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"By 2026 No Hindu Will Remain In Assam Congress": Himanta Sarma

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'By 2026 No Hindu Will Remain In Assam Congress': Himanta Sarma

He stated that the political parties are under the people and they must seek their blessings.

Guwahati:

Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in the country, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma launched a scathing attack on the Congress party, saying that Hindus won’t remain in the Assam Congress by 2026.

He said, “By 2026, there will be no more Hindus in the Assam Congress and almost all the Muslims will leave the Congress by 2032. We will open a branch at Rajiv Bhawan as Mahanagar BJP. Many Congress leaders will join the BJP tomorrow.”

The statement by the Assam Chief Minister was made as he visited the state BJP headquarters in Guwahati on Saturday and attended a crucial meeting to take stock of the preparedness for Lok Sabha polls.

“A meeting of the Prabharis of 126 assembly constituencies was held at the state BJP headquarters in Guwahati. Three members of Congress joined the BJP on Saturday. Others will join the BJP on Sunday. I will go to Majuli and my election campaign will start in Majuli on April 1 with a cycle rally,” Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

Talking about the welfare of Muslim society in the state, the Assam Chief Minister said, “I am trying to work to reform their society. Many Muslim youths are supporting me, as you can see on Facebook and they all welcome this. No one opposes it.”

On the other hand, talking about the Jorhat parliamentary constituency, the Assam Chief Minister said that the BJP will win the Jorhat seat. “A section is trying to create an atmosphere against me, but the ground reality is different,” he added.

“Why two right and left hands of the Congress candidate (Gaurav Gogoi) have left the party and joined the BJP because they know that there is no possibility of winning a chance,” Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

He stated that the political parties are under the people and the political parties must seek their blessings.

“The BJP will take the lead in 105 out of 126 assembly constituencies in the state. I am very confident that people will vote for us for the development work done by the government,” the CM added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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How BJP 'Won' 10 Arunachal Assembly Seats Weeks Before Voting

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How BJP 'Won' 10 Arunachal Assembly Seats Weeks Before Voting

The BJP supporters bursted firecrackers in the capital Itanagar to celebrate the development.

Guwahati:

The BJP has won as many as 10 assembly seats in Arunachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Pema Khandu announced, weeks before the scheduled election date. Chief Minister Pema Khandu, his deputy Chowna Mein and eight others were elected unopposed after the closure of the nomination withdrawal period today.

“We have won 10 seats uncontested, this is a big victory even before the vote has been cast, this just goes to show the massive support of people for our developmental work. People want us to continue, our government formation is confirmed. We will also win both Lok Sabha seats with a thumping majority,” said Mr Khandu.

The BJP has put up candidates for all 60 seats of the Arunachal Pradesh Assembly. The assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh will be held on April 19. The Congress is contesting on 34 seats.

The BJP supporters bursted firecrackers in the capital Itanagar to celebrate the development.

Besides the Chief Minister and his deputy, BJP leader Dasanglu Pul’s nomination also went uncontested after her sole opponent, Bafutso Krong of the Congress, withdrew from the contest. Dasanglu Pul is the wife of former chief minister Kalikho Pul.

There was no candidate against Chief Minister Pema Khandu at the Mukto assembly constituency, similarly, first-timer Techi Rotu of BJP is the only candidate who filed a nomination for the Sagalee assembly constituency.

At Tali in Kra Daadi, BJP candidate Jikke Tako is set to be elected unopposed for his second term and Nyato Dukam is the lone candidate to file nomination at Taliha in Upper Subansiri and Roing MLA Mutchu Mithi, who recently joined BJP, is likely to win unopposed from Roing again.

” This is the trust that people have in Modi ji and his vision. The people have reposed faith in our government over the type of massive development and the changing face of Arunachal,” said Ashok Singhal, the party-in-charge for Arunachal poll and Assam Cabinet minister.

India

Erdogan Battles Key Rival To Reclaim Istanbul In Turkey Local Polls

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Erdogan Battles Key Rival To Reclaim Istanbul In Turkey Local Polls

Polls suggest a tight race in Istanbul, a city of 16 million people that drives Turkey’s economy.

Istanbul:

Turks vote on Sunday in nationwide municipal elections focused on President Tayyip Erdogan’s bid to reclaim control of Istanbul from major rival Ekrem Imamoglu, who aims to reassert the opposition as a political force after bitter election defeats last year.

Istanbul Mayor Imamoglu dealt Erdogan and his AK Party the biggest electoral blow of two decades in power with his win in the 2019 vote. The president struck back in 2023 by securing re-election and a parliament majority with his nationalist allies.

Sunday’s votes could now reinforce Erdogan’s control of NATO-member Turkey, or signal change in the major emerging economy’s divided political landscape. An Imamoglu win is seen fuelling expectations of him becoming a future national leader.

Polling stations open at 7 a.m. (0400 GMT) in eastern Turkey, with voting elsewhere starting at 8 a.m. and ending at 5 p.m.. Initial results are expected by 10 p.m. (1900 GMT).

Polls suggest a tight race in Istanbul, a city of 16 million people that drives Turkey’s economy, where Imamoglu faces a challenge from AKP candidate Murat Kurum, a former minister.

