Taking cognisance for the first time of a model code violation complaint against a prime minister, the EC issued a notice to BJP president J P Nadda on Opposition charge that PM Narendra Modi gave a divisive speech in Rajasthan. Separately, the poll panel also issued a notice to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, asking him to respond to the complaints filed by the BJP against him Rahul Gandhi regarding their remarks. In the notice sent to Nadda, the EC sought his response by Monday to the complaints filed by the Congress, CPI, CPI (ML) and civil society groups regarding the remarks made by Modi. These complaints had referred to Modi’s allegations that the Congress wanted to redistribute the wealth of the people to Muslims and that the opposition party won’t even spare the ‘mangalsutra’ of women. Congress accuses watchdog of bias towards Modi The Election Commission is “super, super cautious” when it comes to complaints against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress said on Thursday after the poll watchdog asked the BJP to respond to complaints filed by opposition parties, accusing the PM of delivering a divisive speech in Rajasthan. The EC has also asked the Congress to respond to complaints filed by the BJP against the main opposition party’s president Mallikarjun Kharge and its senior leader Rahul Gandhi regarding their remarks. 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
26 April,2024 07:53 AM IST | New Delhi | AgenciesDelhi CM Arvind Kejriwal is the “kingpin and key conspirator” of the excise policy scam and the arrest of a person for an offence based on material can never violate the concept of free and fair elections, the ED has told the Supreme Court. The Enforcement Directorate claimed that Kejriwal worked in collusion with his ministers and AAP leaders and was also involved in demanding kickbacks from liquor businessmen in exchange for favours granted in the policy. “Arvind Kejriwal, chief minister of NCT of Delhi is the kingpin and key conspirator of the Delhi excise scam in collusion with ministers of the Delhi govt, AAP leaders and other persons,” the agency said in its 734-page reply affidavit. “Kejriwal was involved in the conspiracy of formulation of the excise policy to favour certain persons and also involved in the demanding kickbacks from liquor businessmen in exchange for favours granted in the said policy,” it 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
26 April,2024 07:50 AM IST | New Delhi | AgenciesVoting for the second phase of Lok Sabha polls will be held on Friday for 89 seats in 13 states with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi seeking a second-straight term from Wayanad in Kerala. All 20 seats of Kerala will go to polls besides 14 of the 28 seats in Karnataka, 13 seats in Rajasthan, 8 seats each in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, 7 seats in Madhya Pradesh, 5 seats each in Assam and Bihar, 3 seats each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, and 1 seat each in Manipur, Tripura and Jammu and Kashmir. A total of 1,206 candidates with four from Outer Manipur constituency will contest elections in this phase, campaigning for which ended Wednesday evening. Polling officials leave for election duty on in Tripura. Pics/PTI Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar and actor-turned-politician Arun Govil, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s brother DK Suresh (Cong), and former Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy (JDS) are among the key candidates while BJP’s Hema Malini, Om Birla and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat seeking a hat-trick of wins from their respective constituencies. Glimpses of dispatch of polling parties in Imphal. Pic/PTI The first of the seven-phase elections held last Friday for 102 seats across 21 states and Union territories saw a voter turnout of around 65.5 per cent. After Friday’s phase, polling will be over in Kerala, Rajasthan and Tripura. In the first phase on April 19, polling was completed in all seats of Tamil Nadu (39), Uttarakhand (5), Arunachal Pradesh (2), Meghalaya (2), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1), Mizoram (1), Nagaland (1), Puducherry (1), Sikkim (1) and Lakshadweep (1). 1,206No of candidates that will contest 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
26 April,2024 07:48 AM IST | New Delhi | AgenciesIn a significant step towards digitisation, Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud on Thursday announced that the Supreme Court will share information relating to cause lists and filing and listing of cases to advocates through WhatsApp messages, saying it will have a “big-bang impact” and will go a long way in saving paper and the earth. The announcement on integration of WhatsApp with its Information and Communications Technology (ICT) services was made by the CJI before a nine-judge bench headed by him commenced the hearing on the vexed legal question arising from the petitions about whether private properties can be considered “material resources of the community” under Article 39(b) of the Constitution, which is a part of the Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP). 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
