India

up-govt-trying-to-sell-jai-prakash-narayan-museum-akhilesh-yadav

Fri Oct 11 12:11:37 IST 2024

Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav slammed the Uttar Pradesh government for barricading the Jai Prakash Narayan International Centre (JPNIC) and not allowing him to pay tributes to the socialist leader on his birth anniversary. Yadav charged the Yogi Adityanath government is planning to sell the museum built to commemorate JP Narayan.

Barricades have been set up and police have been deployed outside Yadav’s residence and at JPNIC to block Samajwadi Party members from entering the premises. On Thursday night, Yadav visited JPNIC and slammed the state government for barricading the gates with tin sheets in the name of construction. The Lucknow Development Authority has advised Yadav not to visit JPNIC considering security reasons.

Addressing presspersons, Yadav said, “This govt is trying to stop us from garlanding JP Narayan, but we did it on the road. They are conspiring to sell this museum and hence they have covered JPNIC. Just think, how will the government which is trying to sell the museum built to respect Jai Prakash Narayan will protect the Constitution? This government is dumb, deaf and blind,” ANI reported.

The Lucknow Development Authority, in a letter to Yadav, said, “The construction material is kept in an unplanned manner and due to the rainy season there is a possibility of the presence of unwanted living creatures. The site has not been found suitable for garlanding/visiting from the security point of view of Akhilesh Yadav, former chief minister, who has Z-Plus security."

Last year, Yadav climbed over the gate of the JPNIC to garland the statue of JP Narayan that was installed on the premises by the SP government led by him.

ktr-files-criminal-defamation-case-against-telangana-minister-surekha

Thu Oct 10 23:04:42 IST 2024

Trouble seems to be mounting for Telangana minister Konda Surekha as BRS leader K.T. Rama Rao on Thursday filed a criminal defamation case against her. Surekha’s remarks alleging Rama Rao’s involvement in the divorce of actor-couple Nga Chaitanya and Samantha Ruth Prabhu had stirred up a storm in the state.

Rama Rao, popularly known as KTR, had sent a legal notice to Surekha on October 2 demanding an apology for her comments. Since there was no response from the Congress leader’s side, he went on with the defamation suit.

READ: ‘Keep my name out of political battles’: Samantha’s hard-hitting response to Telangana minister

KTR, son of former chief minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao, alleged that the minister made the statement with a malafide intent to harm his reputation and defame him, a punishable offence under the BNS.

KTR further claimed that Surekha made similar defamatory statements against him during the election campaign in April 2024.

Surekha, the state forest minister, stoked controversy after she claimed that KTR was the reason behind the divorce between Naga Chaitanya and Samantha. The minister also raised a flurry of allegations against KTR, linking him with drugs and blackmail.

READ: Telangana minister says KTR behind Naga Chaitanya - Samantha divorce, sparks row

Naga Chaitaya and Samantha were married for four years before they parted ways in 2021.

Surekha’s remarks drew sharp reactions from the film industry with several actors coming forward to condemn them.

Naga Chaitanya’s father, actor Nagarjuna Akkineni, has already filed a defamation case against the minister, accusing her of making defamatory statements against him and his family.

A local court has issued a notice to Surekha on Nagarjun’s complaint and posted the matter for hearing to October 23.

ahead-of-polls-maharashtra-govt-asks-centre-to-raise-non-creamy-layer-limit-to-rs-15-lakh

Thu Oct 10 21:37:11 IST 2024

The Maharashtra cabinet on Thursday decided to request the Union government to increase the income limit to qualify for 'non-creamy layer' to Rs 15 lakh per year from the current Rs 8 lakh.

The decision came ahead of the assembly elections which are expected to be held next month.

A non-creamy layer certificate, which means the family income of a person is below the prescribed limit, is needed to avail of reservation benefits in the Other Backward Class (OBC) category.

A draft ordinance to accord a constitutional status to the Maharashtra State Scheduled Caste Commission was also approved in the cabinet meeting, said a statement from the office of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

The ordinance will be tabled in the next session of the legislature, it said, adding that 27 posts were approved for the commission. In other decisions, the cabinet approved a proposal to set up welfare corporations for journalists and newspaper vendors. Additional funds of Rs 709.27 crore were sanctioned for the Balasaheb Thackeray Turmeric Research Centre in Hingoli district.

A proposal under which non-profit organisation Sulabh International will provide toilets and rest rooms at all 57 government hospitals in the state was approved in the meeting, the release said.

Government land in Akse and Malwani in Borivali suburb of Mumbai will be given for the Dharavi redevelopment project and ineligible slum-dwellers will be provided housing in these areas spread over 140 acres, it said.

The cabinet also decided to provide houses to the government employees living in the Bandra government colony in Mumbai. The Public Libraries Act will be amended give a boost to the library culture in the state, the release said.

The cabinet also approved the construction of Jalna-Nanded expressway which will be linked to the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi corridor. Irrigation projects were sanctioned for Saoner, Kankavli, Rajapur, Ambernath, Jihe Kathapur and Latur.

Anganwadi centers in the state will be allowed to start day-care centres, the cabinet decided. African safari will be introduced at the Balasaheb Thackeray Gorewada international zoo in Nagpur. The working capital of the Maulana Azad Financial Corporation will be hiked from Rs 700 crore to Rs 1,000 crore, the cabinet decided. The honorarium for Madarsa teachers with the D Ed degree will be increased from Rs 6,000 to Rs 16,000, while the salaries of teachers with BA, B Ed, BSc degrees will be hiked from Rs 8,000 to Rs 18,000.

The government also decided to start the Maharashtra State International Employment and Skill Advancement Company which will implement an MoU with the German state of Baden-Wuttemberg to enable youth from Maharashtra get employment.

The company will have a working capital of Rs 3 crore. More than 27,000 applications have been received out of which scrutiny of 10,000 applications has been completed, the release said.

no-sky-burial-for-ratan-tata

Thu Oct 10 11:18:30 IST 2024

Even though Tata Sons Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata’s death was announced close to midnight on Wednesday, October 9, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde almost immediately declared a state funeral and a day of mourning.

On Thursday, October 10, all national flags in Maharashtra will be flown at half-mast and all official programmes of the state government stand cancelled. Home Minister Amit Shah will represent the Union government at the funeral.

News agencies said that Tata’s body will be kept on the lawns of the National Centre for Performing Arts in Nariman Point from 10:30am to 3:30pm on Thursday for viewing by the public. The NCPA has been closely linked to the Tata Group since its inception. At 3:30 pm, the funeral cortege will leave for Worli crematorium where the last rites will be performed.

In his statement, Shinde made a special mention of Tata’s resoluteness during the 26/11 terror attack. The Tata Group's flagship Taj Mahal Palace Hotel at Colaba was one of the key targets of the November 2008 attack. Shinde’s statement highlights Tata’s towering status, beyond his credentials as a businessman.

Where possible, the Parsi faith advocates sky burials, where dead bodies are left on top of Towers of Silence to be consumed by vultures. But Mumbai’s dwindling vulture population had for long been the topic of discussion in the small community, leading to theological approval for cremations.

Traditionally, the Parsis abhor cremations as they venerate fire and worship in Fire Temples. The faith considers dead bodies to be impure and hence does not approve of disposing of them in land or water burials.

On his website, travel photographer Ramdas Iyer makes an interesting observation about the presence of dogs in traditional Parsi burials. He writes that after the body is washed and wrapped in a funeral shroud, “a dog, regarded as faithful and loyal, visits the body to confirm death.” While THE WEEK has not been able to confirm if this practice still exists, it serves as a poignant reminder of Tata’s abiding love for all creatures great and small.

farooq-abdullah-will-represent-nc-in-rajya-sabha-omar-abdullah

Fri Oct 11 15:11:16 IST 2024

As Jammu and Kashmir gets a new assembly, veteran politician and National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah is expected to represent the party in the Rajya Sabha. This was confirmed by NC vice president and chief minister-designate of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, in an exclusive interview with THE WEEK.

“He is the party's brain, guiding us,” Omar said. “Inshallah, once the assembly is in place and we hold elections for the Rajya Sabha, I would very much like to see Dr Sahab go to the Rajya Sabha and fight for the interests of Jammu and Kashmir.”

Once the assembly elections—Jammu and Kashmir's first in over a decade—are completed, the Union Territory (UT) will again have representation in the Rajya Sabha, after three-and-a-half years of absence.

Also read | Analysis: What Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir Assembly election results tell us

The newly elected MLAs will elect four representatives to the Rajya Sabha after the Election Commission of India (ECI) issues a notification. Currently, Ghulam Ali Khatana is the only Rajya Sabha member from Jammu and Kashmir. He was nominated by the Bharatiya Janata Party to represent the Gujjar community in Parliament, a move aimed at gaining their support in the assembly elections.

Under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 the 90-member J&K Assembly can elect five Lok Sabha members and four Rajya Sabha members.

The last Rajya Sabha elections in J&K were held in 2015. At that time, the BJP-PDP alliance won three seats, while the NC-Congress alliance secured one seat, paving way for former Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad to become the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha. All four Rajya Sabha members from Jammu and Kashmir retired in February 2021.

Farooq Abdullah, 86, was elected to the Lok Sabha in 2014 from the Srinagar Parliamentary constituency. The NC also won two other Lok Sabha seats from the Kashmir Valley — Hasnain Masoodi from Anantnag and Muhammad Akbar Lone from Baramulla.

mahadev-app-promoter-chandrakar-arrested-in-dubai-to-be-extradited-to-india-soon

Fri Oct 11 13:17:48 IST 2024

Sourabh Chandrakar, one of the main promoters of the Mahadev betting app, is expected to be brought to India soon following his recent formal arrest in Dubai on the basis of an Interpol-issued arrest warrant in a money laundering and fraud case, official sources said Friday.

Chandrakar along with another promoter of the app, Ravi Uppal was detained and put under "house arrest" in that country late last year following the Enforcement Directorate's request for issuance of a Red Notice (RN) against them. An RN is issued by the Interpol.

Sources said Chandrakar is expected to be either extradited or deported to India over the next few days after he was formally placed under arrest in Dubai recently. The ED is in the process of sending relevant documents for his extradition to Dubai authorities following which a competent court there will be approached, they said. Indian consulate sources in Dubai told PTI that they have "not heard anything from UAE authorities yet."

ALSO READ | How a boy from Bhilai built a Dubai-based betting syndicate

Chandrakar is stated to have left for Dubai in 2019 and before that, he used to run a juice shop named "Juice Factory" with his brother in Bhillai town of Durg district in Chhattisgarh.

The ED has alleged that its probe in the Mahadev Online Book (MOB) gaming and betting app has shown involvement of various high-ranking politicians and bureaucrats from Chhattisgarh, the state where Chandrakar and Uppal hail from.

MOB app, as per the federal agency, is an umbrella syndicate arranging online platforms for enabling illegal betting websites to enrol new users, create user IDs and laundering of money through a layered web of benami bank accounts.

The ED has arrested a total of 11 people in this case till now. Two charge-sheets have also been filed by the agency till now, including against the two promoters. The Chhattisgarh Police too is investigating the case. The projected proceeds of crime in this case are about Rs 6,000 crore, according to the agency.

The ED has alleged in its charge-sheet that Chandrakar got married at Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, in February 2023 and about Rs 200 crore "in cash" was spent for this event. Private jets were hired to ferry Chandrakar's relatives from India to the UAE and celebrities were paid to perform at the wedding, the agency alleged.

It had claimed that the alleged illegal funds generated by the app were shared as bribes to politicians and bureaucrats in the state even as it has summoned many celebrities and Bollywood actors for questioning on the mode of payment and their links with the online betting platform.

haryana-nayab-saini-to-take-oath-as-cm-on-october-15-talks-on-cabinet-formation-pick-up-pace

Fri Oct 11 13:15:55 IST 2024

BJP leader Nayab Singh Saini will take oath as the chief minister of Haryana on October 15, according to local media. The ceremony will likely be held at Panchkula and will have Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending it.

Earlier there were reports that the swearing-in ceremony is likely to take place after Dussehra. Nayab Singh Saini had met Modi and other senior BJP leaders in Delhi on Wednesday as part of Cabinet formation talks. Saini also met Union minister and the BJP's election in-charge for Haryana, Dharmendra Pradhan.

So far, Saini is the only contender for the top post. However, other factors like caste and region equations may be considered while deciding the cabinet.

Along with Saini, 10 to 11 ministers are also likely to take oath. Haryana can have a maximum of 14 ministers, including the chief minister.

In line with the BJP's past choices, new faces may be given a chance in the new government. The fact that eight out of 10 ministers and the assembly speaker of the previous Saini government lost the elections may prompt the party to opt for fresh faces.

The probable names include Shruti Chaudhary, granddaughter of late Bansi Lal, and Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh's daughter Arti Singh Rao. Other women in the fray include senior leader Kiran Choudhry's daughter Shruti, a former MP, who won from Tosham assembly seat and Shakti Rani Sharma, who won from Kalka.

Senior leaders Mahipal Dhanda and Mool Chand Sharma are also in the list. Dhanda, who won from Panipat Rural, belongs to the Jat community while Sharma, elected from Ballabhgarh seats, is the Brahmin face of the party.

It could also give the Dalit community adequate representation in the Cabinet as the BJP won eight out of the 17 Scheduled Caste (SC) seats in Haryana. Dalit leaders in reckoning for the ministerial berths include senior leader Krishan Lal Panwar, who won from Israna seat, and Krishan Kumar, who won from Narwana.

Om Prakash Yadav, who won from Narnaul, and senior leader Rao Narbir Singh, who won from Badshahpur, are also in the race.

