(1) BJP loses bastion in Bankipur bypolls to Prashant Kishor

Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) founder Prashant Kishor won the Bankipur Assembly byelection on August 3, 2026, a constituency represented for five consecutive terms by the BJP’s national president Nitin Nabin.

The Bankipur Assembly seat had fallen vacant after Mr. Nabin vacated the seat upon his election to the Rajya Sabha and elevation as BJP chief. Mr. Kishor won by a margin on 19,324 votes, clinching victory over BJP’s Neeraj Kumar who came in second.

Results of byelection in Gujarat’s Manjalpur and Madhya Pradesh’s Datia saw the BJP and Congress winning the seats, respectively.

(2) Former MP Brij Bhushan acquitted in sexual harassment case

Former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and ex-BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh was acquitted on Monday (August 3, 2026) in the sexual harassment case filed by women wrestlers against him nearly three years after the controversy first erupted with the wrestlers’ protest at Jantar Mantar.

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Ashwini Panwar of the Rouse Avenue Courts also acquitted co-accused Vinod Tomar, former Assistant Secretary of the WFI.

Women wrestlers, including Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Sangeeta Phogat, had staged protests in New Delhi for several months in 2023, demanding the arrest of the BJP leader over allegations that he had sexually harassed several women wrestlers, including a minor.

The complainants had alleged that the incidents took place between 2016 and 2019 at the WFI office, Mr. Singh’s official residence, and during overseas tours.

As the protests continued, the Union Sports Ministry constituted an oversight committee to inquire into the allegations.

The Delhi Police registered an FIR against Mr. Singh in May 2023 following the intervention of the Supreme Court. In June that year, it filed a chargesheet running over 1,000 pages before the Rouse Avenue Court, accusing him of offences under Sections 354 (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354A (sexual harassment), 354D (stalking) and 506(1) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.

Here is a timeline on the case:

(3) First post-election State budget tabled in Tamil Nadu

The Tamil Nadu government tabled its first post-election budget under the new Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay from Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam. Important indicators like fiscal deficit, revenue deficit and debt were laid out. Fiscal deficit was at ₹1,21,819 crores, or 3% of Gross State Domestic Product. Revenue deficit was at ₹55,775 crores (1.37% of GSDP).

The overall debt of the State ₹10.98 lakh crores. The TVK’s poll promises included schemes involving wide spending. In this context, this budget was seen as a let-down by Opposition leaders who said that there were no provisions in the budget made for the party’s poll promises.

On the other hand, the budget announced significant schemes for students, milch cow distribution, space tech and related investment, and electric vehicle charging.

(4) Students protest in Jharkhand over exam irregularities

Over the past week, thousands of protesting students in Jharkhand ramped up their demands for a CBI probe into irregularities in conducting recruitment exams like those for the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission.

Following widespread protests, the government held talks with the two bodies helming the protests - the JLKM (a regional party) and the Reform Manch (a non-political body). While the government agreed to cancel three exams as part of fulfilling protesters’ demands, a CBI probe is yet to be announced.

On August 10, the protesters marched to the Legislative Assembly, similar to a march conducted by the Cockroach Janata Party earlier.

Here is a timeline of events.

(5) Death toll in Kerala rain-related incidents rose to 25

Last week, the death toll due to rain-related incidents in Kerala rose to 25, while people remained missing as well. A total of 418 relief camps are operating across the State, accommodating 18,434 people as of last Tuesday (August 4). The recent heavy downpour had triggered flash floods and landslips in the State, leaving a trail of destruction.

The government announced an aid of ₹8 lakh for the kin of the deceased. Between August 1 and 3, six of 14 districts have received at least 3 times more rainfall than normal, as shown in the graphic below.

The above graphic also shows that since June 1, twelve of the 14 districts have experienced a deficit in rainfall. Only the districts of Thiruvananthapuram and Pathanamthitta have experienced very less deviation from the normal anticipated rainfall.

The Public Works Department (PWD) has assessed the damage to roads, bridges, and causeways in the recent rain spell at ₹50 crore. The exact extent of the damage can be assessed only after the floodwaters completely recede in the worst-affected areas, PWD Minister P.K. Basheer said last Tuesday.

Meanwhile, researchers at the Advanced Centre for Atmospheric Radar Research (ACARR) in the Cochin University of Science and Technology have recommended a fundamental shift in Kerala’s disaster management strategy with extreme rainfall events becoming a more frequent feature of the State’s climate scenario.

Published - August 11, 2026 02:23 pm IST