls, Assam BJP minister Nandita Garlosa joined the Congress late on Sunday night and would be contesting as its candidate for the Haflong (ST) constituency.. Nandita Garlosa joined the Congress in the presence of party leaders, including Assam Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary Nirmal Langthasa. (HT Photo). The Congress had named Nirmal Langthasa as its candidate from Haflong in its fifth list released on Sunday. Following Garlosa’s induction, the party leadership replaced Langthasa and fielding her instead.. Garlosa joined the Congress in the presence of party leaders, including Assam Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary Nirmal Langthasa.. ALSO READ | Assam assembly polls 2026: With a day left for nominations, all eyes on ‘rebels’. “We are very happy to announce that Nandita Garlosa has joined the Congress party….Congress will declare her as our candidate for Haflong seat tomorrow,” said Congress in a statement.. “Garlosa is set to contest the election in congress ticket from the Haflong seat as Sh Langthasa has proactively volunteered to vacate there seat in larger public interest. The formalities for the same will be duly completed shortly,” it added.. The switch happened before the last date for filing of nomination on Monday. Voting for the single phase assembly election to all 126 seats will take place on April 9.. A sitting MLA from Haflong, she was denied a ticket by the BJP, which fielded Rupali Langthasa from the seat after dropping several sitting legislators.. ALSO READ | Congress to fight 100 seats in Assam assembly elections after forging alliance with five other parties. She reacted soon after the BJP announced its candidate list on March 19. Senior leaders, including Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, had reached out to her.. Sarma visited Dima Hasao on Sunday before travelling to Silchar to meet party leaders. BJP leaders in Haflong said Garlosa did not attend the meetings during the visit.. Speaking to reporters in Guwahati late Sunday night, Sarma initially said only a few leaders had left the party and that Garlosa was not quitting the BJP. He later revised his statement after learning of her move.. “I had spoken to her and she seemed satisfied. The Congress had already announced its candidate from Haflong. I don’t know why she is joining that party,” he said.. Garlosa was elected in 2021 and was inducted into the state cabinet. She handled the mines, minerals and tribal faith portfolios.. In Barak Valley, the BJP has dropped three sitting MLAs from its candidate list. One of them, Nihar Ranjan Das, resigned from the party but later said he would not contest independently after meeting the chief minister.. Another former BJP MLA, Amar Chand Jain, has joined the Congress and has been named as its candidate from Katigorah.. In Katigorah, the BJP has fielded former Congress MLA Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha. The chief minister has said he 

 Union minister Piyush Goyal is scheduled to arrive in Chennai on Monday to finalise seat-sharing for the upcoming Tamil Nadu assembly polls, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president Nainar Nagenthran said on Sunday.. File photo of union minister Piyush Goyal. (ANI). Addressing a press conference here, Nagendran stated that the party’s election manifesto and alliance specifics would be clarified following high-level discussions with the Union minister. “Union minister Piyush Goyal is coming to Chennai tomorrow (Monday). After his arrival, we will hold talks and announce the seat-sharing details,” Nagenthran said.. The announcement comes amid intensifying verbal volleys between the BJP and the ruling DMK. Reacting to chief minister MK Stalin’s repeated “Delhi” jibes, Nagenthran claimed that the DMK leadership is “trembling with fear” over the BJP’s growing footprint.. “I don’t know why the Chief Minister is so terrified of Delhi. Whether we hold our meetings in Bengaluru or Delhi, the DMK seems to be in a state of panic,” he remarked, dismissing allegations that the AIADMK or other parties were functioning as “slaves” to the national capital.. Defending the Centre’s contribution to the state, the BJP leader highlighted that the Modi government has sanctioned approximately ₹14 lakh crore to Tamil Nadu over the last decade.. He cited major infrastructure projects, including the ₹350-crore Thoothukudi airport expansion and the ₹650-crore Trichy airport project, as evidence of the union government’s commitment to the state’s development.. Nagenthran also launched a scathing attack on the state government over the prevailing law and order situation, specifically citing the “ganja menace.” He pointed to the seizure of 22,000 kg of ganja over the past five years and a recent brutal attack on a schoolgirl in Vilathikulam by a convict out on parole.. “The Chief Minister should focus on stopping the spread of drugs and improving public safety instead of constantly obsessing over Delhi,” he said.. On the emergence of a “fifth front” involving the PMK and Sasikala, the BJP state unit chief downplayed its potential impact, stating that in a democracy, anyone is free to start a party or form a front. “The only impact right now in Tamil Nadu is the impact of the summer heat,” he quipped.. Responding to queries about his own candidacy, the BJP leader expressed confidence in his rapport with the voters of Tirunelveli, noting his history of securing significant mandates across five assembly terms. He maintained that the party would contest based on developmental principles and the strength of the NDA alliance.. Chennai : The ruling DMK has offered five seats to its ally, CPI (M), for the forthcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly polls, the Left party’s State Secretary P Shanmugam said on Sunday.. Seat-sharing talks between the DMK and CPI (M), which have been going on for the last 20 days, saw a new development w 