Independent candidate and Hisar MLA Savitri Jindal's name is also doing rounds besides BJP leaders Anil Vij (Ambala Cantt), Shyam Singh Rana (Radaur), Jagmohan Anand (Karnal), Harvinder Kalyan (Gharaunda), Krishan Lal Middha (Jind), Arvind Kumar Sharma (Gohana), Vipul Goel (Faridabad), Nikhil Madaan (Sonipat) and Ghanshyam Dass (Yamunanagar).

Devender Attri, who won from Uchana Kalan, is also a probable.

philanthropist-ratan-how-tata-build-over-500-bed-hospital-in-kerala-within-5-months-during-peak-of-covid-pandemic

Thu Oct 10 17:03:12 IST 2024

The Covid pandemic was at its peak in March 2020, and Kasargod, a northern Kerala district bordering Karnataka was grappling with treatment facilities, as historically, the citizens here depended on facilities in the neighbouring state for treatment.

State borders were being closed as part of Covid restrictions and at one point, mounds of mud were even dumped on the road to stop Covid patients, persons with symptoms from Kasargod from entering Karnataka. On March 28, 2020 Ratan Tata, Chairman of Tata Trusts pledged Rs 500 crore worth of aid to overcome the Covid situation in the country.

Soon after, the Kerala government announced Tata group would build a hospital in Thekkil village, Kasaragod to treat Covid patients. The Kerala government allotted 5.5 acres of land, belonging to a private institution, for setting up the hospital worth Rs 60 crore. Tata Group built the state-of-the-art facility in 128 shipping containers, brought from different parts of the country.

ALSO READ: 'A truly uncommon leader who touched the lives of millions': Tata Sons chairman's statement on Ratan Tata's demise

Narrating the journey, Rahul Shah, chief operating officer, Urban Infrastructure, Tata Projects said in a blog of Tata group, “We worked with Tata Steel, Voltas and Tata Consulting Engineers (TCE) to design modular prefabricated units, which could be assembled at the site into hospital wards compliant with government guidelines for Covid-19 patients. We realised that if we could manufacture these units in multiple workshops, transport them to Kasaragod and fit them in, we could set up a hospital very quickly.”

Shah added while the modular units were being manufactured, they also readied the five-acre land with other basic amenities.

ALSO READ: Ratan Tata’s 12 closest family members

In a release, Tata Group said, "Tata Steel was commissioned to manufacture 128 ready-to-use units, including light and sanitary fittings, for Kasaragod. This included 80 quarantine rooms with 400 beds, 24 isolation rooms with 96 beds, two observation rooms with 10 beds, and one resuscitation room with five beds. The units were also used to set up 10 rooms, totalling 40 beds, for nurses and doctors to rest; a waiting room; a canteen; a pharmacy; and ECG, x-ray and ultrasound rooms."

ALSO READ: How it took just Re 1 for PM Narendra Modi to build his deep bond with Tata

To meet the quick deadline, the units were manufactured across multiple sites – Kolkata, Mangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Faridabad, it said.

Working within a short span of time, Tata Trusts handed over keys for the facility to the Kerala government on September 10 and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated it. According to reports, close to 5,000 patients were treated at the facility.

tension-mounts-as-akhilesh-yadav-prepares-to-visit-jpnic-police-put-up-barricade-at-his-home

Fri Oct 11 12:10:56 IST 2024

Barricades have been set up at the residence of Samajwadi Party (SP) chief and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and at the Jai Prakash Narayan International Centre (JPNIC) late on Thursday evening. The administration put up aluminium sheets at the entrance of the JPNIC after Yadav made it known that he intends to visit the centre on Friday.

Yadav wants to pay tribute to Narayan as October 11 is his birth anniversary.

On Thursday night, Yadav visited the JPNIC where 'Samajwadi Party zindabad' had been scrawled in red paint on the sheets on the gate. He said that the government should throw open the gates or let the people know what it was trying to hide. "Are they planning to sell off the land? We will see how that is done", he said.

The JPNIC building is still incomplete and no construction is going on at present.

At the time of the filing of this report, hordes of Samajwadi Party workers had gathered at Yadav’s residence- some wearing chains symbolic of how the ruling party was shackling democracy.

There is a strong posse of police stationed at the JPNIC where Samajwadi Party workers are also gathering.

On Thursday night, Yadav did not disclose whether or not he would go to the JPNIC on Friday. There is no official word from the party on the issue.

Meanwhile, SP MLA Shivpal Singh Yadav who was in Etawah from where he left for Lucknow in the morning was detained at Kannauj and asked to return.

He had earlier taken to X to say that the BJP was so intoxicated by power that it was attempting to blockade democracy. "Take lessons from history…dictatorship does not last for long in a democracy", he posted.

In 2023 too, the government had locked the gate of the JPNIC in an attempt to stop Yadav from entering the premises. He had then leaped over the gate and garlanded the bust of the socialist ideologue.

karnataka-congress-asserts-kannada-first-stand-again-after-job-reservation-debacle-mandates-hoisting-state-flag-on-nov-1

Fri Oct 11 11:33:26 IST 2024

Asserting its ‘Kannada first’ stand again, the Karnataka government on Friday said all organisations should hoist the Karnataka flag on November 1, to celebrate the formation of the state. He also said pro-Kannada outfits should not take law into their hands on the day.

Addressing presspersons, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said, “November 1 is an important day for Karnataka, it is Karnataka Rajyotsava. As minister for Bengaluru development, I am ordering all companies, and education centres to hoist the Karnataka flag. 50 per cent of the people are from outside the state; it is important for us to celebrate such a day. Kannada language should be respected. Karnataka flag should be mandatorily hoisted on the buildings on November 1,” ANI reported.

Shivakumar advised firms and educational institutions to also host cultural programmes on the day to celebrate Karnataka Rajyotsava. The deputy CM also warned pro-Kannada outfits against wanton violence on the day. “I am warning pro-Kannada outfits to not take the law into their own hands on that day,” he said.

This is the second such move by Congress-led government in Karnataka to assert its pro-Kannada stand. In July, the state government introduced a Bill providing job reservation for Kannadigas in private establishments.

The Siddaramiah -led government introduced the State Employment of Local Candidates in the Industries, Factories and Other Establishments Bill, 2024, providing reservation for Kannadigas. As per the bill, any industry, factory or other establishments should appoint 50 per cent of local candidates in management categories and 70 per cent in non-management categories. However, the government had to put the bill on hold following backlash from industrial bodies.

as-congress-analyses-haryana-debacle-state-unit-leaders-slam-hooda-blame-rests-with-bapu-beta

Fri Oct 11 10:06:32 IST 2024

More Congress state unit leaders are raising their voices against former chief minister and senior leader Bhupinder Hooda for the party's dismal performance in the Haryana Assembly elections.

The Congress held a review meeting on Thursday after which it decided to set up a fact-finding team to study the debacle. The team will speak to all its candidates to find the reason for the party's failure, despite widespread anticipation that it would storm into power.

Interestingly, Thursday's meeting called by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge did not feature two major state leaders, Randeep Singh Surjewala and Kumari Selja. Though the reports state that they were not invited, just like Hooda, their absence reflects how discontent these leaders were with Hooda's dominance in the campaign and candidate selection process. Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan and CLP leader and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, or any other senior leaders from the state were also not called for the meeting.

The meeting was attended by party MP Rahul Gandhi, and observers of the party like Ashok Gehlot, Ajay Maken and Pratap Singh Bajwa. AICC in-charge of Haryana Deepak Babaria joined the meeting online.

On whether the infighting within the party had affected the Congress's prospects, Maken said, "There are various reasons, from the Election Commission to internal differences, we have discussed all that will do so in future as well because such a big upset...we cannot discuss everything in one or one-and-a-half hour."

Meanwhile, more leaders have voiced their protest against Hooda. Former Congres MLA Shamsher Singh Gogi on Thursday attacked the "Hooda Congress" for creating a communication gap in the party which ultimately led to the Congress party's loss.

Gogi, who lost the Assandh seat to BJP leader Yoginder Singh Rana, told reporters that the blame for the defeat rests with "Bapu-beta," indirectly criticising the father-son duo Bhupinder Hooda and Deepender Hooda.

Gogi accused that the state leadership, including Hooda and son, was not happy with Rahul Gandhi's direct visit to Assandh. He said the polarisation happened towards the end. "(Bhupinder Singh) Hooda didn't even take my name on stage. 'Hooda Congress' was contesting the election and they lost, they didn't take anyone into confidence. They created a communication gap inside the party. Had the election been contested properly, we would have won since the people wanted Congress govt this time. The responsibility (of the defeat) lies with 'Bapu-beta'," Gogi told ANI.

Besides Gogi, many other candidates who lost the polls came out against Hooda and his son for allegedly supporting Congress rebels, who were close to them. They accused that this support cut into the party's official candidates.

Congress OBC wing chairman Capt Ajay Singh Yadav, whose son Chiranjeev Rao lost from Rewari, said his post had been reduced to little more than a toy. The Rewari seat was a Congress stronghold and Yadav made his displeasure known to the state leadership for South Haryana and OBC leaders not having enough representation in the Congress Working Committee, Congress Election Committee, or the PCC.

“The result is that we got wiped out in the districts of Gurgaon, Mahendragarh, Rewari and Faridabad. If you don’t bring OBCs into the mainstream within the party, it sends the wrong message," The Indian Express quoted Yadav. He added that the party posters did not even have his pictures.

murasoli-selvam-karunanidhis-son-in-law-passes-away

Thu Oct 10 13:38:22 IST 2024

Murasoli Selvam, son-in-law of former chief minister M. Karunanidhi, passes away on Thursday at a hospital in Bengaluru. Selvam, 72-year-old, was admitted to the hospital due to breathlessness earlier on Thursday.

Murasoli Selvam, as he is popularly known, is the younger brother of former Union Minister Murasoli Maran. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin's elder sister Selvi is married to Selvam. He is the second son of Karunanidhi's elder sister Shanmuga Sundarathammal.

Selvi, who was living in Bengaluru, moved to Chennai after her mother Dayalu Ammal had fallen sick. The mortal remains of Selvam will be placed at Karunanidhi's Gopalapuram residence for homage, the family has announced. A poet and an author, Selvam, was the publisher and editor of Murasoli, the Drvaida Munnetra Kazhagam's mouthpiece, for over 50 years.

Chief Minister Stalin condoled Selvam's demise. He remembered Selvam as a brother, guide and someone who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him during his growth phase in the party.

grave-disrespect-to-an-elected-woman-cm-aap-shares-pics-of-atishi-working-amid-packed-cartons

Thu Oct 10 18:02:21 IST 2024

A day after Delhi Chief Minister Atishi’s office alleged that she was evicted from her 6, Flagstaff Road bungalow, the Aam Aadmi Party on Thursday shared photos of her working amid packed cartons of her belongings.

AAP leader Sanjay Singh posted the images on X, saying the BJP cannot take away Atishi's commitment to work for the people of Delhi.

Singh accused the saffron party of "throwing away" a woman chief minister's belongings from her "residence" during the ongoing Navratri festival.

Addressing a press conference, Singh reiterated the party’s allegations that the BJP was trying to "forcibly capture" the "CM's residence".

"This is a grave disrespect to an elected woman chief minister and the people of Delhi. A party that has been out of power in Delhi for 27 years is trying to capture the chief minister's house forcibly," he said.

On Tuesday, the chief minister’s office alleged that Atishi was evicted from her official residence in Civil Lines under the directions of Lt Governor V.K. Saxena.

"For the first time in the history of the country, the Chief Minister's residence was vacated. At the behest of the BJP, the Lt Governor forcibly removed Chief Minister Atishi's belongings from the Chief Minister residence," the CMO said in a post.

Atishi, who was sworn in as the chief minister last month, moved her belongings to the 6, Flagstaff Road residence on Monday. The bungalow was previously occupied for over nine years by Arvind Kejriwal who vacated it after resigning as the chief minister.

The BJP, however, accused Atishi of illegally occupying the bungalow even as she had been allotted the AB-17 bungalow on Mathura Road.

pm-modi-announces-10-point-plan-to-strengthen-india-asean-ties

Thu Oct 10 21:19:18 IST 2024

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday announced a 10-point plan to strengthen the India-ASIAN partnerships which, he said, were critical to guiding Asia’s future.

Addressing the 21st India-ASEAN summit at Lao PDR, Modi emphasised the vibrancy of India’s Act East Policy and noted that in the last ten years India-ASEAN trade had doubled to over USD 130 billion.

“Today, India has direct flight connectivity with seven ASEAN countries, and soon, direct flights to Brunei will also commence,” he said. The prime minister also highlighted that significant progress has been made in restoration of shared cultural heritage in five ASEAN countries.

Modi’s 10-point plant to enhance connectivity and resilience included:

1. Celebrating the year 2025 as ASEAN-India Year of Tourism for which India would make available USD 5 million towards joint activities;

2. To celebrate a decade of Act East Policy through several people centric activities including Youth Summit, Start-up Festival, Hackathon, Music Festival, ASEAN-India Network of Think Tanks and Delhi Dialogue;

3. To organise ASEAN-India Women Scientists Conclave under ASEAN-India Science and Technology Development Fund;

4. Doubling the number of scholarships at Nalanda University and provision of new scholarships for ASEAN students at Agricultural Universities in India;

5. Review of ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement by 2025;

6. Enhancing Disaster Resilience for which India would make available USD 5 million;

7. Initiate a new Health Ministers’ track towards building Health Resilience;

8. Initiate a regular mechanism of ASEAN-India Cyber Policy Dialogue towards strengthening Digital and Cyber Resilience;

9. Workshop on Green Hydrogen

10. Invited ASEAN Leaders to join ‘Plant a Tree for Mother’ campaign towards building climate resilience

After the key summit, the leaders issued a joint statement on strengthening ASEAN-India comprehensive strategic partnership for peace, stability and prosperity in the region. According to a PMO statement, the leaders also appreciated India’s leadership in the field of digital transformation and welcomed partnership with India in digital public infrastructure.

