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Mukhtar Ansari. File Pic

Uttar Pradesh: Jailed gangster turned politician Mukhtar Ansari passes away

Jailed gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari died at the Banda Medical College in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday following a cardiac arrest, its principal said. Earlier in the day, Ansari was taken to the hospital after his health deteriorated, his lawyer said. Banda Medical College principal Suneel Kaushal confirmed to PTI that Ansari died of a cardiac arrest at the facility. He was hospitalised for around 14 hours on Tuesday after he complained of abdominal pain. Mukhtar Ansari, 60, is a five-time former MLA from Mau Sadar seat and has been behind bars in UP and Punjab since 2005. He has over 60 criminal cases pending against him. He was sentenced in eight cases since September 2022 by different courts of UP and was lodged in the Banda jail. His name was on the list of 66 gangsters issued by Uttar Pradesh Police last year. Earlier, his brother and Ghazipur MP Afzal Ansari, who reached the hospital, alleged that he was given poison in jail. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

28 March,2024 10:30 PM IST | Banda | PTI
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Rameshwaram Cafe blast case: NIA arrests key conspirator

In a major breakthrough, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a key conspirator in Bengaluru's Rameshwaram Cafe blast case, according to an official statement issued on Thursday. Muzammil Shareef was picked up on Wednesday and placed in custody as a co-conspirator after NIA teams cracked down at 18 locations, including 12 in Karnataka, five in Tamil Nadu and one in Uttar Pradesh, it said. The NIA, which took over the case on March 3, had earlier identified the main accused, Mussavir Shazeeb Hussain, who had carried out the blast. It had also identified another conspirator, Abdul Matheen Taha, who is also wanted by the agency in other cases, the statement said. "Both the men are on the run," it added. NIA investigations have revealed that Muzammil Shareef had extended logistic support to the other two identified accused in the case, involving an IED explosion at the cafe located at ITPL Road, Brookefield, Bengaluru, on March 1. Several customers and hotel staff members were injured, some of them grievously, in the blast, which caused extensive damage to the property. "Raids were conducted today at the houses of all these three accused as well as the residential premises and shops of other suspects, the statement said.Various digital devices were seized during the searches, along with cash, it added. Efforts are on to nab the absconding accused and unearth the larger conspiracy behind the blast, the NIA said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

