News Analysis India

Category: Nation

  • Weather Update: Thunderstorms, Rainfall Lash Delhi-NCR |

    Delhi and the national capital region including Noida today witnessed a sudden change in weather as thunderstorm and rain lashed parts of the region. This comes minutes after the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasted thunderstorms with light to moderate-intensity rainfall and gusty winds over the area of Delhi and the NCR between 7 to 10 pm tonight.

    The department raised an orange alert due to Hailstorm for districts named Hissar, Sonipat, Rohtak, Jhajjar, Mahendragarh, Rewari, Gurugram, Delhi, Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Hapur and Bulandshahar. while, the Red alert warning is raised due to hailstorms in districts including Baghpath, Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar

    #WATCH | Delhi: Rain lashes parts of the national capital, brings respite from heat and rising temperatures.

    (Visuals from Firozeshah Road and Kasturba Gandhi Marg) pic.twitter.com/xRrpcW23w8
     ANI (@ANI) April 26, 2024

    The regions including, Noida, Dadri, Greater Noida, Gurugram, Faridabad, Manesar, Ballabhgarh, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Narwana, Karnal, Fatehabad, Rajaund and others going to face thunderstorms and rainfall.

    The department also forecasted a hailstorm thunderstorms, and rainfall over Jammu-Kashmir, Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh from April 26 to April 28, while Uttarakhand is likely to experience hailstorms, thunderstorms and rainfall over the region from April 28 to April 29.

    The IMD predicted lightning and moderate rainfall over the region of Northwest, Northeast and South peninsular India from May 3 to May 5. 

  • Anantnag-Rajouri Election To Be Postponed? Omar, Mehbooba Voice Concern On ECI’s Query |

    Former Chief Ministers of Jammu and Kashmir – Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah today urged the Election Commission of India to not postpone the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha polls. The two leaders’ remarks came after the Election Commission of India wrote to the Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir and the Chief Electoral Officer of the region seeking a report about the constituency and the need for postponing the polls. The ECI wrote to the state election officer after several political parties including the BJP, Apni Party, and J&K Peoples’ Conference wrote to the ECI demanding the postponement of the polls citing adverse road conditions and inclement weather.

    Responding to this, both Omar and Mehbooba wrote to the ECI, alleging that the BJP and its A, B, C teams are sensing defeat and thus making excuses regarding weather conditions. PDP chief and Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituency candidate Mehbooba Mufti accused the BJP of attempting to sabotage the electoral process in the Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituency.

    Mufti stated, “The BJP and other parties who have ganged up against me want to prevent me from reaching Parliament. The support I’m receiving from people across party lines in both the Kashmir and Jammu regions is making these parties fearful of my influence among the people, prompting them to write to the ECI to defer the polls for the Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary seat.”

    Mufti further asserted that the demand is entirely illogical as only a few days remain until the polls. She appealed to the ECI not to postpone the polls for the Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituency under any circumstances, stating, “This action would convey the wrong message, eroding trust in the electoral process and resulting in serious consequences.” Mehbooba Mufti wrote a detailed letter to the ECI demanding that the polls for the Anantnag-Rajouri Parliamentary constituency not be deferred.

    NC Vice President Omar Abdullah addressed a press conference at the party headquarters in Srinagar over the issue opposing the postponement of the polls. “When they sense that the NC has the upper hand and the establishment-backed candidate is losing, they resort to these tactics. We have witnessed this in the past as well; when the former CM’s brother was on the verge of losing and the Anantnag elections were postponed, then no elections happened. The BJP and partner parties, along with the ECI, are attempting to do the same, citing the Mughal road problem.”

    Abdullah added, “Some parties among those who have written this letter have nothing to do with these elections since they haven’t fielded a candidate, such as the People’s Conference and the BJP. Should I write a letter tomorrow for some seat in South India to have it deferred?”

    Abdullah further said that if the polls are deferred, the NC will take the matter to court. “The ECI must instruct the administration to keep the roads open. I’ve been CM, and I know that machinery and manpower can keep the Mughal road open,” he stated.