Meanwhile, on the sidelines of the summit, Modi spoke to his counterparts in Japan and New Zealand—Shigeru Ishiba and Christopher Luxon, respectively.

Modi and Ishiba reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening India-Japan special strategic and global partnership through enhanced cooperation in a wide range of areas.

“Both leaders emphasized that India and Japan are indispensable partners for a peaceful, safe, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region and renewed their commitment to working together to achieve this goal,” the PMO said.

In their meeting, Modi and Luxon discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation across a range of areas including trade and investment, defence and security, renewable energy, education, dairy, agri-tech, sports, tourism, space, and people-to-people ties.

“They noted that frequent high-level contacts have imparted a strong momentum to bilateral relations. In this context, they recalled the recent visit of the President of India to New Zealand, which was a huge success,” said the statement.

decoding-the-dalit-factor-in-haryana-results-how-bjp-redeemed-itself-in-the-eyes-of-scs

Thu Oct 10 19:30:19 IST 2024

A major factor behind the Bharatiya Janata Party’s surprising victory in Haryana is the success of its efforts to reach out to the Dalit voters post the Lok Sabha elections. On the other hand, the Congress failed to build the support that it got from the Scheduled Castes during the parliamentary elections, and its excessive dependence on the Jat vote bank may have even alienated a substantial section of the SC community.

A look at the 17 constituencies reserved for the SCs shows that the two parties almost evenly split the seats amongst themselves, making the contest in these areas a bipolar one. The BJP increased its tally in the reserved seats from five in 2019 to eight in these elections. The Congress emerged victorious in nine seats this time while it had won seven in the previous state elections.

The BJP’s performance in the reserved seats in the Assembly elections shows that the party has in fact redeemed itself to a large extent in the eyes of the Dalit voter as compared to how it fared in the Lok Sabha polls.

It was observed in the Lok Sabha elections that the Dalit electorate backed the Congress as it won five out of the 10 seats in the state, up from the zero it had scored in the 2019 elections. The Congress had won both the reserved Lok Sabha seats in the state.

The Congress’s campaign about the Constitution being under threat and the perception that the BJP’s claims of winning more than 400 seats was an indication of its plans to rework the reservation format were crucial factors in the choice made by the Dalit voters in the state in the parliamentary elections.

However, the way the reserved constituencies voted in the state elections shows that the Congress, contrary to its expectations, could not corner the Dalit vote. Both the Congress and the BJP gained in these seats at the cost of the JJP, which had won four reserved constituencies in 2019 but was completely wiped out in these seats this time round. Also, if the Congress wrested one reserved seat from the BJP, the saffron party won two such seats that were previously held by the Congress.

The Dalits comprise an estimated 20.2 per cent of the total population of the state, and are also in a position to make a difference in around 50 seats in the state apart from the 17 that are reserved for Scs.

Aware of the importance of the Dalit voter in Haryana, and also keen to incorporate the SCs in the caste coalition it was building to counter the Jat consolidation behind the Congress, the Nayab Singh Saini government took initiatives in right earnest after the Lok Sabha elections to woo the constituency.

Amongst the steps taken by the Saini government was sub-categorisation of the reservation for the Dalits in the state. On the eve of elections, the government, in what is being viewed as an effort to ensure the support of the non-Jatav Dalits who have voted for the BJP in the past, announced 20 per cent quota in government jobs for the SCs, and 10 per cent of the reservation would be for the deprived Scs.

On the other hand, the Congress’s projection of former chief minister and veteran Jat leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda as the face of its campaign and its dependence on the Jat community to see it through is believed to have turned away a sizeable section of the Dalits. The alienation of prominent Dalit leader Kumari Selja in the Congress’s campaign, which was heavily dominated by Hooda, was played up by the BJP in the election campaign.

According to Congress sources, the Selja factor did contribute to the party’s failure to consolidate the Dalit vote in its favour. They say the party’s focus on Jats and the sidelining of Selja had the undesirable effect of demotivating the Dalit workers who may not have done their best in reaching out to the SC voters.

ratan-tatas-mortal-remains-cremated-with-full-state-honours-in-mumbai

Thu Oct 10 18:58:14 IST 2024

The last rites of veteran industrialist Ratan Tata, who died at a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday night, were performed with full state honours at the Worli crematorium in central Mumbai on Thursday evening.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, his cabinet colleague Piyush Goyal, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, his deputy Devendra Fadnavis, Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel and Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal attended the funeral of the business magnate who transformed the Tata Group into a globalised diversified conglomerate.

Tata's family members, including the half-brother Noel Tata, and top executives from the Tata Group like chairman N. Chandrasekaran, were present at the crematorium.

Earlier, Tata's mortal remains, wrapped in the national flag, lay in state at the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) in south Mumbai where thousands of people, including politicians, actors and sportspersons, paid their final respects. Later, they were taken to the crematorium where Tata was given a ceremonial guard of honour by the Mumbai Police.

The last rites were performed as per the Parsi tradition. After the funeral, there will be three more days of rituals which will be conducted at the late industrialist's bungalow in Colaba, south Mumbai, a priest present at the crematorium told PTI.

A visionary leader and philanthropist, Tata (86) breathed his last at Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital where he had been admitted on Monday following a sudden drop in blood pressure.

ratan-tata-passes-away-how-it-took-just-re-1-for-pm-narendra-modi-to-build-his-deep-bond-with-tata

Thu Oct 10 13:23:00 IST 2024

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's close friendship with former Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata began two decades ago over a controversial issue: Tata's plan to start a manufacturing plant in West Bengal's Singur.

The idea to set up a manufacturing plant in Hoogly district's Singur did not go as planned for Tata Motors when protests boiled over land acquisition in 2006. Farmers alleged that West Bengal's then-left government moved to forcibly take over the land. One of the signs put up by protesters read: "Atta not Tata". The protest was so intense that Tata had to abandon the plant after completing over 85 per cent of the work.

In 2008, after two-year-long protests, a disappointed Tata Group announced at a press conference that it was dropping the Singur plant plan.

That's when Narendra Modi, the then Chief Minister of Gujarat, came into the picture. He sent a one-sentence SMS to Ratan Tata, which read 'Suswagatam' (meaning 'welcome' in Sanskrit).

The message was so instrumental in Gujarat's entrepreneurial bond with Tata that Modi famously said while rolling out the first Nano car: "When Ratan Tata said in a press conference in Kolkata that they are leaving West Bengal, I sent him a short SMS saying welcome to Gujarat. And now you can see what a Re 1 (worth) SMS can do."

Ratan Tata, in a later interview, said how Modi took just three days to make a swift offer of 1,100 acres of prime land in Sanand at Rs 3.5 lakh per acre. "He invited me to move the factory to Gujarat, and I said we’d come if we had a home. He [Modi] said I’ll get you the land you want in three days. And then he delivered that on the third morning. He said, 'Ratanji, here’s the land that I promised. That does not happen in India".

He was all praise for Gujarat while launching the first Nano car. "When I came here first on an industry visit, invited by the Gujarat chief Minister, I was told that if it (the Nano plant) is not in Gujarat, I will be stupid. I am no longer stupid after investing in the plant in Gujarat," Tata said.

The plant which once manufactured the Nano model now produces the Tiago and Tigor models.

Ratan Tata has been a vocal supporter of Modi, stating he always believed in Modi's promise to offer the people a new India.

how-kanpur-dubey-couple-duped-senior-citizens-promising-youthful-looks-using-miracle-israel-machine

Thu Oct 10 13:07:47 IST 2024

A couple in Kanpur duped senior citizens in the name of making them look like 25-year-olds.

Kanpur police have registered a report against Rajesh and Rashmi Dubey after 16 people complained that the duo had promised to give them youthful looks via a machine brought from Israel.

Those duped were shown a presentation that had images of film stars, cricketers and politicians with the Dubeys claiming that all of them went abroad to get a special oxygen therapy that gave them youthful looks. Among those duped is a 65-year-old, who on condition of anonymity said that he had given Rs 1.8 lakh for two sessions with the machine. “The presentation seemed very genuine. The couple convinced me. I am sure there are many others who have been duped but they are ashamed to come forward”. He said that the couple had also shown potential customers newspaper articles about the miracle machine.

Those who bought into the couple’s claims were asked to rope in more customers and were given gift hampers as incentives. Promised gifts included laptops, international trips, a small car or a bigger one depending on the number of clients one got. A three-hour ‘motivational class’ was also used to brainwash potential clients.

ALSO READ | Kanpur couple with 'Israel-made time machine' scams people of Rs 35 crore by offering youthful skin; here's the 'Revival World' story

Meanwhile, Rajesh Dubey said, “It is a complete exaggeration that crores of rupees were given for the treatment. The entire business done by the company is of Rs 40 lakh till date.” The police has, however, so far traced Rs 75 lakh worth of transactions. Those at the receiving end of the fraud say that the couple swindled upwards of Rs 35 crore.

Anjali Vishwakarma, ACP Babupurwa said, “A committee of health experts has been formed to find out if there is indeed any machine which can offer such miraculous anti-ageing benefits”. The police are also investigating the cryptocurrency investments made by the couple.

The therapy offered by the machine incidentally also gave some clients burns - only to be told by the duo that these were temporary and would go away with time. The police have given the couple three days to produce all relevant documents and also the details of the miracle machine.

misuse-of-power-maharashtra-govt-sacks-2-juvenile-board-members-over-quick-bail-to-minor-in-pune-porsche-crash-case

Thu Oct 10 12:20:52 IST 2024

The Maharashtra government has sacked two members of the Pune Juvenile Justice Board for ‘misuse of power’, following a probe into alleged lapses in the bail granted to minor involved in Pune Porsche crash case. The 17-year-old boy involved in the incident in May was granted bail by the Board under flimsy conditions.

The state women and child development (WCD) department conducted a probe into alleged irregularities after huge uproar over bail granted to the juvenile under lenient conditions. The department has terminated the service of two members – L.N. Danwade and Kavita Thorat – for “procedural lapses, misconduct and non-compliance with norms".

WCD Department Commissioner Prashant Narnavare told PTI, "I had given the probe panel report to the state government and recommended that the appointment of the two members should be terminated.” The probe report was submitted to the government in July and action was initiated to terminate them after it was found they misused their powers.

ALSO READ | Pune car crash: After outcry over bail, juvenile court sends teenager to observation home

"The report, recommending the termination, was sent to the state government in July. The state government on Tuesday terminated the appointment of both the members as they were found guilty of misusing their powers, which have been provided under the Juvenile Justice Act," he said.

Two IT professionals were killed in May after a speeding Porche driven by a 17-year-old boy dashed against a two-wheeler in Pune. The youth was allegedly in an inebriated condition and the JJB granted bail to the juvenile within hours after the incident. The bail was granted under flimsy conditions, including writing a 300-word essay on road accidents.

Following huge uproar, the boy was later sent to observation home. Besides the youth, his parents and grandfather are facing charges for tampering evidence in the case and threatening their driver to accept the crime.

ratan-tata-shantanu-naidu-age-was-no-bar-for-this-friendship

Thu Oct 10 14:18:43 IST 2024

“Goodbye, my dear lighthouse.”

A lighthouse is often a sight from heaven for a mariner or a vessel in despair at the sea. Eminent businessman and philanthropist Ratan Tata had, over the years, proved to be that and more for many who found themselves at sea in life and work.

The light went out last night, but the glow will remain forever.

One person who can certainly vouch for Tata's human touch is Shantanu Naidu, the founder of Motopaws, an animal welfare organisation, and Goodfellows India, a startup that provides youth companionship to senior citizens. Both these projects were funded by Ratan Tata.

The 31-year-old posted a heartfelt post mourning the passing away of the titan of India Inc., with a picture of the two of them together.

Who is Shantanu Naidu, and how did the friendship with Ratan Tata blossom?

Age was never a bar in the friendship between this millenial and the octogenarian. Love for animals and a shared passion for societal welfare brought them together.

ALSO READ: From Tetley to Jaguar Land Rover, how Tata went global under Ratan Tata's leadership

It all began in 2014 when Pune-native Naidu, an automobile engineer from Savitribai Phule Pune University, developed an innovation—reflective collars—to save stray dogs from being run over by speeding vehicles. The youngster was working for Tata Elxsi then, and he sent a letter to Tata explaining his business proposal. An impressed Tata called him over for a meeting and agreed to fund his project and start-up Motopaws, thus sparking of an unlikely friendship between two animal lovers.

ALSO READ: When Ratan Tata chose his ill dog over 'lifetime achievement award' presented by British Royals

Such was Tata's affection for Naidu, that he attended the latter's graduation dinner in Ithaca, after Naidu completed his MBA from Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management in 2018. Soon, Naidu became Tata's most trusted executive assistant and later, the deputy general manager.

ALSO READ: No sky burial for Ratan Tata

Tata was the guiding light for Naidu's another start-up, Goodfellows. The company employs young graduates to provide companionship to the elderly, with an aim to form bonds between the two generations. The subscription-based company was launched in 2022, with seed funding from Tata. Goodfellows offers internships and the chosen 'goodfellows' are retained and groomed to form long-lasting bonds with the 'grandpals'. What makes it different is that other similar services usually have to depend on the availability of volunteers and thus, it's often not possible to forge lasting bonds.

ALSO READ: Ratan Tata ensured 26/11 terror attack victims were 'honoured'

Naidu is on the board of the Tata Small Animal Hospital in Mumbai.

Naidu's book I Came Upon a Lighthouse: A Short Memoir of Life with Ratan Tata is a treasure trove of anecdotes of his friendship with the chairman emeritus of the Tata Group. For a person who guards his privacy fiercely and rarely appears in public, Tata comes across as a modest and humble titan in the pages of Naidu's endearing memoir. For instance, Shantanu writes it is he who organises cupcakes with a single candle to celebrate Tata's birthday!