28 March,2024 09:37 PM IST | New Delhi | PTI
Arvind Kejriwal was on Thursday produced before a Delhi court. Pic/PTI

ED created smoke screen of AAP being corrupt, alleges Arvind Kejriwal in court

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, whose ED custody was extended till April 1, on Thursday himself made submissions in a court here during the hearing in the alleged excise policy case, and alleged that the federal agency's objective is to crush AAP. Kejriwal also alleged that a smoke screen of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) being corrupt has been created before the nation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The ED produced him in the court of Special Judge Kaveri Baweja and sought a seven-day further custody, arguing that he needed to be confronted with some people linked with the case. The court extended his custodial interrogation till April 1. Shortly after the proceedings started, the AAP national convener made the submissions in Hindi after obtaining permission from the court even though his lawyers were present there. "So far, the CBI has filed 31,000 pages in this case in the court and 294 witnesses have been examined in this case. The ED has investigated 162 people and filed a 25,000-page report so far. By combining all these documents and reports, why have I been arrested? My name figures only in four statements," he said in a jam-packed courtroom. Elaborating on the four statements mentioning his name, Kejriwal said C Arvind, former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia's secretary, gave a statement. According to it, Sisodia handed over some excise policy-related documents to C Arvind in his (Kejriwal's) presence, in the chief minister's official residence. "He has only stated that Manish Sisodia gave some documents to C Arvind. Madam, several MLAs, ministers and dignitaries come with their secretaries to my house. "They do side-talks and hand over documents to each other. How do I know who is giving what to whom? Is this statement a sufficient reason to arrest the sitting chief minister?" Kejriwal said. Giving details of the second statement in which his name appears, Kejriwal said Magunta Srinivas Reddy is an MP from (Andhra Pradesh chief minister) Jagan Mohan Reddy's party (YSRCP). "Magunta Srinivas Reddy came to my office at 4.30 pm on March 16, 2021. He had sent an e-mail to my office that he is an MP and wanted to meet me. "My office gave him an appointment to meet me after 10 days. He came over and said I want to open my family's charitable trust in Delhi. I told him that land does not come under us, it comes under the Lieutenant Governor (LG)," Kejriwal said. The Delhi chief minister asked Magunta Srinivas Reddy to give him the letter which he will forward to the lieutenant governor. He said on September 16, 2022, Reddy's house was raided and the ED asked him whether he had met Kejriwal. When Reddy replied in the affirmative, saying his meeting was about seeking land for his family's trust, the ED was "not happy" and later the agency arrested his son in February 2023. "When the son remains arrested for five months, the father changes his statement. He changed his statement on July 16, 2023, and his son was released on July 18. Mission accomplished. That means the only mission of the ED was to get me trapped," Kejriwal said. The Delhi chief minister further said Magunta Srinivas Reddy gave three statements to the agency but only one was considered. "Why the only statement that is against Kejriwal has been included in the 25,000 pages of ED report and the other two statements were not considered?All the three statements should have been brought to the notice of the court, so that it could decide the truth in the case," he said. About the statement of the third person, Raghav Magunta, the Delhi chief minister said out his total seven statements, six were not against him (Kejriwal). But as soon as he gave the seventh statement against him, Magunta was released from the jail. "The six statements which are not against me have not been brought on record," the chief minister said. He said Sarath Chandra Reddy, who was the fourth person to make a statement mentioning his name, stated nothing against the chief minister in his two statements before his arrest and nine statements after being arrested. "After he was kept in jail for six months, he (Sarath Chandra Reddy) finally succumbed and gave another statement on April 25, 2023.The only thing he said against me was that he had gone to meet the CM along with Vijay Nair," he said. Kejriwal asked the judge whether these four statements are enough to arrest a sitting chief minister. He claimed that there is no evidence to the ED's claims that AAP has taken Rs 100 crore. The actual liquor excise policy scam started after the beginning of the ED investigation, he said. "The ED investigation had two main motives -- first was to crush the Aam Aadmi Party and to declare it corrupt," he said. He said the second motive was to form a smoke screen in front of the nation where they could declare the AAP as corrupt. Without mentioning the BJP or the Centre, he alleged that they wanted to make the AAP an accused in excise policy scam and easily operate their electoral bond scam behind all of this. "They were extorting huge funds in the name of electoral bonds," he added. ASG S V Raju countered Kejriwal and his counsel, saying, "Persons who have later named him have disclosed reasons to do so. It is in the papers. All these submissions have been made before the Delhi high court." The ASG further said the claim about papers factoring him being with the agency was "a figment of his imagination". "He is the person in-charge of affairs of the AAP which has received the bribe amounts used in the Goa elections. We have witnesses to say the money came through hawala from the South Group. There is a chain. He has selectively not talked about that chain," the ASG said. The ED officials reacting to Kejriwal's statement said they were investigating the case under the lawful procedures of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and the agency has been duly filing charge sheets before the courts. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

