Lucknow Diary: City tops clean air survey, wins Rs 1.5 crore award

New political debut in Chaudhary family?At the RLD’s Swabhiman Rally in Saharanpur, Charu Chaudhary, wife of party chief Jayant Chaudhary, grabbed attention wit

New political debut in Chaudhary family?

At the RLD’s Swabhiman Rally in Saharanpur, Charu Chaudhary, wife of party chief Jayant Chaudhary, grabbed attention with a sharp response to SP chief Akhilesh Yadav’s recent “chavanni” jibe at her husband. “No one has the right to insult you. Such remarks reflect a person’s mindset,” Charu said, adding that in a democracy, people decide who comes to power. Her speech has sparked speculation in political circles that Jayant could field her in the 2027 UP assembly elections. If that happens, Charu would become the second woman from the Chaudhary family to enter electoral politics after Jayant’s grandmother, Gayatri Devi.

Lucknow tops clean air survey, Indore second

Lucknow emerged as the country’s best-performing city in the Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan 2026 under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), winning a `1.5 crore award. Adding to the city’s achievement, Ward No. 70 (Papermill Colony) in Zone 4 was named the best ward in the country among wards with a population of over 30,000, earning a `50 lakh prize. Mayor Sushma Kharkwal, Municipal Commissioner Gaurav Kumar and other officials received the awards at a ceremony held at Indira Paryavaran Bhawan. Lucknow jumped from 15th place in 2024-25 to first place this year, overtaking Indore, which finished second. Jabalpur came third.

After introducing blue scarves at a recent meeting of party office-bearers, the Samajwadi Party is set to give its student wing, the Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha, a new identity with a blue dress code. Sources said members of the student wing are likely to be asked to wear blue T-shirts and jeans, or blue shirts and trousers, with a formal announcement expected shortly. While the Chhatra Sabha logo will retain the party’s traditional red-and-green colours, the move is being seen as part of SP’s effort to appeal to younger voters and reinforce its PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) outreach.