Unmarried and childless, Tata, perhaps, saw a son in Naidu. Or, a pal. Only he knows.

jandk-assembly-polls-omar-abdullah-set-to-become-cm-again-as-nc-chooses-him-as-legislative-party-chairman

Thu Oct 10 15:30:09 IST 2024

Omar Abdullah has been chosen as the chairman of the legislative party of the National Conference (NC), making him the party’s chief ministerial candidate for Jammu and Kashmir. NC president Dr Farooq Abdullah confirmed this after a meeting at the party's Nawa-e-Subh headquarters in Srinagar on Thursday.

Omar is expected to receive a letter of support from the Congress and meet Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to officially stake a claim for forming the government, with the backing of 49 legislators.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Dr Farooq said that Omar was unanimously selected as the legislative party chairman, although he did not go into further detail. NC insiders confirmed that this decision positions Omar as the chief ministerial face.

An NC leader present during the meeting mentioned that the party plans to stake a claim for government formation by Saturday. “The Congress is holding its meeting tomorrow, and once we have their support, we’ll move ahead,” the leader said. He also noted that all newly elected members pledged to remain united and to work towards fulfilling the promises made to the people during the elections.

ratan-tatas-12-closest-family-members

Thu Oct 10 12:48:23 IST 2024

From India Inc, it was Harsh Goenka who was arguably the first to take to X on Wednesday night to confirm the death of Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of Tata Sons. Soon, an official statement came from N. Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Sons.

The family’s official statement followed, ‘signed’ by 12 relatives closest to Tata:

1. Simone Tata: Ratan Tata’s stepmother. The French-Swiss Catholic married Naval Tata in 1955 and settled in Mumbai. Former managing director of Lakme and chairperson of Trent. Industry watchers say that it was under her watch that the Tatas sold Lakme to Hindustan Unilever and bankrolled Trent. She is the mother to Noel Tata, current chairman of Trent, which runs the Westside chain among other ventures.

2. Jimmy Tata: Younger brother of Ratan Tata. The second child of Naval Tata and Soonoo Commissariat. He is said to be an intensely private man with very humble tastes, who lives in a two-bedroom apartment in Colaba. A tweet from Goenka once said that he was an excellent squash player.

Also read: Ratan Tata was happy and loving his life in US until his grandmother wanted him home

3 & 4. Aloo and Noel Tata: Tata’s half-brother and wife. Noel chairs Trent and Aloo is the daughter of Pallonji Mistry of Shapoorji Pallonji & Co. Aloo’s brother Cyrus Mistry had succeeded Tata as chairman of Tata Sons and was later ousted after a bitter battle. There were speculations that Noel would succeed Tata eventually, but then N. Chandrasekaran was picked.

5 & 6. Shireen and Deanna Jejeebhoy: Ratan Tata’s half-sisters from his mother’s second marriage. According to thepeerage.com, after divorcing Naval Tata, Soonoo married Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy and the couple had three daughters: Shireen, Deanna and Geeta. Information on Geeta Jejeebhoy is not available.

7. Leah Tata: Noel’s daughter. Reported to be closely working with the Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), the hospitality arm of the conglomerate.

8. Maya Tata: Noel's daughter, and reportedly Tata’s favourite niece. According to news reports, the alumna of the University of Warwick and Bayes Business School began by managing investor relations at Tata Opportunities Fund and then worked closely with the launch of the Tata Neu app.

9-12. Manasi and Neville Tata: Noel’s son, Neville, married Manasi Kirloskar, and they have two children—Jamset Tata and Tiana Tata. Neville focuses on Trent brands like Zudio. Manasi is the daughter of the late Vikram S. Kirloskar and serves on multiple boards of Kirloskar companies.

Sources said that Tata backed the appointment of Leah, Maya, and Neville as trustees of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the Sir Ratan Tata Trust, the main philanthropic arms of the Tata Trusts.

ratan-tata-passes-away-havent-met-anyone-like-him-learnt-philanthropy-from-tata-remembers-sudha-murty

Thu Oct 10 11:15:20 IST 2024

Rajya Sabha MP and founder of Infosys Foundation Sudha Murty remembered Ratan Tata as a man of integrity and enormous patience. Known for her philanthropy works, Murty said she learnt it from the House of Tata.

Remembering the icon, Murty said, “A man of integrity and simplicity and always caring for others and compassionate… I really miss him… I don't think in my experience, I have met anyone like him,” ANI reported.

Sudha, wife of Infosys founder Narayan Murty noted it was the end of an era and Ratan Tata’s passing was a personal loss for her.”Ratan Tata had enormous patience, he was a simple man. I learn philanthropy in the House of Tatas only.”

ALSO READ | 'A truly uncommon leader who touched the lives of millions': Tata Sons chairman's statement on Ratan Tata's demise

Ratan Tata was big on philanthropy. He was chairman of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust and Allied Trusts, and the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the Allied Trusts. He was chairman of the council of management of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, and trustee of Cornell University and the University of Southern California.

FULL REPORT | End of an era: Ratan Tata passes away in Mumbai aged 86

Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of Tata Sons, passed away in Mumbai during the late hours of Wednesday. He was 86. Tata was admitted to Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital earlier this week for age-related medical checkups. His health worsened in the next 48 hours and he breathed his last close to midnight on Wednesday.

Tata’s mortal remains is now kept on the lawns of the National Centre for Performing Arts in Nariman Point for viewing by the public. At 3:30 pm, the funeral cortege will leave for Worli crematorium where the last rites will be performed.

ratan-tata-ensured-26-11-terror-attack-victims-were-honoured-kin-of-taj-mahal-palace-employees-killed-were-paid-their-salaries

Thu Oct 10 03:00:57 IST 2024

The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel was built by Ratan Tata’s great-grandfather Jamsetji Tata. The iconic building was among the five places targeted by the 10 Pakistani terrorists who attacked India's commercial capital on November 26, 2008. In the bloodshed and mayhem that lasted four days, 166 people were killed and over 300 were injured. The other places targeted by the extremists were the Oberoi-Trident Hotel, another luxury hotel like Taj, Chabad House at Nariman Point, Leopold Cafe and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station.

FULL REPORT | End of an era: Ratan Tata passes away in Mumbai aged 86

The Taj Mahal Palace hotel suffered losses worth over Rs 400 crore as the gunmen claimed several lives on its luxurius floors. However, living up to the legacy of the establishment that witnessed the growth of the "Maximum City", the employees of the hotel did everything they possibly could to save their guests from certain tragedy. Many of them refused to flee before ensuring their customers were far from danger. They asked the guest to hide under tables, and when the situation improved, they evacuated them in an orderly manner before turning to help the firefighters "If it (the hotel) goes down, I will be the last man out." a Taj employee famously told his father over the phone despite having lost his wife and child.

Ratan Tata, as expected, did his part in the days that followed. He visited his injured employees at hospitals and wholeheartedly embraced those who lost kith and kin to the violence.

Within two weeks of the attack, the Taj Public Service Welfare Trust was formed, reported Manorama Online. Sums ranging between Rs 36 lakhs to Rs 85 lakhs were handed over to the family of each Taj employee killed in the attack. These families were entitled to receive full salary until the date on which the late person was supposed to retire from service. Ratan Tata also ensured the children of his late employees received a good education, the report added.

ALSO READ | 'A truly uncommon leader who touched the lives of millions': Tata Sons chairman's statement on Ratan Tata's demise

The philanthropist was neverthless scarred by the terror attack. But he was proud about the way Mumbai recovered from its horrific memories.

"The wanton destruction that took place 12 years ago today will never be forgotten. But what is more memorable, is the way Mumbai as a diverse people came together, casting aside all differences, to vanquish the terrorism and destruction on that day. Today, we certainly can mourn the ones we lost and honour the sacrifice of the brave who helped conquer the enemy, but what we must applaud, is the unity and the acts of kindness and sensitivity which we should cherish, and which hopefully, will continue to shine in the years ahead," he jotted on Instagram on the 12th anniversary of the attack.

ALSO READ | When Ratan Tata became first Indian to receive UK's Knight Grand Cross of the Order award since 1950

The following year, in 2021, he wrote, "The hurt we endured 13 years ago today, can never be undone. We should however continue to let the memory of the attacks, which were meant to break us, become the source of our strength as we honour those we lost."

in-israel-we-trust-migrant-workers-from-telangana-do-not-want-to-leave-despite-war

Thu Oct 10 12:25:45 IST 2024

October 7 is etched deep in the memory of some Telugus working in Israel. Hours before Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip launched a deadly wave of attacks on Israeli soil, executing and abducting hundreds of people, migrant workers from Telangana had gathered in Ramat Gan, a town near Tel Aviv. On that day in 2023, elections were being held to choose office bearers for the Israel Telangana Association. They were voting for a new beginning for their small community, unaware that the day would mark a new beginning for the entire country. Members of the association recall how they were shocked by the unfolding events.

It was particularly challenging for R. Bhanu, a native of Nizamabad district in Telangana, who has been working as a caregiver in Israel for the past five years. He resides in Ashkelon, a town close to the Gaza border. He spoke about his experience in the days that followed.

“I was very scared and thought I should go back to India. I shut my doors and windows, constantly checking the peephole for any abnormal activity. I would panic if I heard a knock on the door. I didn’t even go out to buy vegetables or groceries, adjusting with whatever I had. It took me 10 days to return to normalcy,” he said.

Bhanu was not unfamiliar with the conflict, but October 7 felt different. He still remembers the day in 2020 when he saw the sky full of rockets fired from Gaza into Israel. “It was unbelievable, but my seniors assured me that it’s a common sight and that the Iron Dome defence system would protect us all.”

ALSO READ: Israel approaches India to carry out recruitment drive

By "seniors," Bhanu refers to some of the 4,000-odd Telugu migrant workers in Israel, employed as caregivers for the elderly and the needy, workers in shopping malls and commercial establishments, and domestic help. By now, Bhanu has gotten used to the drills. When he hears a siren or receives an alert on his phone, he says, he can reach the bunker below his house within a minute. If he is on the street, he is confident he can navigate to the nearest shelter. But if he’s far from any such safe spot, he knows what to do.

“When I was travelling in Ra’anana (a city in Israel), there was an alert. I immediately got out and lay down on the ground like the rest of the passengers. That’s an important technique to escape rocket attacks with minimum damage.”

Even with the ongoing war between Israel and Palestine in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as clashes with Hezbollah in neighbouring Lebanon, Bhanu and many like him have remained in Israel, going about their lives as usual. According to Soma Ravi, president of the Israel Telangana Association, who lives in Tel Aviv, less than 5-10 per cent of Indians have returned to their homeland since October 7. He says that immense confidence in the Israeli government and their ability to protect residents are the major reasons. Of course, the standard of living, wages, and working conditions also play a role. A migrant worker can earn anywhere from Rs 1.2 lakh and upwards per month, a huge figure for people hailing from the backward region of the south Indian state.

ALSO READ: 'An Israeli family is taking care of me': Soma Ravi, caregiver, Tiberias

For decades, people from the northern Telangana districts like Nizamabad and Karimnagar have flocked to Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE to escape poverty. Today, there are hundreds of thousands of low-income workers from Telangana spread across the Gulf. While there have been success stories, the region has also seen several tragic cases of fraud and ill-treatment resulting in deaths.

However, Israel is slowly becoming an attractive alternative for many of these workers. At a time when Israel has stopped employing thousands of labourers from Gaza, men from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are finding greener pastures in the arid desert land of Israel. A Telugu community member, who preferred to remain anonymous, said that in recent weeks, they have seen a large influx of Telugu men. “Israelis treat Indians well which is another reason we feel like staying despite the war.”

ALSO READ: Indian nationals in Israel asked to stay vigilant

S. Naveen, like Bhanu, is also from Nizamabad and works as a caregiver. He lives in Yavne, Israel, and describes the terror he felt while holed up in a bunker during Iran’s recent missile attack on Israel.

“The walls were shaking and when I looked up, I could see the Iron Dome intercepting the missiles, causing loud explosions,” Naveen said. “My family is worried for me because they are following the news from this region. They tell me to come back, but I’m not keen.” There are dozens of women migrant workers, too, who have taken the same stand.

Recently, the growing Telugu female community in Israel even celebrated Bathukamma, a floral festival observed during Dussehra, which is unique to Telangana culture.

kolkata-tug-of-war-between-wb-government-junior-doctors-continue

Wed Oct 09 23:31:39 IST 2024

Despite assurances from the West Bengal government that measures to enhance hospital security and safety are being gradually implemented, junior doctors in Kolkata persist with their indefinite hunger strike following the August 9 rape and murder of a trainee doctor.

West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant on October 8 had appealed to the medicos to end their strike, saying that 90 per cent of the work related to their safety and security in hospitals and medical colleges would be completed by October 10.

The junior doctors, however, refused to end their strike, stating that safety and security were just one aspect of their 10-point list of demands. On Wednesday, they tried to march towards different Durga Puja pandals of Kolkata with a symbolic statue of Abhaya. However, the police denied them permission, leading to a confrontation.

After a meeting with Principal Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam and officials from various state-run institutions, including the principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Panth urged junior doctors to end their hunger strike. He assured them that all safety and security measures would be completed by October 15.

He informed that out of 7,051 CCTV cameras across 28 state-run institutions, 3,181 (over 45%) have been installed, an increase from the 26% reported by the state government during the last Supreme Court hearing on September 30.

Additionally, the construction works of duty rooms and washrooms have progressed to 62 per cent and 65 per cent, respectively, up from 49 per cent and 40 per cent. Starting October 15, the state will launch a pilot project for a centralized referral system that displays real-time bed availability, allowing hospitals to refer patients accordingly.