28 March,2024 09:12 PM IST | New Delhi | PTI
Chandrashekhar Bawankule. File Pic

Bawankule's statement on case involving Rana misleading, Cong writes to EC, SC

The Congress on Thursday wrote to the Election Commission (EC) and the Supreme Court, accusing Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule of giving a misleading statement in a case involving MP Navneet Rana, reported the PTI. The statement amounted to contempt of court and a violation of the model code, the Congress has claimed, as per the PTI. In a video message, state Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe alleged that Chandrashekhar Bawankule had claimed that the SC had given its judgment on a caste validity certificate case concerning Rana, as per the PTI. Navneet Rana, who currently represents the Amravati Lok Sabha seat, joined the ruling BJP at the Chandrashekhar Bawankule's residence in Nagpur, Maharashtra along with her supporters late Wednesday night. The BJP announced her name as the party candidate for the Amravati seat, and Chandrashekhar Bawankule said she would file her election nomination on April 4, according to the PTI. Atul Londhe claimed that Chandrashekhar Bawankule's statement was misleading as the SC has not yet given any decision on Rana's caste validity certificate case and that the matter is still sub judice. The utterance amounts to contempt of court and a violation of the model code of conduct, he said, the news agency reported on Thursday. The Congress has demanded registration of a case against Chandrashekhar Bawankule and has given a written complaint to the Election Commission and Supreme Court against him, Atul Londhe said, adding that his party will also file a petition in the court in this matter. Navneet Rana had won the 2019 Lok Sabha elections as an independent candidate against the undivided Shiv Sena's then MP Anandrao Adsul from the Amravati constituency in Maharashtra. However, soon there were allegations against her of submitting a fake caste certificate, the PTI reported. On June 8, 2021, the Bombay High Court said the 'Mochi' caste certificate submitted by Navneet Rana was obtained fraudulently using fabricated documents. It had also imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh on her. Last month, The Supreme Court reserved its verdict on her plea challenging the high court's verdict cancelling her caste certificate. (with PTI inputs)

28 March,2024 08:07 PM IST | Nagpur | mid-day online correspondent
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge along with Rahul and Sonia Gandhi. File Pic/PTI

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Congress to release poll manifesto in Jaipur on April

The Congress will release its manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls on April 6, party's Rajasthan in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said Thursday. He said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, and Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi will release the party's manifesto at a public meeting in Jaipur.Randhawa was talking to reporters after the meeting regarding election strategy in the Congress' 'War Room' here. He said in today's meeting, the preparations for this public meeting were also discussed. Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot and Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra handed over responsibilities. He said there is enthusiasm among the leaders and the people, and more and more crowd will come to the public meeting. He said the people have come to know what they (the central government) have done for the people during their 10 years in office. On the question of Congress candidate Sudarshan Rawat expressing his desire not to contest the elections from Rajsamand after being named in the list, Randhawa said every party has to change the ticket from time to time. Many parties change tickets at the last moment, he added. Dotasra said on the occasion that our leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are coming and will release the party's election manifesto in the public meeting. Targeting the BJP government of the state, he said, "In four months, they have done only tours, speeches and mislead the people. Apart from this, they have done nothing else." Dotasra claimed that there is enthusiasm among the people about the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. He described the electoral bonds as the biggest scam in the country. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

28 March,2024 06:40 PM IST | Jaipur | PTI
Representational Pic/File

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Rs 1.76 crore cash sized in Maharashtra's Gondia

The administration of Gondia district in Maharashtra has seized Rs 1.76 crore cash from two places ahead of the Lok Sabha elections 2024, officials said, reported the PTI. According to the PTI, in the first case, the cash worth Rs 1.71 crore was seized at the check-post of Soni village and Rs 5 lakh from the Murdoli village check-post. The cash was possessed by people in contravention of the Election Commission of India's directives as one has to upload the details of the cash that he or she is carrying on the Election Seizure Management System (ESMS) of the ECI, as per the PTI. Meanwhile, last week, Rs 23 crore cash, 17 lakh litre liquor, and 699 kg drugs from different parts of the state ahead of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 in Maharashtra since March 1 were seized by the authorities, the state Chief Electoral Officer S. Chockalingam had said on Saturday, reported the PTI. Addressing a press conference, the CEO also said preventive action has been taken against 13,141 persons so far, as per the PTI. According to the news agency, as per the poll schedule for the 2024 general elections, Maharashtra, which sends 48 members to Lok Sabha, is scheduled to vote in five phases from April 19 to May 20. "The highest number of cash seizures at Rs 3.6 crore was in Mumbai suburban district," Chockalingam said. Maharashtra has 9.2 crore registered voters and 1,84,841 new voters have been added to the list between March 17 and 22, he added, the news agency reported. He said 10 nominations have been filed so far for the first phase of polling since March 20 including one nomination in Ramtek, five in Nagpur, two in Bhandara-Gondiya, and two in Gadchiroli-Chimur constituency. No nomination has been received in Chandrapur, as per the PTI. Earlier, the Election Commission of India (ECI) had last week announced that the Lok Sabha election in Maharashtra will be held in five phases on April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13 and May 20. Counting of votes will be held on June 4. In the first phase, scheduled for April 19, 2024, voters in five key constituencies, including Ramtek, Nagpur, Bhandara Gondia, Gadchiroli Chimur, and Chandrapur, will cast their votes. (with PTI inputs)