    Inclement weather conditions have led to frequent closure of the Mughal Road, which connects the Anantnag and Rajouri areas of J&K. Mufti also held a roadshow through the Mughal Road yesterday. In the Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituency, all paperwork is complete, with 21 candidates contesting the polls while voting is slated to take place on May 7th, in the third phase.

  • Kerala Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Voting Timings, Key Candidates And Phase 2 Polling Constituencies, Counting Date, rahul gandhi shashi tharoor |

    Kerala Lok Sabha Elections 2024: 25.61% of polling was recorded  till 11 am in Kerala’s 20 Lok Sabha seats for the 2024 general election after commencement of voting at 7am on Friday. People began arriving at the state’s over 25,000 polling booths early in the morning to avoid the expected hot weather later in the day. During the election, over 66,000 security personnel were deployed and a webcasting system was used to monitor the process.

    Voting began with a mock poll that included votes for all candidates, including NOTA, listed on an EVM.
    According to the EC’s instructions, at least 50 votes were cast in the mock poll, and actual polling began after the EVMs were cleared. Around 2.77 crore voters will decide the fate of the 194 candidates contesting the state’s 20 Lok Sabha constituencies.

    Will the BJP’s drought in Kerala end? Will Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s sharp attack on the Congress boost turnout after a relatively muted voter enthusiasm last week? These are some of the questions on people’s minds ahead of the second phase of Lok Sabha elections.

    Key Candidates In Fray In Kerala Lok Sabha Elections:

    Among the notable candidates contesting in this phase are Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from Kerala’s Wayanad, where he faces the CPI’s Annie Raja and state BJP chief K. Surendran, and Congress’ Shashi Tharoor vs BJP’s Rajeev Chandrasekhar in Thiruvananthapuram.

    Two union ministers, the majority of sitting MPs, a state minister, three actors, and a few MLAs were among the candidates who tried their political luck this time in Kerala, where the CPI(M)-led ruling LDF, the Congress-led UDF, and the BJP-led NDA all ran active and aggressive poll campaigns.

    The BJP is relying on actor Suresh Gopi, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, and Anil Antony, the son of veteran Congress leader A K Antony, to establish a presence in Kerala, which has never elected a BJP MP. Chandrasekhar faces three-time Congress MP Tharoor in Thiruvananthapuram.

  • Supreme Court To Pronounce Verdict On Pleas Seeking Mandatory EVM-VVPAT Cross-Verification Today |

    In a significant development, the Supreme Court is set to rule on a series of petitions requesting complete cross-verification of votes cast using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT). A bench consisting of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta is expected to deliver the verdict.

    The Supreme Court previously stated that it cannot “control the elections” or issue orders based solely on concerns raised about the efficacy of EVMs. The court had reserved judgement on the petitions, which also claimed that polling devices could be manipulated to influence results.

    The court also clarified that it cannot change the minds of those who question the benefits of polling machines and advocate for a return to ballot papers. The bench also considered the responses to questions it posed to the Election Commission about the operation of EVMs, such as whether the microcontrollers in them are programmable.

    Last week, the bench reserved its decision on a number of public interest litigations (PILs) in the case, noting that official acts are normally presumed to be valid under the Indian Evidence Act, and that nothing done by the Election Commission can be questioned.

    One of the petitioners, the NGO ‘Association for Democratic Reforms’, has requested that the poll panel reverse its 2017 decision to replace the transparent glass on VVPAT machines with an opaque one. The petitioners have also asked the court to restore the old ballot paper system.

    Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, the Centre’s second highest law officer, criticised the petitioners for filing PILs on the eve of elections, claiming that a voter’s democratic choice is being turned into a joke. He added that the Supreme Court had already resolved the issue by dismissing previous petitions seeking similar relief.

    In April 2019, the Supreme Court ordered the Election Commission of India (ECI) to increase the number of VVPAT slips from one to five per Assembly constituency. It had issued guidelines for the mandatory verification of VVPAT slips from five randomly selected polling stations after the final round of counting votes recorded in EVMs.

    A VVPAT is regarded as an independent verification system for voting machines, allowing voters to confirm that they have correctly cast their votes. The seven-phase Lok Sabha elections began on April 19 and will end with the announcement of results on June 4. This verdict could have far-reaching consequences for India’s electoral process.