The West Bengal government aims to implement this system in all state-run hospitals by the first week of November. Additionally, a panic button or alarm system is expected to be installed by November 1, addressing most of the safety and security demands made by junior doctors.

However, the movement gained additional traction on Tuesday when senior doctors at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital offered mass resignation, accusing the government of neglecting the other demands raised by the junior doctors. On Wednesday, senior doctors from Kolkata Medical College and Hospital, Calcutta National Medical College & Hospital, North Bengal Medical College and Hospital and Midnapore Medical College and Hospital followed suit.

However, the state has not accepted any of these mass resignations, saying this is not the official way to resign.

Other demands by junior doctors include:

Removal of Principal Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam
An urgent investigation into corruption and embezzlement allegations within the West Bengal Medical Council and the West Bengal Health Recruitment Board
Holding of student elections in every medical colleg
Filling vacant hospital positions
Appointing male and female police personnel on medical college campuses instead of civic volunteers
Recognising Resident Doctors Associations, and establishing college-level inquiry committees to punish those involved in the ongoing “threat culture”

During the last Supreme Court hearing, senior advocate Karuna Nundy, representing the doctors, had informed the apex court that several individuals named in the CBI’s writ petition, accused of misconduct and covering up the crime, were still employed at the hospital. She had appealed that these individuals be either suspended or placed on leave.

After the hearing, the RG Kar authorities expelled 10 individuals, including doctors, interns, and house staff, on these grounds. Among those arrested was Ashish Pandey, who has been accused by the CBI of financial irregularities at the institution. Pandey, a house staff member at RG Kar MCH, is believed to be a close associate of former principal Sandip Ghosh.

The protesting doctors, however, have said that there are 49 remaining persons who were identified to be a part of the "threat culture".

crime-news-kochi-how-unidentified-gang-stole-at-least-22-i-phones-during-dj-alan-walker-s-bolgatty-palace-event

Wed Oct 09 22:11:20 IST 2024

While globally acclaimed Norwegian DJ Alan Walker performed at Kochi's Bolgatty Palace on Sunday, an oganised crime group used the opportunity to steal at least 22 iPhones and 13 Android smartphones from the attendees. Several of the complainants lost their mobile devices from the VIP area of the venue, police said.

When one of the complainants tried spotting the location of his missing iPhone, it was tracked to the vicinity of the CIAL. When the police made a move based on this clue, the phone had reached Mumbai from the airport.

Similar crimes were reported in Bengaluru and Delhi in the past, further strengthening the police theory that it was a well-planned and executed act by a trained group. The police suspect the number of complainants to go up in the days to come.

According to the police, the modus operandi of the gang is to target programmes held in metro cities that attract large crowds. They spend on tickets to mingle with the enthralled crowd and snatch valuables from the pockets of the people, making the most of the loud environment. Once the deed is done, they flee the city sans waiting a moment.

Mulavukad SHO VS Shyamkumar is in charge of the investigation, Manorama Online said in a report. The probe team is in the process of analysing CCTV visuals around the area. Over 100 Kerala Police personnel including two ACPs were deployed at Bolgatty Palace ahead of the much-hyped DJ night. The event started at 7:30 PM and many approached the cops claiming their phones were missing as the show progressed.

The event was organised by Mumbai-based Sunburn Arena, in association with Ezone Entertainment Kochi.

exclusive-mohammed-yousuf-tarigami-interview-bjp-govt-s-policies-divide-people-instead-of-unifying-them

Wed Oct 09 22:13:04 IST 2024

CPI(M) leader Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami is a veteran politician who has been a witness to Jammu and Kashmir's tumultuous political history. He secured his fifth term in the assembly from Kulgam in south Kashmir.

Edited excerpts from an exclusive interview:

How different was this election from those of the past?

This election was held after a long time. The last elections were held in 2014, and that assembly was dissolved in 2018. This is the only assembly in India where there has been no election for such a long period. That makes these elections unprecedented and unique. That’s why the people of Jammu and Kashmir were enthusiastic about using the opportunity to shape their future.

You prevailed in Kulgam, which was one of the constituencies that was keenly watched.

It was challenging because the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) continues to be an abandoned organisation, but they were facilitated by the government to contest as independents. There is no denying that everybody has the right to contest. However, certain questions remain: the JeI has been advocating the implementation of the right to self-determination and accession with Pakistan, and has been seen promoting armed struggle. All of a sudden, there is this U-turn. Why?

They have to explain it to the people. Additionally, the government of India has accused mainstream parties like the National Conference, Congress, PDP and CPI(M) of appeasement towards the secessionists, yet they are promoting individuals who, until recently, have been indulging in separatism. How do we reconcile this collusion between two extremes―the BJP and the JeI―converging somewhere in Kulgam, the most suited place? That made it more interesting and challenging.

ALSO READ | Who’s Tarigami, the CPI(M) leader who won J&K’s Kulgam for fifth consecutive time?

What is the message from the verdict?

The message is loud and clear. For some, it is a surprise, but for me, as a student of politics, it’s not. They are underestimating the strength and the capacity of the people to think about their future. They are taking the people for granted. That is how they made a mistake in judging the mood of the populace. These elections have demonstrated that they know the right time for the right things to be done. Whenever there is an opportunity, they grab it. This time, an opportunity was presented to the people of Kashmir, and they seized it.

Historically, certain autonomy was provided to us by the Constituent Assembly of India, not as a concession or an appeasement, as the BJP has been claiming, but after a debate in the Assembly. It was a contract between the leadership of Jammu and Kashmir and the Indian Union. That bond was unilaterally abrogated, assaulted, not with debate or discussion, nor taking stakeholders into confidence, but by imposing restrictions, including shutdowns of internet and telephone facilities. Have you seen that happening anywhere while deciding the fate of a people and putting them in a prison-like situation? This happened in Kashmir. Now, the people of Kashmir got an opportunity to express themselves; they don't accept what you have done. Our voice is unanimous in rejecting this treatment, which is undemocratic and unconstitutional.

The results have also highlighted a regional divide. How do you intend to bridge this divide between Jammu and Kashmir?

That is true. Unfortunately, the policies of the BJP government, instead of unifying people, have been dividing them on the basis of faith, caste, and creed. That is what they have been practising across the country. However, the alliance will reach out to every section of people in Jammu. That remains our agenda, and we are very conscious that we can’t do without Jammu. They are a part of us, and we are a part of them. Together, we have to work for a better future.

How do you intend to deliver on the promises made to the people in these elections?

We did not make promises that are sky-high. We will put their concerns on the floor of the house. I told the people in my constituency that I don’t want to promise false dreams. Dreaming of a better future is not a sin.

ALSO READ |Analysis: What Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir Assembly election results tell us

But this assembly will have limited powers?

The government has been talking about the restoration of statehood. If they have been sincere about it, why did they introduce the second amendment in the J&K Reorganisation Act on the eve of the elections? That amendment disempowers the assembly and empowers the unelected appointee of the Centre, the lieutenant governor of Jammu and Kashmir.

Now, we have limited opportunity to discuss these issues. We have an assembly, and Tarigami and others will talk about the issues facing the people with legitimacy. If the LG doesn’t listen to us, at least the country will.

kerala-court-orders-probe-against-cm-pinarayi-vijayan-over-his-c

Wed Oct 09 20:47:29 IST 2024

A local court in Kerala on Wednesday ordered an investigation against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over his controversial remarks on the clash between CPI(M) and Congress activists during the government’s ‘Nava Kerala Sadas’ (public outreach tour) last year.

The Ernakulam Chief Judicial Magistrate Court directed the police to submit a report after its investigation. The order came on a petition filed by Congress leader Muhammed Shiyas who alleged that the chief minister’s remarks amounted to incitement of violence.

Vijayan, in a speech made in Kannur in November, had defended his party workers’ alleged attack on a group of protesters at Kallyasseri in the district as a “life-saving act”. In the following days, the government’s tour witnessed a series of similar protests where Youth Congress and KSU activists were assaulted allegedly by the CPI(M) and DYFI workers.

Shiyas, in his complaint, alleged that the chief minister had made a “provocative and instigating” speech and thus incited violence on Congress workers who protested against the state government.

“Being a senior political leader and the chief minister holding the home portfolio, the speech made by him amounted to abetment and instigation of physical assault,” the complaint said.

The court order came days after the Crime Branch (CB) submitted a report, giving clean chit to Vijayan’s gunman and security personnel in a similar case. The officials—Sandip and Anil Kumar—are facing charges of manhandling the protesting Youth Congress and KSU activists when the ‘Nava Kerala Sadas’ reached Alappuzha in December.

The CB report claimed that the officials were merely discharging their duties by preventing the protesters from rushing towards the chief minister’s vehicle. The opposition termed the Crime Branch report as a challenge to the rule of law.

whos-tarigami-the-cpim-leader-who-won-jandks-kulgam-for-fifth-consecutive-time

Tue Oct 08 22:35:46 IST 2024

Kulgam, around 67 kilometre south of Srinagar, has been a Left bastion in Jammu and Kashmir since 1996 when the constituency sent Mohamad Yousuf Tarigami to the state assembly. The stalwart communist leader has since then represented the seat for the four consecutive terms.

The 2024 elections results also didn’t spring a surprise. Tarigami won the seat by a margin of more than 7,800 votes.

However, what made his victory significant this time is the presence of Sayar Ahmad Reshi, a member of banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), in the fray. According to reports, there were vigorous attempts to polarise votes with Reshi claiming in his campaign speeches that if he lost, “it would be the defeat of Islam”.

The hardline group was also keen to leverage the abrogation of Article 370 and the downgrading of Jammu and Kashmir to a union territory. However, the Muslim-dominated seat chose to ignore communal politics and give the Left party another term.

Tarigami received 33,390 votes, while Reshi garnered 25,639 votes. A total of ten candidates contested the Kulgam constituency, but Tarigami’s consistent influence and popularity in the region once again secured his hold on the seat.

Who is Tarigami?

A member of the CPI(M) central committee, Tarigami has previously represented the Kulgam seat in 1996, 2002, 2008, and 2014. He’s the convener of the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration, an alliance of J&K parties which campaign for autonomy for the region and restoration of Article 370.

Born in a farmer family in 1949, Tarigami was attracted to communist ideology at the age of 18 when he, along with his friend Ghulam Nabi Malik, organised a protest to demand an increase in intake capacity at Anantnag Degree College.

Later, he took part in several farmers’ movements in Jammu and Kashmir. He was jailed in 1967 for leading a farmers protest against the forcible procurement of rice. He was imprisoned again in 1975 when he campaigned for right for self determination to Kashmiri people. His wife died when he was in jail.

What’s in a name?

Tarigami is in fact the name of the village in Kulgam district where Mohamad Yousuf was born. In a media interaction, a journalist asked then chief minister Sheikh Abdullah about Mohamad Yousuf’s arrest. “Woh Jo Tarigam Wala,” the chief minister responded referring to his native place. Since then, the newspapers started writing his name as Mohamad Yousuf Tarigami.

With inputs from Tariq Bhat

haryana-election-results-congress-alleges-glaring-discrepancies-in-evms-demands-probe

Wed Oct 09 23:14:20 IST 2024

A Congress delegation on Wednesday met the top Election Commission officials in Delhi, demanding an investigation into the "glaring discrepancies" found in some Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) during the counting of votes of the Haryana assembly polls.

They also urged the poll body to seal those EVMs, which were allegedly having high battery percentage despite being used the whole day, until the investigation is completed in the matter.

The delegation comprised former chief ministers Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Ashok Gehlot and AICC leaders K.C. Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, Ajay Maken and Pawan Khera, besides Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan.

"Considering that the said issue could potentially alter the results for some Assembly constituencies, we request that this Hon'ble Commission take urgent measures and order for an enquiry on this issue. In fact, subject to the enquiry report, the Hon'ble Commission should issue requisite directions regarding the counting of polls and final results," the party said in its memorandum submitted to the poll watchdog.

Later, talking to reporters, Khera said they have informed the ECI about the complaints they received from 20 constituencies.

“We told ECI about the 20 complaints of which seven are written complaints from seven constituencies. There were machines that were at 99 per cent and other normal machines were at 60-70 per cent on the day of counting. We demanded that those machines should be sealed and secured until the investigation is complete,” he said.

The seven written complaints were received from Karnal, Hodal, Panipat City, Kalka, Rewari, Narnaul and Kalanwali constituencies, Khera said, adding that complaints from 13 more assembly constituencies will be submitted to ECI in the next 48 hours.

Former CM Hooda, under whose leadership Congress fought the election, said the results were surprising. “Everyone believed that the Congress would be forming the next government in Haryana. When the counting of postal ballots took place, the Congress was winning, but when the counting of EVMs started, the opposite happened," he said.

The BJP is all set to form the government in the state for the third consecutive term after winning 48 seats in the 90-member assembly. The Congress bagged 37 seats.

On Tuesday, Khera and Jairam Ramesh alleged that they had received complaints from several constituencies that there were EVMs with 99 per cent battery on which the BJP won while units with 60-70 per cent battery saw the Congress win.

The Congress leaders rejected the elections results, terming them as “completely surprising and counter-intuitive”.

haryana-election-result-2024-shots-fired-kumari-selja-s-veiled-attack-against-bhupinder-hooda-as-bjp-hammers-congress-once-again

Tue Oct 08 19:37:39 IST 2024

As expected, shots were fired in the Congress camp following an unfavourable Haryana Assembly Election results on Tuesday. Proving exit polls wrong, the incumbent BJP returned to power for a third time by winning 48 of the 90-member state assembly.

ALSO READ | Haryana election result 2024: Nayab Singh Saini likely to continue as CM

Senior MP Kumari Selja hit out at the state Congress machinery under Bhupinder Singh Hooda's leadership for failing to make the most of the anti-incumbency in the state and demanded the party's high command to hold people responsible for wasting a golden opportunity.