 The India Meteorological Department on Sunday predicted isolated to scattered rainfall activity across several regions of India over the coming days. Light to moderate rain with thunderstorms and gusty winds is expected across Northwest, Northeast, East and Central India, with isolated heavy rain in the Northeast and hailstorms in the eastern hills.. Light to moderate rain with thunderstorms and gusty winds is expected across Northwest, Northeast, East and Central India (HT Photo). In a weather bulletin, IMD said that light rainfall with occasional thunderstorms and winds reaching up to 30–50 kmph is likely over Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and parts of Rajasthan from March 23 to 26.. In East and Central India, light to moderate rainfall with thunderstorms and gusty winds is forecasted over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Vidarbha.. Cloudy sky expected in Delhi. In Delhi, the maximum temperature on Sunday was recorded at 29.5 degrees Celsius, two notches below the seasonal average. The minimum temperature settled at 15.6 degrees Celsius, 1.1 degrees below the seasonal average, it stated.. Also read: Delhi logs coldest March day in six years, skies to remain cloudy in coming days | India News. The weather department has predicted a generally cloudy sky on Monday with maximum and minimum temperatures expected to hover around 30 degrees Celsius and 16 degrees Celsius, respectively. No weather alert has been issued by the met department yet.. The air quality was recorded in the ‘moderate’ category at 4 pm on Sunday, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 153, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed.. Lanslide in Himachal, yellow alert issued. Intermittent rain in Himachal Pradesh led to a massive landslide on Sunday, following which directions were issued to evacuate nine houses in Ropdu village, news agency PTI reported.. The regional met department has issued a yellow alert of thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds with speeds of 30-40 kmph at isolated places in Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, and Mandi districts on Monday and Thursday.. It has also predicted a wet spell in the state over the next five days.. A landslide occurred in Kotli subdivision following intermittent rains over the past three days. A cow shed was completely damaged, while large boulders and debris remain precariously perched on the hillside.. Also read: Rain, snowfall likely in Himachal on Monday, yellow alert in 4 districts: IMD. Light to moderate rain in Maharashtra. IMD on Sunday predicted light to moderate rain or thundershowers at isolated places in the districts of South Madhya Maharashtra and Marathwada. It also said that light rain or thundershowers are likely at isolated places in the districts of North Madhya Maharashtra.. The regional met department issued a yellow alert in Latur, Satara, Sangli, Solapur, and Osmanabad for thunderstorms and lightning on March 23.. Also read: An AQI of 93, maximum 

 At least 40 people fell ill, with four in critical condition, after allegedly consuming adulterated toddy laced with sedative pills in the Gundadam area of Tiruppur district, police said on Sunday.. While the sale of unfermented ‘Neera’ is permitted under specific regulations in the state, the sale of fermented toddy remains illegal in Tamil Nadu. (HT Photo/Representational Image). The victims, mostly local farm labourers, complained of severe vomiting, dizziness, and fainting shortly after consuming the fermented palm wine from an illegal vending point near a coconut grove on Saturday evening.. According to preliminary investigations, the toddy was allegedly spiked with a cocktail of sedative tablets, often used in psychiatric treatments, to increase its intoxicating effect.. “Four individuals who were found unconscious were rushed to the Dharapuram Government Hospital and later shifted to the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) for specialised treatment. Their condition is stated to be stable but they remain under observation,” a senior police official said.. Also read: Ghaziabad: 42-yr-old man jumps to death from 13th floor, mother found dead inside home. The local administration has launched a massive crackdown on illegal toddy tapping and vending in the Gundadam and Dharapuram belts. The Prohibition Enforcement Wing (PEW) has reportedly sealed several sites and seized samples of the contaminated beverage for forensic analysis.. Also read: Ropeway trolley returning from temple falls in Chhattisgarh; 1 dead, 6 injured. While the sale of unfermented ‘Neera’ is permitted under specific regulations in the state, the sale of fermented toddy remains illegal in Tamil Nadu. This has often led to the rise of illicit “shacks” where vendors use harmful additives like alprazolam or chloral hydrate to mimic the strength of high-quality toddy.. Further investigation is underway.