  • Over 2.75 Crore Voters To Vote For 194 Contestants In 20 Lok Sabha Seats In Kerala Tomorrow |

    Thiruvananthapuram: A total of 194 contestants in 20 Lok Sabha seats are vying for voters’ support as Kerala goes to the polls on Friday, after over a month-long fierce campaign by the CPI(M)-led ruling LDF, Congress-headed UDF, and the BJP-led NDA. The Election Commission said there are over 2.75 crore voters in Kerala where polling will commence at 7 am on Friday.

    Chief Electoral Officer Sanjay Kaul said 63,100 bottles of ink are used to prevent fraudulent voting and ensure flawless and transparent elections. This time there are 2,77,49,159 voters in the state out of which more than five lakh are first-time voters.

    Kottayam constituency boasts the highest number of candidates at 14, while Alathur has the fewest at five. Other notable figures are – 13 candidates in Kozhikode and 12 each in Kollam and Kannur. Of the total 194 candidates, 169 are men and 25 are women. The Vadakara constituency stands out with the highest number of female candidates, at four.

    The Election Commission said steps have been taken to ensure safe and peaceful polling by deploying 66,303 security personnel. Kerala Police and Central forces are providing tight security for the polling in a total of 25,231 booths arranged at 13,272 places.

    Police deployment has been made throughout the state as per the instructions of the Central Election Commission. When the polling for 20 constituencies in the state begins at 7 am on Friday, more than five lakh first-time voters will go to the polling booth.

    As the curtains fell on Wednesday evening, marking the conclusion of the over-month-long, high-octane public campaigning for the April 26 polls, Kerala on Thursday witnessed a silent campaign before the state votes.

    Two union ministers, a state minister, three actors and a few MLAs are among the total candidates who try their political luck this time. BJP-led NDA is fielding the most number of women candidates – five. Unlike the previous general elections, Kerala has seen a highly active and aggressive campaign.

    Diverse issues ranging from the implementation of the CAA, the alleged existence of ‘love jihad’, controversies surrounding ‘The Kerala Story’ movie, the Manipur violence, Rahul Gandhi’s candidature in Wayanad, as well as alleged appeasement of minorities by various political parties, dominated the high-decibel public campaigns.

    In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the UDF won 19 of the 20 seats, while the LDF had to settle for just a single seat.

    Key Candidates And Constituencies To Look Out For

    Of the 20 constituencies in Kerala going to polls on Friday, two seats – Alathur and Mavelikara- are reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates.

    1. Wayanad: Congress leader and sitting MP Rahul Gandhi is recontesting against Annie Raja of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). Both of them are part of the national INDIA alliance but are rivals in Kerala. Congress has been winning in Wayanad since the 2009 general elections. BJP, which is yet to open its account in the state, has fielded its state president K Surendran in the constituency.

    2. Thiruvananthapuram: Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor won this seat in the 2009, 2014 and 2019 general elections. The former UN diplomat is contesting against BJP leader and Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar and CPI’s Pannyan Raveendran.

    3. Kollam: Sitting MP NK Premachandran (RSP) is pitted against two actor-turned-politicians – Mukesh, an MLA of CPI-M, and G Krishnakumar (BJP).

    4. Thrissur: K Muraleedharan of Congress is pitted against VS Sunil Kumar of CPI and actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi of BJP

    5. Attingal: Sitting MP Adoor Prakash of Congress is contesting against V Joy of CPM and V Muraleedharan of BJP.

    6. Pathanamthitta: Congress’ Anto Antony is competing against Thomas Issac from the CPI(M) and Anil K Antony of the BJP.

    7. Kasaragod: BJP candidate ML Ashwini is pitted against Congress’ Rajmohan Unnithan, who is the sitting MP in the constituency, and CPI (M)’s MV Balakrishnan.

    8. Kannur: Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief K Sudhakaran is contesting against CPI(M)’s MV Jayarajan and NDA candidate C Raghunath, who had joined the BJP from Congress.

    9. Vadakara: Congress leader Shafi Parambil, who is a UDF candidate, is contesting against LDF candidate KK Shailaja of the CPI(M) and Praphul Krishnan (BJP).