Congress had secured five out of ten Lok Sabha seats in the recent Lok Sabha election, surging its vote share to 43.67 per cent from 28.42 per cent. However, infighting within party ranks had pulled Congress down during the campaigning phase itself with an open power struggle between Lok Sabha MP Kumari Selja and veteran leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Hooda was given a free hand by the AICC ahead of the assembly polls to the dislike of Kumari Selja and others. As many as 70 supporters of Hooda got tickets, while Selja, who nurtured Chief Ministerial ambitions, could only put nine of her trusted lieutenants in the fray.

ALSO READ | Haryana Assembly Election 2024: What Congress's failure means for Bhupinder Singh Hooda

An ifluential Dalit leader in Haryana. Kumari Selja skipped campaign events as Hooda tried to rally the dominant Jat community behind the Congress. Tuesday's result showed the strategy backfired, as the Jats didn't fully fall behind the Congress party. To make things worse, BJP managed a consolidation of non-Jat votes including that of Dalits, ensuring it would come back to power for a third consecutive term.

Responding to the defeat, Selja told reporters that she was confident that the Congress leadership would look into all aspects that led to the defeat. She exressed confidence that the high command would identify those responsible for negating the chance to win back its former bastion. Stressing the need to formulate a plan to rebuild Congress in Haryana, she said, "It will not be business as usual in Haryana and I am sure the Congress high command would identify those who negated the efforts to bring the party to power after 10 years".

ALSO READ | Haryana Assembly Election Result 2024: Vinesh Phogat wins Julana seat

"I'm sure the party will look into all aspects that led to such results in Haryana... Pained by Congress workers' disappointment, I am confident the party high command will assess the reasons for the defeat. The high command should formulate a plan to help revive the party in Haryana and identify those responsible for the results," Shelja told reporters," Kumari Selja added.

haryana-assembly-election-result-2024-how-did-key-candidates-fare-in-vip-constituencies

Tue Oct 08 19:24:31 IST 2024

Haryana seems to have sprung a surprise, by choosing to go with the ruling BJP, though exit polls gave the Congress the edge. Though the final results of the Haryana assembly election 2024 are yet to come in, trends show that the saffron party, which is leading in 48 seats, will nose ahead in the tightly-contested race.

Interestingly, early trends on the counting day showed Congress crossing the half-way mark, sparking celebrations among the party workers in the state. The mood, however, changed as the rounds of counting progressed, giving the ruling BJP, under the leadership of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, a clear lead.

Although the Congress and the BJP were the major players, there were other parties like the INLD, JJP, BSP and AAP who were expected to make a splash. While the AAP put up a disappointing performance, the INLD is leading two seats, and the BSP in one.

Here are the key candidates and how they fared in their constituencies.

Nayab Singh Saini (BJP)

The Haryana chief minister won Ladwa assembly seat by a margin of 16,054 votes against his nearest Congress rival Mewa Singh. Saini was made the chief minister in March this year replacing two-term CM Manohar Lal Khattar. Reports said Saini, who belongs to Other Backward Class, is likely to get another term at the top seat.

READ: Nayab Singh Saini likely to continue as CM

Bhupinder Singh Hooda (Congress)

The former chief minister retained his Garhi Sampla-Kiloi seat in Rohtak district, defeating his nearest BJP rival Manju Hooda by a margin of 71,465 votes. Hooda helmed the Congress campaign in the state, but the party failed to make a comeback after a 10-year gap. The results came as a setback to Hooda as he had dominated the party’s poll strategy and called the shots in candidates selections.

READ: What Congress's failure means for Bhupinder Singh Hooda

Vinesh Phogat (Congress)

The former wrestler called her maiden electoral win from the Julana assembly seat. She defeated BJP’s Yogesh Kumar by a margin of 6,015 votes. Phogat was at the forefront of the wrestlers' protest against then WFI chief and former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh against whom several women wrestlers have raised sexual harassment allegations.

Savitri Jindal (Independent)

Jindal, an independent candidate and mother of BJP's Kurukshetra MP Naveen Jindal, won the Hisar seat, defeating her nearest rival and Congress candidate Ram Niwas Rana by a margin of 18,941 votes. Forbes India has listed Jindal as the richest woman in the country having a net worth of USD 29.1 billion.

Abhay Singh Chautala (INLD)

The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader lost the Ellenabad assembly seat. He was defeated by Congress candidate Bharat Singh Beniwal by a margin of 15,000 votes.

Dushyant Singh Chautala (JJP)

The Jannayak Janta Party leader and former deputy chief minister faced a humiliating defeat in Uchana Kalan—a seat that he won in 2019. Chautala, the great-grandson of former deputy prime minister Devi Lal, had earlier predicted that no single party would be able to cross the 40-seat mark in the state.

Anil Vij (BJP)

The former home minister won the Ambala Cantt seat, defeating Independent candidate Chitra Sarwara by a margin of 7,277 votes. Vij has won the seat for the seventh time. Congress candidate Parvinder Pal Pari stood third.

jammu-kashmir-election-result-2024-who-is-shagun-parihar-bjp-david-to-down-nc-goliath-sajjad-ahmed-kichloo-in-kishtwar

Tue Oct 08 18:34:36 IST 2024

Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Election Result 2024: In a closely-contested fight, BJP candidate Shagun Parihar registered a win from the Kishtwar seat defeating National Conference's Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo by 521 votes. While Parihar polled 29,053 votes, Kichloo got 28,532, the Election Commission website showed.

Shagun Parihar holds an MTech in electrical power systems and is preparing for the J&K Public Service Commission examination. It needs to be seen how her triumph over the two-time NC MLA Kichloo will change her academic dreams and opath ahead.

ALSO READ | Jammu Kashmir Election Result 2024: NC-Congress alliance win polls. How did key candidates perform?

However, what makes the young BJP candidate stand apart is something else. Hailing from a family of BJP supporters, Shagun Parihar's victory is of emotional importance to the saffron camp. Her father Ajeet Parihar and uncle Anil Parihar were gunned down by terrorits in 2018 while campaigning for the party ahead of the local body polls. Anil Parihar remained an active BJP cadre in Kishtwar for decades, even when militancy was at its peak in the region in the 1990s. He was among the active workers on the ground when the party rested Kishtwar from the National Conference for the first time in 2014. He remained active until his killing by the terrorits on November 1, 2018, the Times Of India (TOI) said in a report.

While campaigning in the Union Territory in September, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had reportedly called Shagun Parihar "the living example of the BJP's resolve to finish off terrorism."

ALSO READ | Jammu Kashmir Election Result 2024: ‘Anticipated people would vote for NC-Congress alliance’, says Mehbooba Mufti after defeat

According to reports, fielding Parihar against the mighty Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo was a strategic move by the BJP. Anil Parihar enjoyed good rapport with the Muslim community of the constituency and fielding the niece of the late leader helped the party to win the backing of the Muslim population along with the minority Hindus. She campaigned for peace, prosperity and security of Kishtwar, reports said, adding that she requested to elect her for every family that has suffered losses due to terrorism. Coming from a person bearing the scars of terrorism, the people decided to back her, as the BJP expected.

ALSO READ | Jammu Kashmir Election Result 2024: Mehraj Malik’s lead in Doda is AAP’s only solace this election

Under Ravinder Raina, the BJP recorded its best-ever performance in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls, winning 29 seats. The National Conference-Congress alliance won 52 seats in the 90-member Assembly. The J&K Assembly elections were held after 10 years and for the first time after the abrogation of Article 370, which gave special status to the erstwhile state.

atishi-evicted-from-delhi-cms-official-residence-alleges-cmo

Wed Oct 09 20:46:08 IST 2024

In what could flare up as another face off between the Centre and the Delhi government, the Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday alleged that Chief Minister Atishi was forcefully evicted from her official residence at 6, Flagstaff Road in Civil Lines.

The chief minister’s office also put out a statement, saying Lt Governor Vinai Saxena gave the direction to remove Atishi’s belongings at the behest of the BJP.

It further alleged that there was a plan to allot the bungalow to some important BJP leader.

Earlier in the day, the AAP alleged that officers were not allotting the 6, Flagstaff Road bungalow to Atishi due to BJP's pressure, even as it was vacated by her predecessor Arvind Kejriwal.

Atishi had moved with her belongings to the bungalow on Monday. It was occupied for over nine years by Kejriwal who vacated it after resigning as chief minister.

AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh alleged that the BJP has been unable to win assembly polls in Delhi and it is now trying to "usurp" the bungalow of the chief minister.

The opposition BJP, meanwhile, accused Atishi of illegally occupying the bungalow and urged the Public Works Department (PWD) to seal it.

Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta said Atishi had already been allotted AB-17 bungalow on Mathura Road.

unprecedented-statement-ecs-hard-hitting-response-to-congresss-allegations-on-haryana-results

Wed Oct 09 19:00:38 IST 2024

The remarks made by Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera on the Haryana Assembly polls results were "far from a legitimate part of free speech and expression", the Election Commission said on Wednesday in a strongly-worded letter to party president Mallikarjun Kharge.

Ramesh and Khera, at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, had said the results were unacceptable to the party as they were against the “ground reality”, insinuating foul play in vote counting.

The poll body said such remarks are far from the legitimate part of free speech and expression and a rejection of the will of the people.

"Such an unprecedented statement as above in a generic sense, unheard in the rich democratic heritage of the country, is far from a legitimate part of free speech and expression and moves towards an undemocratic rejection of the will of the people expressed in accordance with the Statutory and Regulatory electoral framework, uniformly applied across all elections in the country including J&K and Haryana,” it said.

The Commission, however, said it would meet a delegation of the Congress party on Wednesday evening to address the issue.

The BJP pulled off a comfortable majority in the state even as early trends had shown Congress crossing the half-way mark. The saffron party won 48 seats in the 90-member assembly while the Congress bagged 37.

Terming the results as “completely surprising and counter-intuitive”, the Congress leaders said they had received very serious complaints on the process of counting and the functioning of EVMs in at least three districts.

They alleged they had received complaints from Hisar, Mahendragarh and Panipat that there were EVMs with 99 per cent battery on which the BJP won while units with 60-70 per cent battery saw the Congress win.

"If it is said in one line, this is the victory of the system and the defeat of democracy,” Khera said.

savitri-jindal-indias-richest-woman-supports-bjp-after-winning-hisar-as-independent

Wed Oct 09 17:38:39 IST 2024

The Bharatiya Janata Party, which pulled off a comfortable but surprising victory in Haryana assembly elections, got a shot in the arm on Wednesday after two Independent MLAs joined the party and another Independent lawmaker, Savitri Jindal announced her support.

Earlier in the day, Independent MLAs Devender Kadyan and Rajesh Joon joined the BJP at Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s home in the presence of state BJP chief Mohan Lal Badoli. Kadyan won from Ganaur while Joon defeated his BJP rival in Bahadurgarh.

Jindal agreed to support the BJP after Pradhan and former Tripura chief minister Biplab Deb met her this afternoon, NDTV reported. With her support, the ruling party’s strength in the state assembly rose to 51.

Jindal, who was listed as the richest woman in the country this year by Forbes India, won the elections from Hisar, defeating her nearest rival and Congress candidate Ram Niwas Rana by a margin of 18,941 votes.

Jindal polled 49,231 votes, while the Congress candidate secured 30,290 votes. BJP candidate and outgoing MLA Kamal Gupta was in the third spot with 17,385 votes.

Jindal is the mother of BJP's Kurukshetra MP Naveen Jindal. Her late husband, O.P. Jindal had represented Hisar earlier.

According to Forbes India, she has a net worth of USD 29.1 billion.

The 74-year-old was part of the Congress government led by Bhupinder Hooda in 2013. She, along with her son Naveen, later parted ways with the grand old party and joined the BJP.

However, Jindal decided to contest as an independent after the saffron party refused her ticket and fielded Kamal Gupta in Hisar.

haryana-election-result-2024-nayab-singh-saini-may-continue-as-cm-a-look-at-probable-cabinet-members

Wed Oct 09 08:38:56 IST 2024

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, who beat anti-incumbency to ensure the BJP government got a third term in the state, will likely continue in the top post.

Amid speculations that the new government will take oath on Saturday, there seem to be no strong contenders for the post, other than Saini. The BJP leadership too have heaped praise on Saini after the results came in, suggesting that Saini would continue in the post. While BJP president J P Nadda congratulated Saini for the victory, Prime Minister Narendra Modi too asserted that it was Saini's policies and administrative skill that earned the BJP a victory.

Saini was picked to replace Manohar Lal Khattar around 200 days ahead of the election. Khattar too seemed to bat for Saini after the elections as he told reporters that the "high command has announced Nayab Singh Saini as the Chief Minister, though the final decision will be taken by the parliamentary board."

However, there are reports that senior BJP leader Anil Vij and Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh too have expressed a desire for the post. Singh, during the election campaign, said the people wanted him to the Chief Minister. "This is not just my personal wish but a desire expressed by the people," he said.

With Saini's position more or less intact, the focus has shifted to who all would be inducted into the new Cabinet. The deliberations have already begun with BJP in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan and co-in-charge Biplab Kumar Deb holding meetings at the residence of Khattar.

There are rumours that the Cabinet will feature some new faces, except for veteran leaders Anil Vijj and Moolchand Sharma, who is a member of the outgoing Cabinet.

A cabinet minister in Manohar Lal's second term and Saini government's first term, Sharma's performance as a minister has been hailed. His presence could also earn the support of the Brahmin community.

Two-time MLAs Vipul Goyal and Rajesh Nagar have joined the race for the ministerial post. Goyal who has been representing the Faridabad seat since 2014 has to his credit a huge public support, thanks to the development work he undertook in his constituency. As for Nagar, an MLA from Tigaon, his work within the party and grassroots support have earned him the praise of BJP leadership, according to local media.