28 March,2024 06:27 PM IST | Gondia | mid-day online correspondent
Arvind Kejriwal leaves from the Rouse Avenue Court. Pic/PTI

Court extends ED custody of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal till April 1

A court on Thursday extended the Enforcement Directorate custody of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal till April 1 in the excise policy case. The agency had sought seven-day custody of the AAP chief, but the court said he has to be produced before the court on April 1 at 11 am. The ED had produced him before Rouse Avenue court Special Judge Kaveri Baweja as his current custody was ending on Thursday. The ED said in its fresh remand plea that during his custodial interrogation, his statements were recorded on five days and that he was "giving evasive replies". It said the statements of three other persons have also been recorded during the remand. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

28 March,2024 03:56 PM IST | New Delhi | PTI
Arvind Kejriwal. File Pic

Delhi under constitutional crisis, Arvind Kejriwal should quit: BJP

The Delhi BJP Thursday demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in the excise policy case, alleging the city is facing a constitutional crisis. Addressing a press conference here, Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva and party MP Manoj Tiwari said the AAP could have made anyone from the party chief minister after Kejriwal was taken into custody. "Delhi is under a huge constitutional crisis. If you have even scant regard for the people of Delhi who elected you, you could have made anyone (from AAP) chief minister," Tiwari said. Taking a dig at the Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party, Sachdeva said there is an internal tussle going on in the AAP for the chief minister's chair.He questioned the constitutional validity of running a government from the custody of a probe agency. "Show us one example in the entire world of somebody running the government from jail. If you have any ethics left in you, resign," Sachdeva said, asking why did the party get Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain to resin if functioning from jail is legal. On Wednesday, Delhi cabinet minister Atishi said if President's Rule is imposed in the national capital in the aftermath of Kejriwal's arrest, it would be a clear case of "political vendetta". She was responding to Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena's statement that the Delhi government will not be run from jail. "What is the constitutional provision he is drawing on? The law of the country is very clear. You have the GNCTD Act which is very clear that you cannot be the chief minister if you do not enjoy the majority of the House. These conditions do not apply. So, under what conditions will President's Rule be imposed?" she said.Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21 in the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case and was subsequently remanded in the agency's custody till March 28 by a court. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

