The Congress on Tuesday fielded actor-turned-politician Raj Babbar from the Gurgaon seat in Haryana for Lok Sabha elections 2024 and former Union minister Anand Sharma from Kangra in Himachal Pradesh, reported the PTI. According to the PTI, Satpal Raizada, a former MLA from Himachal Pradesh's Una, has been fielded by the Congress from the Hamirpur Lok Sabha seat in the state and will contest the general elections against BJP candidate and Union Minister Anurag Thakur. The Congress also fielded Bhushan Patil from the Mumbai North constituency in Maharashtra, as per the PTI. This is the first Lok Sabha election that Sharma will be contesting. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha for the first time in April 1984 and has been a member of the Upper House of Parliament for four terms, the news agency reported. He has been a Union minister during the UPA government under Manmohan Singh and has also been a deputy leader of the Congress in the Rajya Sabha till he retired in 2022. Suspense over Amethi, Rae Bareli seats continues as three days left for nominations Meanwhile, suspense over the Amethi and Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seats mounted on Tuesday, even as three days remain for the filing of nominations for the two seats considered as traditional seats of the Gandhi-Nehru family, reported the PTI. Amid speculation that Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would be fielded from the two constituencies, the Congress workers in Amethi on Tuesday held a sit-in, demanding that the party names a member of the Gandhi family as its candidate from the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency, as per the PTI. According to the PTI, sources said that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is keen to contest from the Rae Bareli seat and her candidature is likely to be announced soon, once the party leadership takes a final call on the seat. Rahul Gandhi is yet to finalise his candidature on his second seat of Amethi and the leadership is likely to announce his name soon. The state leadership in Uttar Pradesh has already urged the central election committee and the party leadership to field Rahul Gandhi from Amethi and Priyanka from Rae Bareli. The CEC members had also supported the view of the Uttar Pradesh Congress during the last meeting of the CEC on Saturday, the news agency reported on Tuesday. Amethi Lok Sabha seat has been represented by Rahul Gandhi from 2004 and he remained the member of Parliament from the constituency for three consecutive terms till 2019 when he was defeated by BJP's Smriti Irani. Rahul Gandhi currently represents the Wayanad constituency in Kerala, from where he had also contested in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. The Amethi and Rae Bareli constituencies go to polls on May 20 in the fifth round of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections 2024. The Rae Bareli constituency was represented by Sonia Gandhi from 2004 to 2024. Prior to that Sonia Gandhi had represented the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency after she entered politics and contested for the first time in 1999. (with PTI inputs)
30 April,2024 10:38 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentThe Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the "bhatakti aatma" jibe, saying his soul is "restless" for the cause of farmers and the common man, and ready to be restless "100 times" to highlight their plight, reported the PTI. "There is a 'bhatakti atma' (wandering soul) in Maharashtra. If it does not manage success it spoils others' good work. Maharashtra has been a victim of it," PM Modi had said at a rally on Monday, hitting out at Sharad Pawar without taking his name, according to the PTI. Addressing a Lok Sabha elections 2024 meeting on Tuesday, Sharad Pawar recalled PM Modi's 2016 statement about having come into politics holding the former's finger, and said "PM Modi is angry with me of late", as per the PTI. "Some years ago, PM Modi had delivered a speech in Pune stating that he (PM Modi) had come into politics by holding the finger of Pawar saheb. Yesterday, he said a 'restless' soul in Maharashtra has been causing restlessness across the state for the last 45 years, the news agency reported on Tuesday. "PM Modi had also said this soul was creating obstacles for the government. He also spoke about the need to safeguard against this soul," Sharad Pawar said while addressing an election meeting in Junnar tehsil for NCP (SP)'s Shirur Lok Sabha candidate Amol Kolhe. Sharad Pawar further said he has read Modi's speech and the ('bhatakti aatma') statement. "It is correct that the soul is 'asvastha' (restless) but not for the self but to highlight the hardships faced by farmers. I am restless to put forward the plight of the common man suffering from inflation. I am ready to be restless 100 times to highlight the woes of the people," the veteran politician said, as per the PTI. Sharad Pawar also criticised the prime minister for dubbing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi a 'shehzada' (prince), saying three generations of his family had served the country and sacrificed their lives. The Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief further said that hardships faced by the common people and other issues should be raised. "I imbibed these values from the first chief minister Yashwantrao Chavan. We will not compromise on these values," said Sharad Pawar, according to the PTI. He said that PM Modi had promised to bring down the prices of fuel and LPG cylinders after coming to power (in 2014). "But check the prevailing prices of these commodities," he said. "PM Modi asked what he (Sharad Pawar) has done all these years. Rather, he (PM Modi) should answer these questions because he has been in power for the last 10 years. He doesn't answer (these questions) but has only one-point agenda to criticise others," the former Union minister said, a PTI report stated. Sharad Pawar said that the Prime Minister should uphold the prestige of his post. "Everybody is ready to uphold the prestige of that position (Prime Minister) but if the person who is sitting on that chair is spreading lies, criticising in a wrong way, then there is no point keeping power in the hand of such a person. We have to decide on taking out power from him," he added, the news agency reported. (with PTI inputs)