Mahipal Dhanda, who won again from Panipat Rural, is also on the list of probable ministers.

The daughter of Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh, Aarti Rao, is also being considered since she hails from the South Haryana region, where BJP won 10 out of 11 seats. She is also a young face.

Former ministers Rao Narbir and Krishna Kumar Bedi are also being considered along with Ranbir Gangwa and Harvindra Kalyan.

allies-corner-congress-after-shocking-haryana-results-overconfident-and-arrogant

Wed Oct 09 13:24:19 IST 2024

As Congress claims it was analysing the "unexpected" results in Haryana Assembly elections, it was at the receiving end of the wrath of INDIA bloc allies, who slammed the grand old party for its arrogance and over-confidence.

The dramatic upset in Haryana which saw the BJP beat anti-incumbency to bag a third time came a huge blow to the Congress, which was on the path of resurgency after a good performance in the Lok Sabha elections. The party had pinned its hope on winning Haryana, which it considered a low-hanging fruit.

Rahul Gandhi, in his first response, said the party was analysing the "unexpected" results and will apprise the Election Commission about complaints received from various constituencies of the state. The party alleges that the BJP had delayed the publishing of results on the Election Commission's website. There were also allegations of tampering with voting machines. The BJP denies the allegations.

However, the Congress response did nothing to pacify the allies, including TMC, AAP, and Shiv Sena (UBT). While Uddhav Thackeray and the CPI sought the party to reexamine its strategy for the assembly elections, TMC wasn't soft on its response. It heaped criticism on Congress, stating its "arrogance, entitlement, and looking down on regional parties" was a recipe for disaster.

In a post on X, Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale attributed the Congress's attitude of snubbing regional parties in places where they were winning as the reason for the debacle. "This attitude leads to electoral losses- if we feel we're winning, we will not accommodate any regional party... But in states where we're down, regional parties must accommodate us," the TMC MP said.

Trinamool Congress, which is part of the INDIA bloc comprising opposition parties, had fought solo in the Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal, while the Congress had allied with the CPI(M) and other Left parties.

The Aam Admi Party (AAP) too criticised the Congress for its "overconfidence". The seat-sharing agreement with AAP in Haryana had fallen through despite AAP's eagerness for an alliance. AAP leader Manish Sisodia said the Congress couldn't benefit from BJP's flaws due to its shortcomings in the election strategy.

Also read: Haryana Assembly Election 2024: What Congress's failure means for Bhupinder Singh Hooda

The CPI also wanted the Congress to do some serious introspection ahead of the Maharashtra elections, where it is part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition. CPI general secretary D Raja said the Congress's decision not to go for seat sharing worked against it. "Congress party will have to do serious introspection. It has to do some self-critical assessment of its own strategy and tactics," he said.

Raja said the INDIA bloc parties should work with mutual trust in each other, and mutual accommodation in time of seat sharing, and that such an approach was not adopted in Haryana.

The Congress also suffered due to infightings within the party and its overconfidence, according to analysts. While the party failed to pacify infightings and rebels, Hooda dominated the proceedings, thereby alienating Kumari Selja, a Dalit leader. She was upset at Hooda denying tickets to her supporters and had opted to stay away from the campaign trail for several days.

rg-kar-rape-murder-cbi-chargesheet-details-28-minutes-of-horror-11-pieces-of-evidence

Wed Oct 09 11:47:39 IST 2024

The chargesheet submitted by the CBI in the Kolkata RG Kar rape-murder case before the Sealdah court has detailed the sequence of events that culminated in the rape and murder of the junior doctor at the hospital.

The investigating agency has mentioned only one accused, civic volunteer Sanjay Roy, in the chargesheet. The 45-page chargesheet also cites circumstantial evidence and CCTV footage as proof of Roy's involvement in the gruesome crime.

Reconstructing the events before the murder, the CBI said the accused and another person visited a patient, a relative of the latter admitted to the RG Kar Hospital, around 2:30 pm on August 8.

Roy and the unnamed civilian then went to Allahabad Bank's branch at Shobha Bazar around 2:45 pm. They went to deposit cash in ASI Anup Dutta's account but failed to do so as the transaction hours were over. Dutta is in police custody and is being interrogated for his connection with Roy.

Roy and his friend then returned to the police barracks.

Around 10:45 pm, both left the barracks to buy alcohol and food before heading to a brothel in the Chetla area. While both entered the brothel, the accused did not engage in sexual relations with anyone there. He only consumed alcohol while the other person visited a sex worker.

Both returned to RG Kar Hospital around 3:20 am. Roy went to the fifth floor of the emergency building initially, before returning to the fourth floor. He then entered the chest medicine seminar room at 4:30 am. The victim was sleeping there alone at that time.

'28 minutes of horror'

The chargesheet mentions that the crime happened on August 9 between 4:03 am to 4:31 am. The accused committed the incident in the seminar room during these 28 minutes.

The CCTV footage from the hospital showed the accused entering the building at 3.34 pm. He was seen wearing a T-shirt and jeans. He had his helmet on his left hand. A headphone was hanging around the neck. Roy was seen leaving after two minutes. At 4:03 am, he enters the seminar room. He was seen coming out of the room at 4:31 am.

The footage showed that the accused had no headphones around his neck when he came out. The same headphones were later seized by Kolkata Police from the original spot.

11 pieces of evidence

The chargesheet mentioned that the CBI had 11 pieces of evidence, including semen and saliva samples collected from the victim's clothes and body, to prove Roy's involvement in the crime. Hair samples were also obtained.

The blood stains of the deceased were also found on the trousers and shoes of the accused recovered by the police. There were also signs of forced intercourse and injuries caused during the victim's attempts to resist the attacker.

The accused Bluetooth ear set was recovered from the spot. The location of the mobile tower and the time of the CCTV footage matched, the chargesheet added.

terrorists-abduct-army-personnel-in-jandks-anantnag-search-on

Wed Oct 09 12:25:23 IST 2024

The body of the Territorial Army soldier, who was abducted by terrorists in the Anantnag area of Jammu and Kashmir, has been recovered. There were gunshot wounds in his body, said reports.

The soldier, whose identity has not been revealed, was abducted by the terrorists on Tuesday along with another soldier, who managed to escape. The Army had launched a search operation following the abduction.

It is unclear when the incident happened and how one of the jawans managed to free himself.

Anantnag has been witnessing militant attacks for the last few months, the most recent being in August. The Army had to launch an anti-terror operation in the area after terrorists gunned down three people, including two soldiers. A massive manhunt was then launched Ahlan Gagarmandu forest area of Anantnag district to eliminate the ultras.

The gunfire exchange happened after a group of terrorists -- believed to be three to four in number -- opened fire at the joint search parties comprising Army personnel, including para commandos and local police.

politics-of-development-prevailed-over-falsehood-pm-modi

Tue Oct 08 22:43:43 IST 2024

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday accused the Congress of being involved in a global conspiracy to weaken the Indian economy and democracy, and defame its institutions as the opposition party took aim at the Election Commission following its defeat in the Haryana assembly elections.

As BJP workers revelled in the party's best-ever electoral performance in Haryana as well as Jammu and Kashmir, Modi delivered a victory speech from its headquarters, asserting that politics of development has prevailed on falsehoods in the northern state. The polls in the Union Territory were a victory of India's Constitution and democracy, he said.

Buoyed by the party's historic third straight win in Haryana, a first in the state, he launched a vigorous attack on the main opposition party, saying it wants to smear the reputation of respected institutions like the EC, Army and judiciary.

He contrasted the BJP's repeat wins with the Congress' inability to retain or even return to power in many states.

Once people throw out the Congress, they do not let it come back. They put 'no entry' boards for the Congress, he said. It always thought power was its birthright but it has now been exposed, the prime minister said

In an apparent attack on Rahul Gandhi, who has been championing the cause of caste census and claiming that the BJP suppresses the deprived sections of society, he said that "those born with a golden spoon want to pit the poor against each other in the name of castes".

Modi said the Congress tried to incite the farmer community and the youth over various issues.

The Congress had made the issues of farmers' protest and the Agnipath scheme in Haryana its core planks, which helped it in the Lok Sabha elections but apparently failed to find much favour in the assembly polls.

The message is clear that politics against the interest of the country will not succeed, he said. While complementing the National Conference on its win in Jammu and Kashmir, he noted that the BJP has received the highest vote share there.

Modi said whenever the BJP forms a government in any state, people support it for a long time. It has been in power in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh for over two decades and has repeatedly retained power in many states, he added.

"The Congress rarely comes back to power. It was 13 years ago that the Congress came back to power in a state when it did so in Assam. There are some states where the Congress has not returned to power for four, five or six decades," he said.

Modi said the people of Haryana have done wonders and kamal' (lotus) has bloomed everywhere.

He said the Congress tried to provoke Dalits, tribals, farmers and youths in all possible ways, but people saw through its tricks and propaganda and rejected the party.

"In the land of Gita, truth and development and good governance have won," the prime minister said.

He accused the Congress of trying to weaken the country by spreading anarchy and instigating different sections of society.

It tried to incite farmers but they gave it a befitting reply, showing that they stand with the country and the BJP, he said, claiming that every community supported the party in the polls.

He repeated his political attack on the Congress that it has become a "parasite" (par jeevi) that is dependent on its alliance partners and at times, ends up swallowing them.

In Haryana, it fought alone and was defeated, while in Jammu and Kashmir, its ally (National Conference) had feared that the alliance was damaging its prospects. The results have established it, he said.

The Congress could win only six seats in J-K against the NC's 42.

Modi said Haryana was established in 1966, and to date, 13 elections have been held in the state.

"In 10 of these elections, the people of Haryana changed the government every five years. However, the people of Haryana have achieved something remarkable. For the first time, a government has been given the opportunity for the third consecutive time," Modi said.

He warned that various conspiracies, including those with global links, were being hatched against India to weaken its economy, democracy and society. "A national party like the Congress and its cronies are involved in the game. Patriotic Haryana has given a befitting reply," he said.

The Congress wants to make a country where its people hate their heritage and doubt their institutions, and it wants to humiliate and defame every institution that makes them proud, he alleged.

In his address, Modi praised the leadership of Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, who is set to retain his chair, and his predecessor Manohar Lal Khattar, saying no taint of corruption reached the government at the Centre as well as in the state in the last 10 years.

He underlined his commitment to the development of farmers and youngsters in Haryana.

India will be a global power in sports, and the youth of Haryana will play a big role, he added.

This mandate, he asserted, will motivate him to take tough decisions for the country and the next five years will be a period of more rapid development.

analysis-what-haryana-jammu-kashmir-assembly-election-results-tell-us

Tue Oct 08 20:23:27 IST 2024

Assembly Elections 2024: The October 8 results ended with an equal score for the NDA and I.N.D.I.An alliance, as they won one each. The real import of the results goes beyond arithmetic. Jammu and Kashmir witnessed the return of an elected government after over six years, while the BJP won a historic third mandate in Haryana belying all predictions.

The common theme between these two states was that the electorate did not leave any ambiguity over their choice, giving a clear mandate to the winning side.

On the other hand, the exit polls have once again been proven wrong, especially in the case of Haryana. Despite most of the exit polls predicting a thumping victory for the Congress, the BJP scripted a stunning turnaround story in the agrarian state. In Jammu and Kashmir, the National Conference-Congress alliance are set to form the government with a majority.

The BJP victory in Haryana comes as a shot in the arm for Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government as these were the first polls after the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP had won Haryana polls beating 10-year anti-incumbency. Even in Jammu and Kashmir, the BJP leaders claimed it was the party's best performance ever. The BJP will now go to the next round of assembly polls in Maharashtra and Jharkhand with confidence.

The elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the first after the removal of Article 370, will restore people's confidence in the public institutions and also help the government score in the perception battle as democratic exercise was successful.

In Haryana, the ruling party is poised to run the government for a third term. Never before a party had been in power in the state for three consecutive terms. Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini will become CM for the second time.

The BJP’s strategy of consolidating non-Jat votes particularly the OBCs and Punjabis appeared to have trumped the Congress’ calculus of Jats-Dalits and Muslims. Unlike, the Congress where its leaders made their aspirations for the chief minister’s post public, the BJP had moved quickly to snub those speaking out of turn.

What’s remarkable about the BJP’s performance is that bettered its performance in Lok Sabha elections held five months back and even assembly elections held five years back. IN 2024 Lok Sabha, the BJP had lost five seats, while in the 2019 assembly polls, it had only won 40 seats, falling short of a majority. After nine hours of counting, the BJP was leading at 49 seats, exceeding the midway mark. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated CM Saini for this performance. The BJP’s second strategy of changing the CM just months ahead of the polls also appeared to have worked wonders as Manohar Lal Khattar was moved to the centre as a cabinet minister.

In Kashmir, the return of elected government will be beneficial for the local population as they would now have public representatives to address their grievances to. National Conference's Omar Abdullah is likely to CM again in the state with the Congress as an alliance partner. The BJP has emerged as the second-largest party in the state after National Conference. The mandate in favour of a party with a moderate outlook, the National Conference, has given the signal that people desperately wanted the governance to return to the valley.

During the Lok Sabha polls, Abdullah lost the Lok Sabha polls, a few months later, and even announced quitting electoral politics. Now, he won from both the seats he had contested. The other two parties, Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP and Engineer Rashid’s party could not win people’s mandate.

In Haryana, the majority of the seats have been divided between the two mainstream parties – the BJP and the Congress.

These results again proved to all the parties they should not take electorate for granted as they tend to vote based on the ground situation than predicted during the opinion and exit polls.

a-victory-for-manipulation-congress-rejects-haryana-elections-results

Tue Oct 08 20:28:38 IST 2024

The Congress party has rejected the Haryana Assembly elections results, saying the outcome is “totally unexpected” and “against ground reality”.