28 March,2024 03:16 PM IST | New Delhi | PTI
Representative image

Security forces seize explosives, Maoist literature in anti-Naxal op in Maha

During an anti-Naxal operation in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district, security personnel discovered gelatin sticks, wires, batteries, and Maoist literature, an official stated Thursday. Based on intelligence about the presence of Naxalites along the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border, security forces conducted an operation near Bhumkan Village. Superintendent of Police (SP) Nilotpal reported that armed cadres of "Kasansur Chatgaon Dalam and Aundhi Dalam from Chhattisgarh" were camped in the region, planning for subversive acts ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024.  According to a report in PTI, the Gadchiroli-Chimur (ST) Lok Sabha constituency, which is set for the first phase of voting on April 19, is a major source of anxiety. The operation, carried out by members of the C-60, an elite anti-Naxal team of the state police, and a Quick Action Team of the Central Reserve Police team (CRPF), resulted in a fire battle with the Naxalites. The firefight lasted all night Wednesday, forcing the Naxalites to flee into the darkness, the report added.  Per the PTI report, when security personnel searched the location on Thursday morning, they discovered explosives such as gelatin sticks, cables, batteries, solar panels, and Maoist literature. SP Nilotpal acknowledged that the anti-Naxal operation is still underway in the region. Earlier in February, the police in Gadchiroli had discovered two kilograms of explosives hidden underground by Naxalites intending to harm the law enforcement personnel. According to another agency report, the authorities had launched a search operation in the Gondri woodland area of Kurkheda taluka after receiving intel indicating Naxalite activities.  The Bomb Detection and Disposable Squads (BDDS) were dispatched to search the area for potential hazards, reported PTI.  During the search, the PTI report stated, the BDDS discovered two kilograms of explosives expertly disguised in a pressure cooker buried about two feet below ground. Quick action was taken to safely neutralise the explosives on the scene.According to the report, Gadchiroli Superintendent of Police Neelotpal said Gadchroli's anti-Naxal operation was augmented after the discovery of explosives.  Meanwhile, Maharashtra Director General of Police Rashmi Shukla had earlier said that police camps have reached areas that were once Naxal strongholds in Gadchiroli and assured that the menace will soon be eradicated with the support of citizens.

28 March,2024 02:41 PM IST | Gadchiroli | mid-day online correspondent
Delhi Minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj. Pic/PTI

AAP's Saurabh Bharadwaj claims: "Operation Lotus floated to break AAP"

Delhi Minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj came down heavily on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday, alleging that the BJP had offered money, security and positions to AAP MLAs in Punjab to switch and join the BJP. "I think what Arvind Kejriwal was saying earlier has turned out to be true today --- Operation Lotus has been floated just to break AAP and topple our governments in Delhi and Punjab," said the AAP leader. Saurabh Bharadwaj also raised a question as to why AAP legislators from Punjab, Sushil Kumar Rinku, a Member of Parliament from Jalandhar, and Sheetal Angural, a Jalandhar West MLA, joined hands with the BJP in Punjab's Jalandhar, where the party was to come fourth in the elections. Speaking to the media on Thursday, Bharadwaj said, "If the BJP is in such bad condition in Punjab, why did it poach our MP (Sushil Kumar Rinku) and MLA (Sheetal Angural) yesterday? Our MLAs from Punjab told us yesterday that several MLAs in the state were offered money to switch and join the BJP and that they were offered Y+ security and positions. They were also given the offer to contest Lok Sabha elections." "Sushil Kumar Rinku's MP tenure has concluded. A model code of conduct is in place. He can do only one thing now, which is contest elections. You can ask anyone for an assessment. The BJP will come in fourth in Jalandhar, Punjab. They can do whatever they want, but they will be fourth. The question is, why would an MP join the BJP to come fourth?" said Bharadwaj. The AAP leader also said that three AAP Punjab MLAs had held a press conference wherein it was discussed that a majority of AAP MLAs received phone calls where they were lured to join the BJP. "I think what Arvind Kejriwal was saying earlier has turned out to be true today - Operation Lotus has been floated just to break AAP and topple our governments in Delhi and Punjab. But we are proud of our MLAs that they brought this to the knowledge of party leadership and held a press conference," said Bharadwaj. Earlier on Wednesday, two Aam Aadmi Party legislators from Punjab, Sushil Kumar Rinku and Sheetal Angural, joined the BJP, met its national president, JP Nadda, at his residence. Rinku, a Member of Parliament from Jalandhar, and Angural, a Jalandhar West MLA, met Nadda immediately after both of them joined the BJP at its headquarters here. Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar was also with them during the meeting. Rinku said that he had taken this decision for the development of Jalandhar. "I have taken this decision for the development of Jalandhar. We will take Jalandhar forward. We will bring all the projects of the Central Government to Jalandhar," he said. Rinku also alleged that no development work has been done in Punjab by the AAP government. "No development work has been done in Punjab by the AAP government. On the other hand, I am impressed by the developmental work initiated by PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia also helped me a lot in the developmental work I have done in the Jalandhar constituency," Rinku said. Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar said, "Congress and AAP are two sides of the same coin. Sushil Rinku joined the party today. He is the only Lok Sabha MP of the AAP and they should be ashamed. "Sheetal Angural put out a statement saying that he has resigned from all the responsibilities he had in the AAP. Rinku is joining the BJP despite being announced as the AAP candidate from Jalandhar. He won the Jalandhar Lok Sabha constituency by a margin of 58,691 votes in a by-poll in 2023. On Tuesday, the Congress MP from Ludhiana, Ravneet Bittu, joined the BJP. Bittu is the grandson of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh, who was assassinated in 1995 in Chandigarh in a suicide bombing. In the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, Bittu defeated Simarjeet Singh Bains from the Lok Insaaf Party by 76,372 votes. In 2014, he defeated the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Harvinder Singh Phoolka with a margin of 19,709 votes. The BJP earlier this week announced its decision to contest the election in Punjab on its own after it severed ties with its long-time ally, Shiromani Akali Dal. Operation Lotus refers to the "poaching" or "bribing" of MLAs and MPs of other parties by the BJP, often to form governments in states where they do not have the majority. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.