    10. Kozhikode: Congress’ MK Raghavan, the UDF candidate, is running against CPI(M)’s Elamaram Kareemm, the LDF candidate, and BJP’s MT Ramesh.

    11. Malappuram: ET Mohammed Basheer of the IUML is the UDF candidate against CPI(M)’s VA Vaseef, the LDF candidate, and Abdul Salam from Bharatiya Janata Party.

    12. Ponnani: Nivedita Subramanian of BJP is facing Abdussamad Samadani of IUML and KS Hamza of the CPI (M).

    13. Palakkad: C Krishnakumar from Bharatiya Janata Party is contesting against A Vijayaraghavan of Communist Party Of India (Marxist), and sitting MP VK Sreekandan from Congress

    14. Alathur: TN Sarasu of the BJP is contesting Ramya Haridas of Congress and K Radhakrishnan of CPI(M)

    15. Chalakudy: Benny Behanan of Congress is the UDF candidate and is contesting against CPI(M)’s C Raveendranath and KA Unnikrishnan from Bharath Dharma Jana Sena

    16. Ernakulam: Hibi Eden of UDF is facing CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front KJ Shine and KS Radhakrishnan of the BJP.

    17. Idukki: UDF’s Dean Kuriakose of the Congress is up against Sangeetha Viswanath from Bharath Dharma Jana Sena and Joice George from the Communist Party Of India (Marxist)

    18. Kottayam: Thushar Vellappalli from Bharath Dharma Jana Sena is contesting against K Francis George of Kerala Congress and Thomas Chazhikadan of Kerala Congress (M).

    19. Alappuzha: KC Venugopal from Congress, Shobha Surendran from Bharatiya Janata Party and AM Ariff from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) are in the fray. Ariff is the sitting MP from the seat.

    20. Mavelikkara: UDF’s Kodikkunnil Suresh is pitted against CPI(M)’s Arun Kumar CA and and Baiju Kalasala of BDJS.

  • ‘Congress Wants Islamisation Of India’: Yogi Adityanath Slams Religion-Based Reservation |

    Amid the ongoing furore over the implementation of the religion-based reservation in Karnataka by the Congress government, the BJP has sharpened its attack on the grand old party. While Prime Minister and senior BJP leader said that the Congress is snatching the rights of OBCs, SCs and STs, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BJP leader Yogi Adityanath said that the grand old party wants Islamisation of India. Yogi Adityanath further alleged that Congress is planning to implement the ‘Sharia law’ in the country.

    Addressing a public rally in Amroha, Yogi said, “Congress has written in its manifesto about bringing personal laws for a particular community. Through this move, Congress aims to impose Sharia law, bringing a Taliban-style rule to India. This indicates that Congress and the INDI Alliance pose a threat to the Constitution crafted by Baba Saheb.”

    कांग्रेस का वक्तव्य बहुत दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण है।

    भारत के इस्लामीकरण और भारत को विभाजन की ओर धकेलने की कुत्सित कुचेष्टा का एक हिस्सा है… pic.twitter.com/ODhuLpVEvy


    — Yogi Adityanath (मोदी का परिवार) (@myogiadityanath) April 25, 2024

    The Uttar Pradesh CM further said, “Whenever the people associated with the INDI alliance got the opportunity to come to power, they have made a despicable attempt to rob the rights of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and backward caste people in the country as well as the rights of the poor.”

    Talking about the inheritance law, wealth distribution and former PM Dr Manmohan Singh’s 2006 speech related to minorities’ first claim on resources, Yogi Adityanath said that Congress wants to seize people’s property.  

    “The Congress and I.N.D.I alliance members betrayed the country by presenting a deceitful manifesto. While they promise to eradicate poverty, they are secretly planning to seize your property, as well as the jewellery of your daughters and mothers,” he said.

    After the first phase of voting on April 19, issues like wealth distribution, Muslim reservations and inheritance law have become key talking points from the BJP while the Congress is responding to this accusation by the Modi government.

  • ECI Takes Action On Alleged MCC Violations By PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi; Seeks Response From BJP, Congress Chiefs

    The Election Commission of India (ECI) has investigated allegations that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi violated the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). 