30 April,2024 07:22 PM IST | Pune | mid-day online correspondentAtleast four passengers were killed and 34 others injured after a state-run bus they were travelling in rammed into a truck in Nashik district of Maharashtra on Tuesday, police said, reported the PTI. Among the deceased were a teenage boy and a woman. Nine of the injured persons are in a serious condition, the police said, as per the PTI. The incident involving the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus occurred close to Aher Vasti near Chandwad town in the district on the Mumbai-Agra National Highway around 9.45 am, they said. "The bus was on its way to Nashik city from Bhusawal in neighbouring Jalgaon district when the left side of the bus crashed into the truck while trying to overtake it. Almost half the portion of the left side of the bus was damaged in the accident," a police official said, as per the PTI. "There were around 45 passengers in the bus. Four of them lost their lives in the accident, while 34 others were injured. The condition of nine of them is stated to be serious," he said, according to the PTI. The injured persons are being treated at the Chandwad government hospital and other private hospitals, the police said. Two of the four deceased are men, while two others are a 14-year-old boy and a woman, they said. 6 killed, 3 injured as truck rams into jeep in Bihar's Bhagalpur Meanwhile, in an another incident, six people, including two minors, died and three others were injured after a speeding truck rammed into a jeep in Bihar's Bhagalpur district, police said on Tuesday, according to the PTI. The accident took place in Aamapur village around 11.30 pm on Monday, they said. "The speeding stone chips-laden truck reportedly lost control and collided with the jeep on National Highway-80. The passengers were on their way to a marriage party," said Ajeet Kumar, Station House Officer (SHO) of Ghogha Police Station, as per the PTI. The injured have been admitted to the nearest government hospital. The driver of the truck, which has been impounded, fled, he said. "The rescue work continued for three hours... The bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination," Kumar added. (with PTI inputs)
30 April,2024 03:44 PM IST | Nashik | mid-day online correspondentA man-eater tiger that had killed six persons in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra in the last two months has been captured, the officials said on Tuesday, according to the PTI. The PTI reported that the nine-year-old tiger has been caged and it has marked the successful culmination of a two-month-long operation to capture the elusive big cat on the prowl which had struck terror in villages, the officials said. The tiger which had managed to throw foresters off his trail with his sharp animal instincts finally took the bait placed inside a cage on Monday night in the Karva-Ballarpur forest area, a senior official said on Tuesday, as per the PTI. The man-eater tiger had killed four persons in the Central Chanda division and two others in the Chandrapur division in Maharashtra in the last two months, the official added. "In view of the human-tiger conflict, villagers in the forest area were living in the atmosphere of terror, prompting the Forest Department to set up a team to capture the big cat," said Swetha Boddu, Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF), Central Chanda division, the news agency reported on Tuesday. She said that the operation to capture the tiger was going on continuously for the last two months. "As the tiger was more cautious, it became difficult to capture him. The team initially faced a tough time, but with persistence and patience, the forest department succeeded in the operation by caging the tiger on Monday night in the Karva-Ballarpur forest area," said Swetha Boddu, the PTI reported. The caging of the troublesome tiger before the start of the Tendu leaf collection season came as a huge relief for forest department personnel and villagers in the central Chanda division. "Further action about the tiger will be taken on directions from senior officials," the DCF said as per the PTI. Another official said troublesome tigers are generally shifted to a zoo in Nagpur and not released in the wild again. Leopard roaming in Vasai captured The male leopard, which was first sighted at the remains of an Indo-Portuguese fort on March 29 in Vasai and triggered panic among residents, has been caught by the joint efforts of the Maharashtra Forest department, wildlife NGOs and researchers last week. The officials had installed multiple trap cameras to monitor the movement of the leopard, which initially survived on the stray dogs but, later, it is believed that the big cat was surviving on rodents that are found abundant in the fort. (with PTI inputs)
