Best of the Week: Bengal awaits verdict after a tightly fought election

Dear reader,

With voting now wrapped up across West Bengal and counting set for 3 May, the state finds itself at a tense yet familiar crossroads. After 15 years in power, Mamata Banerjee faces a resurgent challenge from Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, which has pushed hard to turn anti-incumbency into a breakthrough victory.

On the ground, the mood appears split. Discontent over unemployment, corruption and local-level governance has fueled calls for 'poriborton', or change. Yet Banerjee’s welfare push and personal connect continue to anchor support among key voter groups. The contest, as many see it, is less about parties and more a direct face-off between “didi” and “dada”.

The outcome will hinge on whether voter frustration outweighs the TMC’s still-resilient grassroots appeal.

On to, the best of Mint’s journalism from this week:

Oil shock spreads across economy

Two months into the West Asia war, the energy shock is spilling into everyday life. From fertilizer shortages to costlier goods, the ripple effects show how deeply industries rely on crude oil. With prices near $100 and supply routes under strain, sectors like airlines, ceramics and fertilizers are under pressure. India’s fertilizer output has already fallen, and more industries could see rising costs and weaker demand. Even as supplies continue, disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz keep risks high. The longer this lasts, the more it could push up inflation and slow growth.

Coming soon: A monster reserve to house critical minerals

The government is working on a plan to build a six-month strategic reserve of critical minerals. The move is aimed at protecting its fast-growing clean energy and manufacturing sectors from supply shocks. The stockpile will include lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper and rare earths — materials that power batteries, electronics and renewable systems. The push comes as China continues to dominate mining and processing, exposing countries like India to price swings and geopolitical risks. A recent export curb on rare earths highlighted just how fragile these supply chains can be.

Irdai eyes distribution overhaul to curb mis-selling

India’s insurance regulator, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai), is preparing a major clean-up of how policies are sold, amid rising complaints of mis-selling and high costs. Chairman Ajay Seth told Mint the focus is shifting from liberalization to fixing structural gaps in pricing, distribution and customer outcomes. A discussion paper on reforms is expected soon, alongside coordination with the Reserve Bank of India to tighten oversight of bancassurance. The goal is to make insurance more transparent, affordable and widely accessible, as the sector grapples with low penetration despite strong growth.

Mythos AI: breakthrough or cyber threat?

Anthropic’s Mythos marks a leap in AI, with the ability to detect and even exploit cybersecurity flaws faster than humans. While it promises stronger digital defences by identifying hidden vulnerabilities, regulators fear its misuse as a powerful cyberweapon. Tested by global tech and financial firms, the model signals a shift from AI as an assistant to an autonomous actor in cybersecurity. For governments and banks, the challenge is clear — to harness its defensive potential while preventing large-scale misuse that could threaten critical infrastructure and financial systems.

The hidden side effect of India's weight loss drug boom

Weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro are flying off the shelves. GLP-1 sales in India jumped from ₹527 crore to ₹1,600 crore in just a year. But nobody's talking enough about what they do to your face. As fat melts away rapidly, skin sags and hollows, and 30-40% of GLP-1 users are showing up at cosmetic clinics for the first time, seeking fillers and skin-tightening procedures. Doctors say 20-25% of their new patients are on these drugs. The bigger worry is an unlicensed aesthetics industry rushing in to "fix" what the injections left behind, with zero oversight. Doctors are losing sleep over it, and rightly so. Cheaper generic versions flooding the market post patent expiry will only accelerate this.

JioMart doesn't want to win the 10-minute race

While Blinkit, Zepto, and Instamart are locked in a frantic sprint to your doorstep, JioMart is playing a different game entirely: two-hour deliveries, real stores instead of dark stores, and a product range nobody else can match. Is faster always better? JioMart is betting it isn't. With more than 3,100 stores doubling up as warehouses, it can offer electronics, fashion, and groceries under one roof, something dark-store rivals simply can't replicate at scale. The numbers suggest it's working. Daily orders hit two million in Q4, up 300% year-on-year, with nearly 5.8 million new customers added in a single quarter.

India eyes smarter real estate insolvency rules

Here's a scenario nobody buying a home wants to think about: your builder collapses financially and your nearly complete apartment gets dragged into bankruptcy proceedings along with every other troubled project. That's been the harsh reality for thousands of homebuyers. Now, a government-backed expert committee wants to change that. Its key recommendation is to resolve real estate bankruptcies project by project, not builder by builder. Healthy or completed projects stay ring-fenced, your home doesn't become collateral damage for someone else's mess. Real estate accounts for 44% of all companies admitted under India's bankruptcy code. The panel also wants to raise the default threshold for dragging builders to insolvency court from ₹1 crore to ₹5 crore.

Infosys just landed its biggest ever GCC deal

In a deal worth over $500 million, Infosys will build and run a global capability centre (GCC) in Hyderabad for Truist Financial, one of America's largest banks. At 4,500 employees, it's the biggest GCC setup Infosys has ever undertaken, and signals something bigger than just one contract. This isn't traditional outsourcing. Infosys owns the entire operation for five years before handing it to Truist, an AI-first centre handling everything from IT to HR to finance. Think of it as building someone's brain, then transferring it. Could this become the new outsourcing model? As enterprises want tighter control over core capabilities without building from scratch, the answer increasingly looks like a yes.

12 days in South Korea for ₹2.75 lakh

Autumn foliage, bullet trains, skincare hauls, and Han River picnics straight out of a K-drama — Bengaluru couple Jiwangi Singh and Milan Tanna packed all of it into a 12-day South Korea trip without breaking the bank. Their secret is to save where it's invisible, splurge where it's memorable. Buses over taxis, Airbnbs over tourist-zone hotels, homemade breakfasts, but zero compromises on Busan's Sky Capsule or Seoul's Olive Young. Three cities, one T-money card, and November's stunning autumn colours, which made it arguably the best time to visit. Is South Korea the most underrated holiday destination for Indians right now?