Five must-read stories—December 21  

Making sense of a civil poll win by BJP

Tuesday’s unprecedented win of the BJP-Shiromani Akali Dal combine in the Chandigarh municipal corporation elections has, for once, debunked the potency of the demonetisation issue as an electoral trump card. In Hindustan Times.

In Chandigarh Namo, not Demo on voters’mind

Chandigarh has a very high literacy rate and the percentage of voting remained what it was the last time. The Congress feels that it was a clever ploy by the BJP to have got additional currency pumped into the currency chests just two days before the polling to mollify people. In The Tribune.

Owaisi asks NIA to explain delay

In his previous tweet made on Tuesday morning itself, he asked why the accused in terror cases of the likes of MM Masjid, Ajmer and Malegaon blasts not convicted in a swift fashion.Owaisi also asked why the same urgency was not shown in other case, citing the Babri Masjid demolition case which is pending in courts since 1992. In The News Minute.

Manipur still boiling

The UNC today demanded President's rule in Manipur and warned of a full-blown ethnic war in the border state if Ibobi Singh did not roll back the decision to create seven new districts. Some of the council's previous presidents were in Delhi today seeking central intervention. They met home minister Rajnath Singh and demanded not just President's rule in the state but also deployment of central paramilitary forces in four districts of Manipur including Imphal East, Imphal West and Bishnupur. In The Telegraph.

Cashless, woman leaves husband’s body in train

The family boarded a train for their village and by the time they reached Nagpur on December 11 noon, Jugal had died. The family was supposed to board another train to Odisha from Nagpur but with no money in hand and none willing to help her, she decided to leave behind the body in the train and return to the village with children. In New Indian Express.