26 April,2024 07:45 AM IST | New Delhi | AgenciesThe best way to tell that you’ve crossed the border from Bengal to Bihar, driving down Siliguri’s Bagdogra airport—even without looking for the toll booth—is to casually study flags that line the highway, shops, constructions, all across. Simple vexillology, as it were. At some point, quite simply, the saffron-green of the BJP’s lotus, and obviously the tricolour with Trinamool Congress’s election symbol, simply recede to a zero. But for a few BJP flags, and fewer INC’s “haath chhaap” tricolour still. You know you’re in Bihar, specifically Kishanganj. What unites with Bengal, though, are the triangular ‘bhagwa dwaj’ (saffron flags)—with Lord Ram, or Hanuman, as with Chhatrapati Shivaji in rural Maharashtra—flying, throughout. The name Kishanganj is so generic, like the district itself, that a colleague in Mumbai told us they’d heard of it. Surely, in a Bollywood movie—to denote a typical small town/village, like Ramgarh in Sholay! That said, Kishanganj also remains among the most backward districts in India, and Bihar, at any rate, which is already the most backward among states. What’s so special? Top candidates Uniformly agrarian Kishanganj, in north eastern Bihar, was an outlier in 2019 elections. BJP-led NDA swept the Lok Sabha polls in Bihar, with 39/40 seats. What about the one seat that kept them from a clean sweep? That was Kishanganj. Kishanganj’s dilapidated Aligarh Muslim University campus The reason is kinda obvious. And for that too, you needn’t study demography as much as simply look at the top candidates in the fray, in 2024—INC’s Dr Mohammed Jawed; Mujahid Alam from Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), that’s now part of NDA; and Akhtarul Iman from Hyderabad’s AIMIM, that’s evidently made deep inroads into the rural parts. AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi had camped in Kishanganj for three days to wrap the campaign. Rahul Gandhi had walked through Kishanganj for his Bharat Jodo Yatra. It’s not like BJP has never won from here—Shahnawaz Hussain has been elected once (1999). INC’s Dr Jawed, locally called ‘Doctor Sahib’, is seeking re-election from the Muslim-majority constituency. The town goes to polls on April 26. Which explains why it looks even deader, the day before—whether at the eatery self-explanatorily named, Family Restaurant, or the plusher Hotel Daftari Palace. The cops, overestimating our worth, have checked the boot of our car for possible cash, more than once. Dr Jawed says he can’t meet, because that would be a violation of the electoral code. “All eyes, from the national to the regional party are on us,” his assistant tells us, offering to send over a volunteer, who’s on his way, to take us around. Only to return with another apology, “Somebody will certainly take a photo of him with you, and it’ll be another electoral code violation. The same gentleman has been fined eight times, already. He may not care for the ninth time. But you might get into trouble.” Fair point. Health and education As with several Indian Tier IV towns, the only thing architecturally majestic you come across in Kishanganj is the presence of the government—the railway station, the DM’s office, even the local post office. Despite a relatively low literacy rate, the town seems full of schools, including a top-end DPS (Delhi Public School), whose bus passes us by. The gamechanger, however, is a centre for Aligarh Muslim University, that’s come up in Kishanganj. We excitedly drive over to the campus. To find a small, dilapidated structure, with broken window panes, housing a girls’ hostel, along with an “academic block” inside the same building. No, this cannot be the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU)! “No, it’s not,” Alam Mohd Shahzad, who works at the institute, tells us. “In 2013, we were granted an AMU by Central government. The 100-acre campus was supposed to come up. The land usage got blocked due to environmental concerns. This make-shift thing has been given to us since, by the state government. We only offer one course, an MBA, here. The girls in the hostel are mostly from Uttar Pradesh. They don’t have a vote in Kishanganj,” Shahzad says, pointing to a new girls’ hostel that should start soon. Likewise, an All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) was promised for Kishanganj: “These are jumlas. There is an AIIMS in (nearby) Darbhanga as well; still not operational,” Shahzad adds. Caste still central, of course In 2023, Bihar became the first state to release its caste composition survey. Among its revelations was how Muslims in the state identify themselves with