The Bharatiya Janata Party is all set to form government in the state for the third term even as early trends in the morning had shown Congress crossing the half-way mark. The saffron party won 48 seats in the 90-member assembly while the Congress is poised to win 37.

Notably, almost all the exit polls had predicted a comfortable victory for the Congress and an end to the 10-year-old BJP rule in the state.

“The results in Haryana are totally unexpected, completely surprising and counter-intuitive. It goes against ground reality. It goes against what the people of Haryana had made their minds up for, which was for change and transformation. I think under these circumstances, it is not possible for us to accept the results that have been announced today," Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said.

He said the party has received very serious complaints on the process of counting and the functioning of EVMs in at least three districts. “We have spoken to our senior colleagues in Haryana and this information is being collected. We hope to present this in a consolidated form to the Election Commission tomorrow or the day after,” he said.

Another Congress leader Pawan Khera termed the results as the “defeat of democracy” and said the party cannot accept such an outcome.

"If it is said in one line, this is the victory of the system and the defeat of democracy,” he said.

The Congress party further alleged they had received complaints from Hisar, Mahendragarh and Panipat that there were EVMs with 99 per cent battery on which the BJP won while units with 60-70 per cent battery saw the Congress win.

“If this is not a conspiracy, then what is it?" Ramesh asked.

Earlier, the Congress had lodged a complaint with the poll panel, alleging attempts to slowdown the updating of results on the EC website. It also asked if the BJP governments were trying to build pressure on the local administration in Haryana districts.

The Commission, however, rejected the allegation, terming it as an attempt to “surreptitiously give credence to irresponsible, unfounded and uncorroborated malafide narratives".

haryana-assembly-election-result-2024-close-fight-in-dabwali-uchana-kala-arjun-chautala-ahead-but-how-many-other-chautalas-are-winning

Tue Oct 08 17:54:25 IST 2024

Haryana Assembly Election Result 2024: Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader Abhay Singh Chautala's son Arjun Chautala is the only member of the Chautala family standing any chance of enterng the Haryana Assembly, election trends showed. While Abhay Chautala was defeated in Ellenabad by Congress candidate Bharat Singh Beniwal, Arjun was ahead in Rania by over 4,000 votes. Dushyant Chautala, who was hailed the kingmaker in the 2019 Haryana Assembly Elections is also staring at a heavy defeat in Uchana Kala seat.

ALSO READ | Haryana Election Results 2024 LIVE: BJP scores a hat-trick. Vinesh Phogat wins Julana

For the unversed, Haryana's Jannayak Janta Party and Indian National Lok Dal are led by the politically influential Chautalas. The INLD expelling Dushyant Chautala and Digvijay Chautala in 2018 led to the formation of the JJP, which won 10 seats in the assembly polls that took place the following year. Dushyant Chautala's decision to back the BJP was instrumental in the saffron party returning to power in the agrarian state.

However, five years later, both JJP and INLD are struggling in Haryana. Here is how the Chautalas are faring across seats in Haryana:

Abhay Singh Chautala: The INLD leader was handed a defeat in Ellenabad by Congress candidate Bharat Singh Beniwal. The Congressman managed a victory of 15,000 votes against Chautala, securing 77,865 votes. BJP's Amir Chand Talwara finished third with 13,320 votes while runner-up Abhay Singh Chautala got 62,865.

ALSO READ | Haryana election result 2024: Nayab Singh Saini likely to continue as CM

Arjun Chautala: INLD leader Abhay Chautala's son, Arjun Chautala is leading in Rania by over 4,000 votes. His nearest rival Sarv Mittar of the Congress has so far polled 39,723 votes against his own 43,914. The BJP is faring poorly in Rania, falling behind fourth behind an Independent.

Dushyant Chautala: The JJP leader is nowhere in the picture in the Uchana Kala seat where BJP's Devender Chatar Bhuj Attri is leading Congressman Brijendra Singh by 39 seats. According to the latest ECI data, the BJP candidate has polled 48,788 against Brijendra Singh's 48,749. Dushyant Chautala is currently fifth with just 7,920 votes in his kitty. Two Independent candidates have polled far more votes that the JJP leader in Uchana Kala.

Sunaina Chautala: The daughter-in-law of Om Prakash Chautala's elder brother Pratap Singh Chautala, Sunaina of the INLD was handed a heavy defeat by the voters of Fatehabad constituency. Balwan Singh Doulapuria of the Congress won the seat by a margin of 2,252 votes. Doulapuria polled 86,172 votes in all while runner-up Dura Ram of the BJP secured 83,920. Sunaina Chautala finished third with just 9,681 votes.

ALSO READ | Haryana Assembly Election Result 2024: Muslim voters back Congress in Nuh, Punahana, and Ferozepur Jhirka seats

Digvijaya Singh Chautala: The brother of Abhay Singh Chautala, Digvijaya Singh contested for Jannayak Janta Party against Aditya Devilal of the INLD in Sirsa's Dabwali constituency. According to the Election Commission website, Aditya is engaged in a tight-fight with Congressman Amit Sihag. Having secured 56,074 and 55,464 votes respectively so far, the contest is clearly betweenn INLD and Congress in Dabwali while Digvijaya Singh Chautala is trailing third with just 35,261 votes.

jammu-kashmir-election-result-2024-nc-congress-alliance-win-polls-how-did-key-candidates-perform

Tue Oct 08 16:56:46 IST 2024

The National Conference-Congress alliance has won the Jammu and Kashmir polls and NC Vice President Omar Abdullah is all set to become the chief minister again. The first assembly election after the abrogation of section 370, conducted in three phases, saw brisk polling.

Omar Abdullah who contested from two seats – Ganderbal and Budgam – has won with a margin of over 10,000 votes from both constituencies. After a bitter experience during the Lok Sabha polls, Omar was sceptical about his win until reports of a decisive lead emerged.

Iltija Mufti, daughter of former CM and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti, lost in the Bijbehara seat to National Conference’s Ahmad Shah Veeri by a margin of 9,770 votes. Conceding defeat, Iltija said she is “accepting verdict of the people”.

Sajad Gani Lone, the People’s Conference leader contested from two seats – Handwara and Kupawara. While he won from Handwara by a margin of 662 seats against NC’s Chowdry Mohammad Ramzan, Lone lost in Kupwara to PDP’s Mir Mohammad Fayaz and came third.

Also read | Jammu Kashmir Election Result 2024: NC-Congress alliance's win could change the political landscape of UTs

Tariq Hamid Karra, Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief won from Central Shalteng constituency by a margin of 14,395 votes against independent candidate Muhammad Irfan Shah. Karra polled 18,933 votes.

Ravindra Raina, J&K Bharatiya Janata Party chief lost in Nowshera constituency to NC’s candidate Surinder Kumar Choudhary by a margin of 7,819 votes. Raina came second and polled 27,250 votes.

Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, a senior Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader, has secured his fifth consecutive victory in the Kulgam constituency, defeating Sayar Reshi, an independent candidate backed by banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI). Tarigami, who has represented Kulgam since 1996, received 33,390 votes, while Reshi garnered 25,639 votes. A total of ten candidates contested from the Kulgam constituency, but Tarigami’s consistent influence and popularity in the region once again secured his hold on the seat.

-with inputs from Tariq Bhat.

haryana-assembly-election-result-2024-muslim-voters-back-congress-in-nuh-punahana-and-ferozepur-jhirka-seats

Tue Oct 08 16:37:35 IST 2024

Haryana Assembly Elections 2024: Dalit and non-Jat voters clearly abandoned Congress in Haryana, the assembly election results showed on Tuesday. The conosolidation of non-Jat votes in the agrarian state handed BJP a comfortable win against the exit poll predictions. The Jats, who form about 27% of Haryana's population, didn't fully back the Congress either, the voting pattern showed, as the BJP was ahead in many seats that are bastions of the community.

However, the results showed that the three Muslim-dominated seats of Nuh, Punahana, and Ferozepur Jhirka rallied behind Congress once again in Haryana. The Election Commission website confirmed Congress candidates running away with dominating wins in all three states, giving BJP no quarters.

ALSO READ | Haryana Assembly Election Result 2024: Vinesh Phogat wins Julana seat

Aftab Ahmed of the Indian National Congress won by a margin of 46,963 votes from Nuh while Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) nominee Tahir Hussain came second. While Congressman Ahmed got 91,833 votes, BJP's Sanjay Singh, who finished a distant third, managed only 15,902. Rabia Kidwai of the Aam Aadmi Party polled 222 votes -- 147 votes lesser than NOTA.

The BJP finished third in Punahana seat as well where Mohammad Ilyas of the Congress won by a margin of 31,916 votes. Ilyas received 85,300 votes while Aizaz Khan of the BJP got just over 5,000 votes (5,072). It was an independent candidate who finished second in Punahana.

ALSO READ | Haryana Assembly Election 2024: What Congress's failure means for Bhupinder Singh Hooda

Mamman Khan of Congress registered a dominating win from Ferozepur Jhirka -- polling 1,30,497 votes. BJP's Naseem Ahmed, who finished second only managed 32,056 votes -- conceding a huge defeat of 98,441 votes.

haryana-assembly-election-result-2024-vinesh-phogat-wins-julana-seat

Tue Oct 08 15:35:17 IST 2024

Even as the Congress suffered a setback in Haryana assembly election 2024, its star candidate and former Olympic wrestler Vinesh Phogat won the Julana seat. She defeated BJP's Yogesh Bairagi by a margin of 6,015 votes.

After missing out on a chance to win a historic Olympics gold earlier this year, Vinesh had taken the political plunge ahead of the Haryana assembly elections, after retiring from wrestling.

ALSO READ: Haryana Election Results 2024 LIVE

One of the prominent faces of the wrestlers' protest against former Wrestling Federation of India chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Singh over sexual harassment allegations, Vinesh was fielded from the Jat-dominated constituency that houses her village in the Jind district.

ALSO READ: Vinesh Phogat rides on the anti-BJP sentiment

Vinesh was expected to score an easy win, but former Air India pilot Bairagi gave her a tough fight, logging almost 60,000 votes. Given the huge crowds that thronged Vinesh’s rallies, it has come as a surprise to many that she won by a small margin. “Although she has won from Julana, the low margin shows why the Congress is loosing in other Jat-dominated segments,” said a Congress party worker. “The close contest on this seat, in some way, reflects the overall performance of the Congress.”

Vinesh’s campaign had revolved around her fight against Brij Bhushan Singh. Post her win, the former WFI chief took a dig at her saying she used his name to win, which proves that he was a “great man”.

Vinesh had openly criticised the ruling BJP for its detrimental policies for women, youth, and farmers in particular. She had promised that if voted to power, the Congress will make sure that sports will get a fillip in Haryana. With the Congress likely to fall short of majority, it remains to be seen how much she can build on her maiden win.

jammu-kashmir-election-result-2024-anticipated-people-would-vote-for-nc-congress-alliance-says-mehbooba-mufti-after-defeat

Tue Oct 08 15:35:43 IST 2024

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday said the people of Jammu and Kashmir have given a clear mandate, leaving no room for manipulation. She acknowledged that the PDP has suffered setbacks but expressed confidence that the National Conference (NC)-Congress alliance would secure a majority.

"I anticipated that the people would vote for the NC-Congress alliance," she said in Srinagar while reacting to the election results. She commended the people for delivering a decisive verdict. "The mandate is loud and clear. There is no possibility of tampering with it now," she stressed. When asked about the PDP’s decline, she said fluctuations are normal in politics.

Mufti referred to the cyclical nature of politics, citing the NC winning 60 seats in 1996 and only 16 in 2014. "These fluctuations are part of politics," she said. She added voters had aimed to prevent the BJP from coming to power. "Elections don’t signal the end of the people’s issues," she said. "We will stand in opposition and continue to advocate for their concerns."

Also read | Jammu Kashmir Election Result 2024: NC-Congress alliance's win could change the political landscape of UTs

Mufti emphasized that the PDP remains relevant, stating, "The party may be down, but we are not out. We have a clear roadmap for Jammu and Kashmir." When asked about the possibility of the PDP supporting the NC-Congress alliance, she responded that they would not like to be an unwanted guest in the alliance.

She concluded by saying that the people had not voted for a hung Assembly. "I believe the NC-Congress alliance will reach 50 seats, and they won’t need external support," she said.

haryana-election-result-2024-nayab-singh-saini-likely-to-continue-as-cm

Tue Oct 08 17:59:09 IST 2024

Nayab Singh Saini is likely to get another term as Haryana chief minister as the Bharatiya Janata Party is all set to form the government for the third term after securing a comfortable win in the assembly elections.

As per the latest trends, the BJP has won or is leading in 49 seats, while the Congress in 36. Saini won Ladwa assembly seat by a margin of 16,054 votes against his nearest Congress rival Mewa Singh.

Saini was made the chief minister in March this year, replacing Manohar Lal Khattar who had led the state government for nine years before being inducted into the Union cabinet. Previously, Saini was the MP from Kurukshetra, the parliamentary constituency in which Ladwa falls.

An NDTV report quoted state BJP leaders as saying that Saini will get another term as the chief minister.

There has been speculation about a change of guard in case the BJP wins, in view of the state's caste equations. Saini belongs to other backward classes, while most of the previous chief ministers were from the Jats community.

Speaking to reporters in Chandigarh, Saini said people have "put a stamp" on the government's policies under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"I give full credit to Modi ji. With his blessings, under his guidance, the people of Haryana have put a stamp on the government's policies," he said.

Saini also thanked the voters and the BJP leadership for the party’s victory.

In 2019, the BJP formed the government with the support of JJP, while most Independents had also extended support. However, the alliance broke up after the BJP replaced Khattar with Saini as the chief minister in March this year.