By: Express News ServiceNew Delhi | January 2, 2026 04:53 AM IST 2 min readA week after BJP’s Uttar Pradesh unit president Pankaj Chaudhary issued a warning to several Brahmin MLAs and MLCs in the party for attending a community-based meeting-cum-dinner, in which “baati-chokha” — a popular delicacy of eastern UP and Bihar — was served, the Samajwadi Party (SP) organised a “baati-chokha” feast on the first day of the New Year. Addressing the gathering, SP national president Akhilesh Yadav told his party workers that “baati-chokha should not be defamed in internal conflicts; all should sit together and eat without any restrictions”. SP sources said the feast for people from all castes and communities was a message to the ruling party against “caste-based activities”.Mix & MismatchThe readers of Janmabhumi, the BJP’s newspaper in Kerala, were left dumbfounded Thursday when they turned to the edit page. The lead article on the page was by Muslim League Kerala chief Syed Sadikali Shihab Thangal reflecting on 2025. There were two more opinion pieces by Muslim League leaders M K Muneer and Mohammed Shah. The editorial was on the disintegration of the Left Democratic Front in the recent local body elections. It turned out that there was a mix up, a huge one at that. The Janmabhumi’s editions in two northern districts carried the edit page of Chandrika, the mouthpiece of the Muslim League. The mix-up occurred at a private centre where plates for many newspapers, including Janmabhumi and Chandrika, were prepared. The mix up left everyone amused and drew some political digs from the rival CPI(M).Party SongThe Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) rang in the New Year by shaking a leg to “Paanch Saal Kejriwal”, the party’s campaign song since 2015, also played during its unsuccessful attempt to retain power in the Capital in early 2025. Lines of organisational seniority blurred as former Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia hosted party leaders, including former CM and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal and his wife Sunita, and supporters at his residence. As the song started, the guests as well as the host broke into an impromptu dance one last time in 2025. © The Indian Express Pvt Ltd