Nation Briefs

Gujarat Assembly budget session begins today

Ahmedabad: The Budget session of the Gujarat assembly will commence on Monday, with Finance Minister Kanubhai Desai slated to present the state budget 2026-27 on February 17, officials said on Sunday. The 23-day session, comprising 26 sittings, will culminate on March 25, a government release stated. The 8th session of the 15th assembly will begin with the customary address by Governor Acharya Devvrat, and a condolence motion for state leaders who passed away recently will also be taken up on the same day, officials said. On the opening day, the House will also elect a new deputy speaker, they said.

Former Jharkhand minister Dulal Bhuiyan joins BJP

Ranchi: Former Jharkhand minister and three-time legislator Dulal Bhuiyan on Sunday joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) along with his supporters, a party official said. State BJP president Aditya Sahu and Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi welcomed him into the party fold during a programme in Ranchi. Bhuiyan said that he had left the JMM because the party is not the same as it was two decades ago during the time of former chief minister Shibu Soren. “We were the sepoy of the late Shibu Soren and participated in Jharkhand movements. But now, the JMM has become Hemant Soren’s property. There is no respect left for leaders like us in the party,” he said. Responding to the development, JMM general secretary Vinod Pandey said Bhuiyan was not in the party currently.