28 March,2024 01:40 PM IST | New Delhi | ANI
A Ganeshamurthi/ X @KAnnamalai

Erode MP A Ganeshamurthi, who attempted to end his life, passes away

Member of Parliament (MP) A Ganeshamurthi of Tamil Nadu's Erode, who purportedly attempted suicide recently, died of his injuries on Thursday morning at a hospital in Coimbatore, according to MDMK sources and local officials.  According to a report in PTI, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin expressed deep grief over Ganeshamurthi's death and recalled his illustrious political career within the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), including his time with MDMK leader Vaiko. Stalin hailed Ganeshamurthi's efforts and described him as an ardent diplomat, expressing his deepest sympathies to his family, friends, and party members. Vaiko, too, expressed shock and sent his condolences to Ganeshamurthi's family. Those who knew the MP were saddened by his sudden death. On March 24, the 77-year-old MP allegedly attempted to end his life by ingesting deadly drugs at his Erode property. Despite receiving rapid medical treatment, he was unable to recover from his injuries. The Erode Town police, who initially reported an attempted suicide, will now report a death by suicide. Following legal processes, the body was turned over to the Institute of Road Transport (IRT) Medical College Hospital for a post-mortem examination. Once completed, the body will be buried in Kumaravalasu village, the report added.  According to the report, Ganeshamurthi, who was elected as an MP in 2019 using the DMK emblem, had previously represented Palani in 1998 and Erode in 2009. A widower, the MP is survived by a son and a daughter. Vaiko denied accusations that Ganeshamurthi attempted suicide since he did not receive a nomination to run for Lok Sabha Elections 2024. He complimented the late MP's leadership abilities and recalled their long friendship since college, emphasising their shared dedication to party progress. Speaking to the reporters in Coimbatore, Vaiko said, "He was a brave and determined leader. There's no iota of truth that Ganeshamurthi made a suicide attempt over not getting a seat to contest the Lok Sabha elections 2024. The struggles during the student union days are still vivid in my mind. .. he was in charge of the Erode district of DMK and later joined hands with me to launch the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam." The death of Ganeshamurthi has left a gap in the political landscape, with condolences flooding in from all sides, including AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswai and BJP state president K Annamalai.  

28 March,2024 12:01 PM IST | Chennai | mid-day online correspondent
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