30 April,2024 03:17 PM IST | Chandrapur | mid-day online correspondentDepartmental action has been initiated by 70 officials who didn't turn up for the training of presiding and polling officers held here. The District Magistrate Surya Pal Gangwar has taken action against all these officials. On Monday, Gangwar who took stock for the first day of the training session informed the respective departments to take strict action against these officials under the relevant sections of the Representation of the People Act. Also Read: Five of a family killed in car-lorry collision in Kerala's Kannur The training included the provision of a comprehensive understanding of the polling process and the guidelines that need to be followed for holding free and fair elections. Gangwar also noted that a total of 3,200 officials are to be trained. “There are two batches of officials being trained in two shifts. Each shift has around 1,600 officials. We had previously issued warning to the officials that attendance is a must because, during these training, officials will learn several strategies to mitigate issues that may arise on the day of polling,” Gangwar noted. Additionally, the officials were made aware of the operating of EVMs and VVPATs. They were also informed about the procedure to be carried in case the EVMs appear to be damaged. (With IANS Inputs)
30 April,2024 01:20 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe police in Jammu on Monday solved online fraud cases and recovered over Rs 29 lakh in Jammu capital city, officials said, reported the PTI. Acting on a complaint, a cyber police unit successfully solved a case of online fraud in which some people were duped of Rs 29.39 lakh, they said, as per the PTI. The officials said the cyber police unit swiftly initiated investigations into various complaints and recovered a total money amounting to Rs 29,39,841. These complaints were related to online frauds involving KYC update fraud, investment related frauds, credit card frauds, online job, task frauds and installation of third-party mobile apps, among others, they said, the news agency reported on Tuesday. Man booked for sharing morphed obscene pictures of 17-year-old student A man was booked by the Mumbai Police for allegedly sharing morphed obscene pictures of a 17-year-old student, an official said, reported the PTI. The police have registered a case against the yet to be identified man who allegedly sent morphed obscene pictures of the student along with his family members and relatives on their phones, and demanded money from them, an official said on Tuesday, as per the PTI. The suspect allegedly sent the morphed photos of the Class 12 student with his mother and other relatives on their Instagram accounts. The miscreant demanded money from the teenager and others for not uploading the pictures online, he said, according to the PTI. The teenager approached the Mumbai Police after receiving calls from his friends and relatives, informing him about the obscene pictures, the official said. In the meantime, the suspect also sent him a QR code scanner on his Instagram account and asked him to send money online if he wanted to get the pictures deleted, the news agency reported on Tuesday. The student sent one rupee on his QR code and then filed a complaint with the police. During the probe, the police found that a man, using an Instagram ID with the name Prateek, had been cheating people in a similar manner and had also received money from some of them. An FIR under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including 419 (cheating by personation), 385 (extortion), Information Technology Act and other sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offence (POCSO) Act has been registered against the man, the official said, adding that further investigation is underway, the PTI reported. (with PTI inputs)
30 April,2024 12:36 PM IST | Jammu | mid-day online correspondentBharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Praveen Shankar Kapoor has filed a defamation suit against jailed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Delhi Minister Atishi over allegations levelled by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders that BJP tried to lure AAP members with large sums of cash in exchange for defection, according to the IANS. The IANS reported, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Tanya Bamniyal, presiding over the Rouse Avenue Courts, has scheduled the case for pre-summoning evidence on May 4. CM Arvind Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case related to the alleged excise policy scam. Praveen Shankar Kapoor contended that AAP's claims of BJP's attempts to poach its members are baseless, saying despite the serious accusations, AAP leaders failed to provide any evidence to support their assertions, as per the IANS report. The BJP leader's legal action refers to a tweet by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on January 27, where he had reportedly alleged that the BJP approached seven AAP MLAs with offers of Rs 25 crore each to switch sides, the news agency reported on Tuesday. Praveen Shankar Kapoor also cited a press conference held by Atishi on April 2, which reiterated similar claims. Praveen Shankar Kapoor, who previously issued a legal notice to Atishi for her remarks, demanded retraction and apology for her statements made during the press conference. He also expressed concern over the fallout from Atishi's allegations, indicating that he has been subjected to ridicule and blame due to his association with the BJP. Former BJP MLA receives death threat from 'Khalistani extremist', files complaint Former BJP MLA Jitender Singh Shunty lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police on Monday after he received a death threat allegedly from a Khalistani extremist, according to an IANS. According to the complaint filed by Shunty, a Padma Shri awardee, he recieved a WhatsApp call on Monday during which the caller spoke in Punjabi and threatened to kill him and his son. "I received a call on WhatsApp during which the (anonymous) caller threatened to kill me and my son Sardar Jyoti Jeet," Shunty stated in a letter written to Shahdara Deputy Commissioner and Vivek Vihar SHO on Monday, the IANS reported on Tuesday. (with IANS inputs)