their caste, first. A political volunteer, on condition of anonymity, tells us, “Most Muslims in Kishanganj are pasmandas (backward caste). There are also the same castes, between Hindus and Muslims. A key demand of Dr Jawed is reservation for the Surjapuri community.” For a town bordering Bengal, the question of “illegal migrants” comes up in the context of Kishanganj as well. You do bump into several Bengalis. They go by the Shershabadia community. “We don’t vote here,” they tell us. But Kishanganjis are equivocal on how “it’s such an aman-pasandi (peace-loving) place,” as the street vendor Chirag Ali also puts it. As do others. Ask them who’ll they vote for? The cryptic answers are hilarious: “Not teer [JD(U)],” as per Shahzad. “Full pant. Not jeans pant,” goes Pandit-ji, laughing, and then whispering into our ears, BJP, which is technically not even contesting from Kishanganj. April 26Day town goes to the polls
26 April,2024 07:35 AM IST | Kishanganj | Mayank ShekharWith all 20 seats of Kerala going to polls today, mid-day met M G Radhakrishnan, a well-known political observer in the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. In a free-wheeling chat, Radhakrishnan discusses the prospects of the mainstream political parties and the challenges they face, in the Lok Sabha polls. Excerpts from the conversation: Congress’s Shashi Tharoor is facing the most challenging election this time. The Thiruvananthapuram constituency will see one of the fierce contests in this election. Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has already achieved a hat trick here. Now he is contesting against BJP candidate and entrepreneur Rajeev Chandrasekhar, a three-time Rajya Sabha MP and former minister for industries. This seems to be a vital wicket for Tharoor. Tharoor contested the first Lok Sabha elections from Thiruvananthapuram in 2009, winning by a margin of nearly 1 lakh votes. In 2014, he was up against O Rajagopal, the veteran BJP leader, and though he won, Tharoor’s winning margin came down to 15,470 votes. In the 2019 general election, he secured 99,989 votes over his nearest rival. Thiruvananthapuram is significant for the BJP and it is pinning its hopes here as the party came second only in this seat in the last two elections. He feels Tharoor’s primary opponent, Chandrasekhar, will strengthen their chances. He can attract some votes beyond the Sangh Parivar constituency. Tharoor is popular among the young, upper-class, educated Hindu section of the population, making him prominent in this constituency. Chandrasekhar can attract some votes which the BJP could not win in the last two elections, and that is why it can be said he could poach Tharoor’s votes. I still think Tharoor is the favourite here, and it isn’t easy to dislodge him. Even though there could be a split in this constituency with the urban, young, political, and upper middle class, where Chandrasekhar could make some inroads, the minorities could be the strongest supporters of Tharoor. About 30 per cent of the population in this constituency comprises minorities—Muslims and Christians. In 2014, this seat had witnessed the fiercest battle as Tharoor lagged behind O Rajagopal until the last round, so much so that the latter went public saying he had won. In the last round, Tharoor got all the votes, especially from the coastal sections. There could be some drop in the ballots because of the Vizhinjam Harbour deal. Most minority votes may go to Tharoor and the remaining to the CPI candidate. That could be problematic for Chandrasekhar and not easy to overcome. Voter turnout is always good here, and on the occasion, it dropped last time in the coastal regions, veteran Congress leaders like AK Antony came out and spoke to Church leaders who urged people to vote. This helped Tharoor substantially. Locals say they are not happy with Tharoor’s performance. Yes, there is a lot of criticism of Tharoor that he could not do much for the constituency. Tharoor’s justification is that in the last two elections—2014 and 2019, it was the BJP in power in the centre, so whatever he tried was not made possible by the central government. He also blamed the state government by saying the LDF did not support him. He claimed the Trivandrum Corporation, led by the Left, did not support him when he tried to bring in some investments. So, this could be a challenging issue for him, and Chandrasekhar is pointing out that despite being an MP for 15 years, Tharoor hasn’t done much for the constituency. Chandrasekhar is positioning himself as an entrepreneur and technocrat and also possibly a minister if the BJP comes to power. He is positioning himself as the change. It may work to some extent in his favour. Despite Thiruvananthapuram being an essential constituency for BJP, the party hasn’t done much to attract voters. Not just the constituency but for the entire state, the party hasn’t done much in terms of projects or budget allocation; Kerala is fighting with the