Badar Bashir

Jammu and Kashmīr, New Delhi

Correspondent at The Week (India)

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Articles

Why Congress focuses more on Gujarat than poll-bound Bihar

5 days ago | theweek.in | Badar Bashir

The Congress party is apparently seen to be focusing on Gujarat more than the election-bound state of Bihar. Its approach stems from its long-term goal of challenging the dominant BJP's stronghold state where it has been out of power for decades. In contrast, Congress's upcoming electoral battle in Bihar is constrained by its marginal role in the Mahagathbandhan. Added to it is the past reliance on RJD making it a secondary fiddle in the state.
Make or buy? Experts call for bold reforms in India’s defence strategy

1 week ago | theweek.in | Badar Bashir

In one of the most critical discussions of THE WEEK Defence Conclave, the panel named "To Make or to Buy? How do the Services choose?" focused on the debate for creating a greater weapons manufacturing base and equipments indigenously. The session was moderated by R.K. Mathur, former Defence Secretary and former Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, who set the tone by raising a fundamental concern.
‘India must strengthen naval shipbuilding to meet growing maritime demands’

1 week ago | theweek.in | Badar Bashir

Amid rising maritime security challenges and global supply constraints, senior naval officials and shipbuilding experts have called for urgent steps to strengthen India’s warship-building capabilities. As part of the THE WEEK Defence Conclave, during the session focused on ‘Building a Builder’s Navy,’ the experts emphasised the need for long-term planning, technological advancement, and strategic investments to position India as a global hub for naval manufacturing.
In Odisha, Congress aims to regain its political relevance and visibility

1 week ago | theweek.in | Badar Bashir

In Odisha, the Congress party is working to revive its organisation and reclaim the position of being the principal opposition force against the BJP government. Even though it is third in terms of seats after BJP and BJD, it wants to fill the political vacuum in the opposition space as both BJP and BJD are often perceived to be close. The grand old party has constituted a new 25-member political affairs committee to be headed by former UP state chief Ajay Kumar Lalu to guide the Odisha Congress.
National Herald case: Congress-BJP tensions increase, leading to a war of words

1 week ago | theweek.in | Badar Bashir

An intense political battle has started between Congress and the BJP in New Delhi, following the Enforcement Directorate’s filing of a chargesheet against top Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and others in the National Herald money laundering case. The chargesheet, filed on April 9, 2025 in Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court, has sparked a nationwide stir by Congress workers and sharp rebuttals from the BJP, escalating tensions in the political space of the country.
Why Haryana Congress can't afford to ignore Bhupinder Hooda?

1 week ago | theweek.in | Badar Bashir

As the Congress party struggles to make important appointments of the Leader of the Opposition and new state unit president in Haryana, the party leaders indicate that it will be difficult to sideline ex-chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s claims to the post. Most of the legislators have suggested the name of 77-year-old Hooda as the LoP. "Therefore it will not be in the interest of the party to sideline him," said a Congress legislator.
Mahagadhbandan meet on April 17 to discuss strategy for Bihar assembly polls

1 week ago | theweek.in | Badar Bashir

The Mahagadhbandan, which consists of six opposition parties including Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal, have planned a meeting on April 17 to discuss the strategy for the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar, tentatively slated to be held in October. According to sources, the request had come from the Congress leadership to conduct a meeting of the Mahagadhbandan so that the alliance can have a clear roadmap ahead of the assembly elections.
Congress readies Gujarat reboot plans at the recent AICC session

1 week ago | theweek.in | Badar Bashir

DANDIYA RAAS DANCERS welcomed the delegates of the All India Congress Committee session at the entrance of the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Memorial in Ahmedabad. The lively rhythm of the Gujarati folk dance suited the party’s ambitious plans for a resurgence, especially in the state where it has been out of power for three decades. The last AICC session Gujarat was in Bhavnagar in 1961, when Jawaharlal Nehru was prime minister and Neelam Sanjiva Reddy the party president.
Pressure mounts on Congress high command to replace TN unit chief Selvaperunthagai

2 weeks ago | theweek.in | Badar Bashir

With large-scale organisational changes happening in the Congress, the party leaders in Tamil Nadu are eagerly waiting for the replacement of its state unit president K. Selvaperunthagai. The cadre is facing several problems because of him, a Congress legislator said, “as primarily there is no proper coordination system in place within the party.”Selvaperunthagai, who took charge as the TNCC chief in February 2024, has faced growing internal dissent.
Will Congress's surgical strike help revive party in Madhya Pradesh? Congress to replace more than 50 pc district heads- The Week

2 weeks ago | theweek.in | Badar Bashir

New Delhi: In a significant organizational overhaul aimed at rejuvenating the party’s base ahead of the 2028 assembly elections, the Congress is planning to replace more than 50 per cent of its district presidents in Madhya Pradesh by mid-May. The decision comes after the party’s mixed performance in the 2023 assembly elections, which saw the Bharatiya Janata Party retaining power in the state.