BJP Mayor In Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram | TN Deepam Row | Karnataka Congress MLA | Telangana Horror

Southern India witnessed major political, legal, and social developments today, led by a historic shift in Kerala’s civic politics. The Bharatiya Janata Party took control of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation for the first time, ending over four decades of Left rule, with V V Rajesh sworn in as mayor amid celebrations by party workers. Political sparring intensified in Telangana, where K T Rama Rao and Chief Minister Revanth Reddy traded sharp barbs, escalating the state’s already charged political climate. In Andhra Pradesh, Mohan Bhagwat, speaking in Tirupati, said there was no conflict between Dharma and science, while Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu spoke on India’s demographic dividend. Karnataka saw controversy after a video of a Congress MLA publicly reprimanding officials over governance failures went viral, drawing criticism from the opposition. In Tamil Nadu, the long-running Tirupparankundram Hill dispute resurfaced as the Madras High Court sought a response on a plea challenging permission for the Kandoori festival at the hilltop, posting the matter for January 2. Telangana also reported grim crime stories, including the arrest of a man for allegedly burning his wife alive in front of their children, and the suicide of an 18-year-old boy linked to losses from online betting, once again spotlighting the dangers of unregulated gambling apps.