Centre. In the Rail Budget, Kerala has been neglected. Though the BJP considers Kerala a possible wicket for the BJP, neither the central leadership nor the NDA government has helped Kerala in terms of investments. The central government’s investments are decreasing in the last 15-20 years. This is what Tharoor is saying, and Chandrasekar has been complaining about him, but the latter has been a Rajya Sabha MP since 2006. Despite being a Malayalee, he has not done anything for Kerala. How can any Keralite trust him or the party in the future, say the voters? The perception of the 70s that Kerala is a labour-problem state continues, but if you look at the statistics in the last two decades, industrial or labour disputes are very low. The Techno Park in Kerala employs over 50,000 people, and not a single day has been lost due to labour unrest. The minimum wage here is high, which may be a disincentive for investment. Kerala has risen in sectors like IT, healthcare, and tourism, for instance, but insufficient to solve Kerala’s educated unemployment or lagging industries and agriculture. Will BJP make in-roads in the South?The party still has a long way to go, as it has not established credibility as an alternative to the LDF or the UDF. It hasn’t positioned itself as a party which takes care of Kerala’s needs. It hasn’t. BJP has in-built structural issues like the minorities. How do you cross this thing if, despite its Hindu majoritarianism, the BJP can help Kerala? The LDF has not functioned well, economic management is terrible, and the Congress has been tried many times, but what has the BJP to show as an alternative? Its leadership is bankrupt in Kerala, and I don’t see any potential in BJP leadership in Kerala. BJP has been in power at the centre since 2014 but hasn’t done anything for Kerala. So why should Kerala trust the BJP? Kerala people are educated, and they don’t see anything significant in states run by the BJP. If BJP is going to be the difference, it must show the difference. It hasn’t. But now there is corruption, and there are the electoral bonds and washing machines. Anyone tainted in any party is happily welcomed into the BJP. BJP has been complaining about dynasty politics against Congress, and all the sons and daughters of Congress leaders have joined the BJP. But it can give projects and investments to Kerala. The state government is the only government that has to pay R5000 crore for highway development, and this does not happen in the Northeast or Uttar Pradesh, for instance. The state elections are between LDF and UDF. Whatever good the BJP hopes to have with the churches here was lost by what happened in Manipur. The Muslim community in Kerala is very advanced compared to other states in the country and has come up in every sphere. There has been a renaissance within the community because of foreign remittances. The education of women is high. The UCC and CAA have made the community very suspicious of the BJP. The Muslim League is a major political party and can claim 100 per cent wins in every constituency. They will never vote for the BJP despite having some Muslim leaders. Migration is not a recent phenomenon Kerala society has been traditionally footloose for two reasons: In the 70s, the oil boom helped a lot of Keralites for better money opportunities outside. There are no investment and employment opportunities here. In the last 15 years, over 2 lakh people surrendered their passports despite BJP’s nationalism. As lakhs of students from India study abroad, while Kerala ranks 7th, this list is topped by Gujarat. In 1956, Kerala was the poorest state in the country, and now it is among the top 10 wealthiest states. It is because of the education and public healthcare facilities. In terms of the Human Development Index (HDI) —literacy, sex ratio, education, etc., Kerala is the best. It attracts the most significant foreign remittances, and is why Kerala is still economically prosperous. Kerala has done reasonably well in the economy and very well in HDI. Gulf money has saved Kerala, but is that sustainable after COVID-19? The remittances haven’t decreased, and people have returned to their jobs. Kerala is a plantation economy and is dependent on international prices. Kerala has to get into new areas for development. For the social economy, the state has to earn more money. The tax rates are high, and the state has collected the money where it can. Most of the public sector undertakings suffering losses will continue because of left-of-centre political thinking. Out-of-the-box ideas are needed to bail out Kerala’s weak programs. Higher education numbers are high, but quality is lacking. With its fragmented politics Kerala has to find solutions for its issues. Rahul Gandhi and Wayanad Gandhi is a national political leader and does not have much time for the constituency. Rahul Gandhi will win for sure. The Muslims and the Muslim League know that they have their only hope in Congress.