  • JDU Youth Leader Fatally Shot In Bihar`s Patna By 4 Bike Borne Assailants

    A youth leader from Janata Dal-United (JDU) was fatally shot in Patna while returning from a wedding ceremony. 

  • Another Tragedy For BJP After Moradabad, Party’s Hathras MP Rajveer Diler Dies Of Heart Attack |

    NEW DELHI: In yet another tragedy for the ruling BJP, its sitting Member of Parliament from Hathras Rajveer Diler died on Wednesday due to a heart attack. According to reports, Diler passed away while undergoing treatment at the Varun Hospital in Aligarh. Rajveer Diler was rushed to the Varun Hospital on Ramghat Road for treatment after he complained of severe chest pain in the evening. He was declared dead upon reaching the hospital. Rajveer Singh Diler’s mortal remains were later brought to his residence on the ITI Road. The sudden demise of the sitting BJP MP triggered a shockwave throughout the district. Diler’s untimely death is a significant political loss for his party – the BJP.  

    Several top BJP leaders have expressed grief over his death.

    2nd Tragedy For BJP In A Week

    After Moradabad, this is the second major blow for the BJP within a week. BJP candidate Kunwar Suresh Singh from Moradabad passed away on the first phase of voting last Saturday

    Rajveer Diler won the 2019 Lok Sabha election on the BJP ticket and became a Member of Parliament. However, Diler was not given the ticket to contest the Lok Sabha polls this time. BJP has fielded Anoop Balmiki from the Hathras Lok Sabha seat.

    Rajveer Diler, 65, was elected as a legislator from the Iglas assembly seat in 2017. However, he resigned to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Diler won the Hathras seat with a margin of 260,208 votes. He polled 684,299 votes with a vote share of 59.00 per cent and defeated his SP rival Ramji Lal Suman, who got 424,091 votes (36.83 per cent). His father, Kishan Lal Diler, has also served as a Member of Parliament from Hathras. 

    Rajveer Diler was known for his clean image – the main reason behind his nomination as a BJP candidate in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. While family members and close relatives are grieving over Rajveer Diler’s death, his supporters and political leaders have also started gathering at his residence to offer condolences. 

    Earlier this week, BJP candidate Kunwar Suresh Singh from Muradabad passed away due to a sudden cardiac arrest at AIIMS Delhi after a brief illness. Suresh Singh was not very active during the election campaigning, but he had reached his Lok Sabha seat on polling day and cast his vote. 

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, state BJP president Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over his demise.

  • Gangster And Scrap Metal Mafia Ravi Kana, Girlfriend Kajal Jha Arrested In Thailand |

    NEW DELHI: In a major breakthrough, gangster Ravi Kana, who is also notorious as Noida’s biggest scrap mafia and steel smuggling kingpin, has been arrested along with his girlfriend Kajal Jha in Thailand. According to reports, Kana and his girlfriend were arrested days after the Noida Police gave crucial information about them to the authorities in Thailand.

    A red corner notice was also issued against Kana earlier in January. Ravi Kana alias Ravindra Nagar is a gangster from western Uttar Pradesh and is wanted in multiple cases by the Noida Police.

    He operates a 16-member gang which is involved in the illegal procurement and sale of rebar and scrap material. According to reports, Kana has been charged with the stringent Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act after a case was registered against him in Greater Noida on January 2.

    From Scrap Dealer To Millionaire 

    Kana, who began as a metal scrap dealer, eventually became a millionaire after forming a gang to illegally acquire and sell scrap material after extorting businesses in the Delhi-NCR region. Ravi Kana and his gang members have been charged with several cases of kidnapping and theft. 

    At least half a dozen members of the Ravi Kana gang are already behind bars and the Noida Police have sealed several scrap godowns belonging to the gangster. Noida Police recently attached assets worth more than Rs 120 crore belonging to Kana and his associates.

    Who Is Kajal Jha?

    In January this year, the Noida Police raided and sealed a Rs 100-crore South Delhi bungalow gifted by the gangster to his girlfriend Kajal Jha. Interestingly, Kajal Jha, the girlfriend and partner of Ravi Kana, first came in contact with him regarding a job. however, she later joined his gang and became his girlfriend.  According to the Noida Police, Kajal Jha used to handle the books related to the gangster’s benami properties.