30 April,2024 12:33 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentIn an unfortunate incident, a 17-year-old girl riding a cycle was mowed to death by a Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) bus near the Dabri powerhouse here, officials said on Monday. Information about the accident, which occurred on Sunday in Dwarka, was received at the Dwarka South police station, they said. "The victim was identified as Isha, a resident of Mahavir Enclave," a senior police officer said and added that the accident happened when she was returning home riding a cycle. The officer said the bus' driver and the conductor have been apprehended and appropriate legal action has been initiated. The girl's body is at the DDU Hospital mortuary and postmortem examination is awaited, the officer 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
30 April,2024 12:24 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentWith student suicides becoming a growing concern in India, Rajasthan's education minister Madan Dilawar on Monday said that only coaching institutes should not be blamed for students' suicides. He went on to add that their parents and friend circle also contribute to the factors leading to the suicide cases. "There may be some percentage of pressure from the coaching institutes but most of it is from the parents and more than that from the friend circle he keeps who are his friends or if he has taken the extreme step after failing in love," he said. Dilawar said that parents expect their children to achieve more than their capacity. He added that only coaching institutes should not be blamed in such a situation. "In the cases of suicide, only one person or organisation cannot be blamed. I do not believe that only coaching institutes will be the culprit. There may be some percentage of pressure from coaching institutes but parents also have an equal role in it," Dilawar said in Jaipur. "The parents always expect their son to achieve higher targets more than his capacity to study or learn, but he is not able to achieve more than his capacity. Whenever there is a test, they ask which rank they are running in. Even after trying his best, if he does not come in top ranks then he finally commits suicide after writing that he will not be able to fulfill the parents and, therefore, leaving," he added. 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
30 April,2024 12:21 PM IST | Jaipur | mid-day online correspondentIn a year that has seen misbehaviour on flights, delayed flights and more, hoax calls are not far behind with the most recent incident. The Madhya Pradesh police on Monday has registered a case in connection with an email sent to Raj Bhoj airport in Bhopal and other airports with a threat to blow up flights, a police official said. On the complaint of Bhopal airport authorities a case under Indian Penal Code section 507 (criminal intimidation) and Aircraft (Security) Rules was registered, Bhopal Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 4) Sunder Singh Kanesh told PTI. "The case was registered at Gandhi Nagar police station. Efforts are on get those involved in sending the threat mail," the DCP said. Gandhi Nagar police station inspector Sunil Kumar Maihar said a probe had begun. Planes were searched at the airport here after the email was received but nothing suspicious was found, sources 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
30 April,2024 12:18 PM IST | Bhopal | mid-day online correspondentAn incident took place in Kerala's Kannur on Monday, in which five members of a family including a child were killed after their car collided with a lorry. The deceased were identified as KN Padmakumar (59) resident of Kalichanadukkam, Choorikkatt Sudhakaran (52) resident of Bheemanadi, Ajitha (35), Kozhummal Krishnan (65), and Akash (nine). Also Read: Mizoram: Meth tablets worth Rs 6.66 crore seized in Aizwal, one held The accident took place around 10.15 PM in Kannapuram area in Kannur. The family was travelling from Thalassery to Kasargod. The lorry with which the car collided was consisting of gas cylinders and was coming from Karnataka's Mangaluru, reported police. The police also said that the people in the car lost their lives on the spot and the nine-year-old Akash's death was confirmed at the Pariyaram Medical College Hospital later. The lorry driver also sustained injuries in the accident, they added. According to police, the family was returning their way home after dropping Sudhakaran's son Saurav at a hostel in Kozhikode, who is currently pursuing CA. The fire department officials and the police reached the spot and took the deceased out of the car. Motor Vehicle Department authorities also arrived at the site. The police have taken the lorry and the driver into custody. (With ANI Inputs)
30 April,2024 12:18 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