26 April,2024 07:33 AM IST | Thiruvananthapuram | Vinod Kumar MenonAll eyes are on Meerut now, which goes to polls in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections today. The ruling party has thrown its full weight behind actor Arun Govil, who is contesting elections on a BJP ticket for the first time in Meerut constituency. The party is hoping that people make the Ram connect and vote for Govil—who played the role of lord Ram in the television series Ramayan—in large numbers. The Meerut constituency is important and significant for the BJP, as it has sidelined its sitting parliamentarian Rajendra Agrawal to field fresh candidate Arun Govil. Though the actor-turned-politician has been able to pull in the crowds during campaigning and road shows, it is equally important to see what percentage of the crowd is influenced by the ‘Ram’ quotient to vote for BJP. Arun Govil played the role of Lord Ram in the TV series Ramayan BJP leader Agrawal won the Meerut Lok Sabha seat three consecutive times, and local supporters are a little upset over the party’s decision to field an actor because, in the history of Indian politics, actor-turned-politicians have always disappointed people. Though people are having mixed reactions over the selection of Govil, a large chunk of the crowd felt that a seasoned politician who can develop the area is needed rather than an actor who people only want to visit for selfies. The general opinion is that people always lament after voting for an actor-turned-politician. In a bid to make a landslide victory in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, the BJP inaugurated the Ram temple in Ayodhya and promoted it on a grand scale to use as a poll plank to decimate the Opposition. Heavyweights from the saffron brigade, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, among others, visited the constituency to campaign. Interestingly, Adityanath visited the constituency at least five times in the past few days for campaigning. The saffron brigade knows the religious nerves of the local residents of Meerut, where they invited key characters of Ramayan, including Dipika Chikhlia (who played the role of Sita) and Sunil Lahri (Laxman), to campaign for Govil. Since the political campaign reminded locals of Ramayan, the BJP is making all efforts to influence and translate huge crowds into votes to win this important seat. Though the BJP has been exuding confidence towards a cracking victory in the constituency, the saffron party is still cautious because the Opposition, including Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party’s Mayawati has conducted massive campaigns and public meetings to cut its votes. Phase-II of elections in UP >> 91 candidates in the fray for eight Lok Sabha constituencies>> These seats are Amroha, Meerut, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Bulandshahr, Aligarh and Mathura>> 81 male and 10 female candidates>> 1,67,77,198 voters in total, including 90,26,051 male, 77,50,356 female and 791 third gender voters About Meerut constituency>> Eight candidates in fray>> 20,00,530 voters in total, including 10,75,368 male; 9,25,022 female; and 140 third gender voters 2 lakhApprox no of voters in Meerut 8No of candidates in fray for Meerut
26 April,2024 06:55 AM IST | Meerut | Faisal TandelOdisha reeled under severe heatwave conditions on Thursday with Jharsuguda recording the maximum temperature of 43.8 degrees Celsius, officials said. Baripada sizzled at 43.6 degrees Celsius, followed by Nuapada (43.5), Talcher (43.4), and Boudh (43.2). Kendrapara, Cuttack and Bolangir town recorded a maximum of 43 degrees C, according to the Meteorological Centre at Bhubaneswar. The maximum temperature would rise by 2-4 notches over the next four days, officials said. "Heatwave would continue across the state from April 26 to 29," said Meteorological Centre's Director Manorama Mohanty. A red alert for a severe heatwave was issued for nine districts, including Gajapati, Ganjam, Balasore and Mayurbhanj. The Met Centre advised people to take precautionary measures while going out between 11 am to 3 pm. 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
25 April,2024 10:41 PM IST | Bhubaneswar | PTIThe Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has released a fresh list of three candidates from Uttar Pradesh's Rae Bareli, Ambedkar Nagar and Bahraich. While Thakur Prasad Yadav has been fielded from Rae Bareli, Kamar Hayat Ansari will be contesting from Ambedkar Nagar and Brijesh Kumar Sonker will fight from Bahraich, a Scheduled Caste reserved constituency. Mayawati-led BSP has earlier fielded Hembabu Dhangar from Hathras, Kamal Kant Upmanyu from Mathura, Pooja Amrohi from Agra, and Ram Niwas Sharma from Fatehpur Sikri. Satendra Jain Sauli has been fielded from Firozabad, Sarika Singh Baghel from Etawah, Kuldeep Badauria from Kanpur, Rajesh Kumar Dwivedi from Akbarpur and Surendra Chandra Gautam from Jalaun. Unlike the 2019 elections, when it was in alliance with the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), the party is contesting the elections alone this time. In its first list, the BSP has nominated Mazid Ali from Saharanpur, Shreepal Singh from Kairana, Dara Singh Prajapati from Muzaffarnagar, Vijendra Singh from Bijnor, Surendra Pal