GujaratCivic body polls, new BJP president await the stateGujarat is looking forward to its long-awaited panchayat and civic body elections. This is especially significant as the five-year term of the last dispensation ended two years ago. The election, which will cover 4,410 local bodies, may be held before March. The Gujarat BJP is also set to appoint a new president, since the three-year term of incumbent Chandrakant Raghunath Patil ended in July 2024. Sources say his successor will be an OBC leader from Saurashtra or north Gujarat.Jammu & kashmirStatehood, rail link amid tension between CM & L-GJammu and Kashmir is expecting the year to usher in better connectivity. The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla railway project, which is nearing completion, will connect J&K’s interiors to the rest of the country.Statehood remains a major political question. L-G Manoj Sinha has cleared a resolution passed by the cabinet. CM Omar Abdullah has also been frequenting Delhi to meet PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for the cause. There is tension beginning to simmer between Sinha and Abdullah.BiharWho will occupy Patna? Battlelines all drawn All major political parties — JD(U), BJP, RJD — are busy formulating strategies for the assembly elections, likely to be held in October or November. The election will also be a litmus test for the newly launched Jan Suraaj Party. On development front, the government has promised to start metro rail services in Patna by June. While job creation, migration and rising pollution are major challenges for the state, it is looking forward to be rid of Naxalism and a new Film City in Nalanda district.ChhattisgarhHindi implementation in medical education in offing Curiousity persists about who will occupy the 2-3 vacant ministerial berths in the Vishnu Deo Sai cabinet. Ditto with the next chief secretary and the director general of police faces. The urban local body and the 3-tier panchayat polls are due. Chhattisgarh is also set to implement Hindi as the medium for medical education. With paddy procurement being a persistent political issue in the ‘rice bowl’ state, whether it would hit the procurement target of 160 lakh MT is to be seen. Madhya pradeshSanctuaries eagerly await cheetahs, cobras, buffaloes Madhya Pradesh is eagerly waiting to bring home a host of wildlife this year. On the lines of Kuno National Park, the Gandhi Sagar wildlife sanctuary is readying for its first batch of African cheetahs. The state will procure king cobras from Karnataka and wild buffaloes from Assam. Meanwhile, Indore and Bhopal residents expect the commencement of metro rail operations in 2025. The year will see Bhopal host its first Global Investors’ Summit on February 24 and 25.MaharashtraTime for to fulfil its election promisesThe new year will trace the MahaYuti government’s trajectory. CM Fadnavis will have to deal with two dominant allies and their super-sized ambitions, but the immediate challenge before him is not political, but economical. The state has a total debt of over `8.5 lakh crore. With supplementary budget demands, it will soar to `10 lakh crore. A major portion of the state’s income goes to salaries, interests on loans and welfare schemes. The question now is about the additional revenue sources.JharkhandMajor boost to infra with 9 flyovers, ring road in RanchiA major boost to Ranchi’s infrastructure is in the offing, with the construction of as many as nine flyovers and an internal ring road. Two flyovers are planned for Saraikela and Dumki as well. The newly appointed ministers will move into the state-of-the-art bungalows near the assembly building in January. The 11-acre residential complex is dotted with expansive lawns, features modern designs and a club house for recreation. Eighty of the promised 500 CM schools of excellence will be completed this year. UttarakhandUCC, Char Dham authority, strict land laws set to kick in The Pushkar Singh Dhami government plans to kick-start the new year by implementing the Uniform Civil Code law in January. The state is in the final stages of implementing a robust land law, and has also drafted 14 new policies. A Char Dham Yatra Authority will soon be formed to make pilgrimage to the four shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri more accessible. The 38th National Games will take place in the scenic state from January 28 to February 14. West bengalDidi works overtime to set house in order ahead of pollThe political unrest in Bangladesh will impact West Bengal. The inflow of patients from the neighbouring country to Kolkata hospitals has already been hit and cross-border trade stands disrupted. There is also a huge influx of illegal immigrants trying to infiltrate the border. On the political front, 2025 would be a crucial year for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. As Trinamool Congress prepares for the assembly elections in 2026, it would be facing 15 years of anti-incumbency.Uttar pradeshStage set for Maha Kumbh, over 40 cr footfall expected The state is gearing up for Mahakumbh to be held in Prayagraj from January 13 to February 26. Deemed the largest religious congregation, the event will see an estimated 40 crore footfall and incur `7,500 crore expenditure. Another prominent event in 2015 would be the bypoll to Milkipur assembly seat. The seat fell vacant when SP MLA Awdhesh Prasad was elected to Lok Sabha in 2024. The Milkipur assembly bypoll could not be held with nine others, as it was embroiled in a litigation. NortheastBJP, Congress preparing for panchayat polls in Assam With the resurgence of Congress in many parts of Northeast, the panchayat polls to be held in Assam this year will be a test of BJP’s prospects in the 2026 assembly elections. The year may hold good news for the six districts in Nagaland’s eastern fringes, with the ENPO accepting Centre’s offer of some autonomy. With regards to Naga peace talks, no immediate solution is in sight. Given the level of animosity between the warring groups in Manipur, reconciliation appears distant. Punjab, haryanaPunjab faces farmers protest, funds crunch The major challenges before the Punjab government is to convince the protesting farmers to lift the blockade from the Shambhu and Khanauri borders, and to get its finances back on track. In Haryana, the ruling BJP and the Congress are bracing up for another battle, with elections to eight municipal corporations, four municipal councils and 22 municipal committees set to be held in February. The much-awaited expansion of the Gurugram metro rail project will begin in May.
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