Singh from Nagina, Mohammad Irfan Saifi from Moradabad, Zeeshan Khan from Rampur, Shaukat Ali from Sambhal, Mujahid Hussain from Amroha, Devratt Tyagi from Meerut, Praveen Bansal from Baghpat, Rajendra Singh Solanki from Gautam Buddha Nagar, Girish Chandra Jatav from Bulandshahr, Abid Ali from Aonla, Aneesh Ahmed Khan alia Phool Babu from Pilibhit, and Dodram Verma from Shahjahanpur. The BSP contested nine of these seats in 2019, winning four - Saharanpur, Bijnor, Nagina and Amroha. The SP fielded candidates in the other five last time, winning three, while the RLD lost both the seats it contested. Lok Sabha polls will be held in seven phases beginning April 19. Uttar Pradesh, which sends the maximum number of MPs, 80, to Parliament, is voting in all seven phases. Voting for phase one was held on April 13 and phase two is scheduled on Friday. Next, the state will once again poll in phases three and four on May 7 and May 13. The Uttar Pradesh electorate will also vote in phases five, six and seven on May 20, May 23 and June 1 respectively. The votes will be counted on June 4. 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
25 April,2024 09:41 PM IST | Lucknow | PTISix persons, including three women, died in a major fire that broke out on Thursday inside a hotel, situated close to a railway station in Patna, police said. According to Chandra Prakash, SP (City Central), Patna, rescue work is over at the hotel near Patna Junction, where the blaze had erupted around 11 am with more than 20 people trapped inside. "The deceased include three women. In addition, two persons with severe burn injuries are in a critical condition, and they have been admitted to hospital,¿ Prakash told reporters. Police are trying to ascertain the identity of the deceased and the critically injured persons so that their family members could be informed, he said. "We are not able to pinpoint the reason that may have led to the fire. Forensic experts have been called and based on their findings, we will take further action," the SP added. Meanwhile, District Magistrate Shirsat Kapil Ashok, told PTI, "A fire audit has been ordered of all hotels and other commercial establishments, especially those situated in congested localities like the one near Patna Junction. We will ensure strict compliance with fire safety norms." 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
25 April,2024 08:47 PM IST | Patna | PTIMaharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday hit out at Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray with 'chameleon' jibe, reported the PTI. Addressing an election rally in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, CM Shinde took potshots at Uddhav Thackeray, saying he had never seen a "chameleon" that changes colours so fast. CM Shinde likened the accomplishments of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the last ten years to the Himalayas and said the work done by the Congress was like a hillock, according to the PTI. The Lok Sabha elections 2024 is all about the development of progress, growth and making Narendra Modi the prime minister for the third time, he said, as per the PTI. CM Shinde was canvassing for Shiv Sena candidate Sandeepan Bhumre, who is also his cabinet colleague. Sandeepan Bhumre, who filed his nomination from Aurangabad (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar) Lok Sabha seat will take on Chandrakant Khaire of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and AIMIM's sitting MP Imitiaz Jaleel. "The work done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the last ten years can be compared to the height of the Himalayas while the work done by the Congress is like a 'tekdi' (hillock)," he said, the news agency reported on Thursday. CM Shinde claimed even a man who is asleep will prefer PM Modi over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi because the country has got a prime minister who has not taken a day off in the last 10 years. Playing an audio clip of Thacekray's old speech appealing to the people to vote for PM Modi, CM Shinde said that he had never seen a 'chameleon' that changes colours so fast. "Earlier, they would sing praises of Narendra Modi. Chameleons change their colours. But I saw a chameleon that changes colours so fast for the first time," he said at the rally in the Gulmandi area, the PTI reported. CM Shinde also sought votes for Raosaheb Patil Danve, BJP leader and Mahayuti candidate for neighbouring Jalna Lok Sabha seat. Aurangabad and Jalna Lok Sabha seats will go to polls in the fourth phase on May 13. "They criticise me saying I go in a helicopter and do farming (at his village). It takes 8 hours for me to reach Mahabaleshwar (near Shinde's village). But I can sign 10,000 files in those eight hours," he said. Referring to Congress leader Sam Pitroda's 'inheritance tax' remark, CM Eknath Shinde said that the Congress has set eyes on the property of the poor even before the election is over. About the Congress' election manifesto, CM Shinde said, "Congress has no right to publish their manifesto. They should first tell what they did earlier. They should bring out a 'mafinama' (apology) instead of a manifesto." (with PTI inputs)
25 April,2024 03:54 PM IST | Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