The results are likely to be shaped in part by economic woes driven by rampant inflation near 70%, and by Kurdish and Islamist voters weighing up the government’s performance and their hopes for political change.

While the main prize for Erdogan is Istanbul, he also seeks to win back the capital Ankara. Both cities were won by the opposition in 2019 after being under the rule of his AKP and Islamist predecessors for the previous 25 years.

Erdogan’s prospects have been helped by the collapse of the opposition alliance that he defeated last year, though Imamoglu still appeals to voters beyond his main opposition Republican People’s Party.

Voters of the main pro-Kurdish party were crucial to Imamoglu’s 2019 success. Their DEM party this time is fielding its own candidate in Istanbul, but many Kurds are expected to put aside party loyalty and vote for him again.

In the mainly Kurdish southeast, DEM is looking to reaffirm its strength after the state unseated pro-Kurdish party mayors following previous elections over alleged ties to militants.

One factor working against Erdogan is a rise in support for the Islamist New Welfare Party due to its hardline stance against Israel over the Gaza conflict and dissatisfaction with the Islamist-rooted AKP’s handling of the economy.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Big B, Chiranjeevi, Allu Arjun, others send Holi wishes

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Amitabh Quotes ‘Hori Khele Raghubeera’ from ‘Baghban’ Film

Updated On – 25 March 2024, 01:15 PM


Big B, Chiranjeevi, Allu Arjun, others send Holi wishes


Mumbai: An array of film personalities, including Amitabh Bachchan, Chiranjeevi, Akshay Kumar, Allu Arjun and Hrithik Roshan took to social media to wish their friends and fans a “happy and safe” Holi.

Amitabh wrote a few lines from the song ‘Hori Khele Raghubeera’ from 2003 film ‘Baghban’.

The actor wrote: “Hori khele Raghubeera Avadh main, Hori khele Raghubeera.”

Tollywood’s Megastar Chiranjeevi said: “Happy Holi to All! May the festive colours of Holi make all our lives even more colourful!”

‘Pushpa’ star Allu Arjun simply wished “Happy Holi”.

Bollywood’s “Khiladi” Akshay Kumar dropped a hilarious video, featuring him and his ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’ co-star Tiger Shroff and in the caption wrote: “Bura na mano, Holi hai #HappyHoli everyone.”

Abhishek Bachchan said: “Aap sabhi ko rango ke tyohar ki shubhkaamnaaen. Happy Holi!”

Bollywood’s Greek God Hrithik Roshan wished all the “beautiful people”.

“May each day of your life be as colourful and joyous as today. Happy Holi beautiful people,” Hrithik wrote.

Reality TV start Ankita Lokhande said: “It’s the festival of embracing joy and happiness. May our lives be filled with different colours of love. Happy Holi everyone.”

Actor Suniel Shetty wished everyone good health, happiness and love.

“Let’s cherish the colours that truly matter — the colours of health, happiness, love and positivity. And yes, ensure the safety of our fury friends too. Wishing you all a happy and a safe Holi. #HappyHoli,” Suniel wrote.

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"Faf At No. 3, Drop…": IND Great Suggests Huge Changes In RCB Playing XI

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Former Indian cricket team batter Krishnamachari Srikkanth suggested massive changes to the Royal Challengers Bangalore playing XI in the IPL 2024 after their loss to Kolkata Knight Riders. During a discussion on Star Sports, Srikkanth said that Will Jacks should be given a chance as an opener with Virat Kohli while Faf du Plessis should come out to play at No. 3. He also suggested that RCB should drop Alzarri Joseph as well as Rajat Patidar and include an Indian fast bowler like Akash Deep.

“Will Jacks is a brilliant off-spinner, I think we can push him for 2 overs. The line-up according to me should be, if I was the captain. Will Jacks, Virat Kohli opening. Faf du Plessis at No. 3, Cameron Green at 4, Glenn Maxwell, and then you drop Alzarri Joseph, drop Patidar and play an Indian fast bowler – Akash Deep,” Srikkanth said on Star Sports.

“Then what happens is that you have good balance with both bat and ball. Otherwise, you will be struggling while bowling. Yesterday I was surprised that RCB did not bowl a single bouncer to the throat. Come on, you let Sunil Narine score a fifty (47 off 22 balls),” Srikkanth added.

Three matches might be too small a sample size to form an opinion but going by the lack of variety that has been on show in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s bowling attack, they might just be staring at a long, tiring IPL season this year.

The match against Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday offered the latest and the largest footprint of this particular weakness as the RCB bowlers failed to check a set of free-hitting batters while defending 183.

The immediate defence will be to project the presence of dew and an improved M Chinnaswamy pitch during the second innings. But a deep dive will give a different picture.

Defending a total, even a competitive one like 183, demands a tight beginning, however, the RCB bowlers were profligate.

Mohammed Siraj‘s length ball was walloped over mid-wicket for a six by Phil Salt, and the Englishman was served with two more juicy offerings on the fifth stump which were carted for a six and four each. The first over produced 18 runs.

Alzarri Joseph was introduced in the third over. But the pacer gave Sunil Narine a length ball on leg-stump which was dispatched for a six over long-on and two balls later a short-pitched delivery was sent in the same direction for a maximum.

These are the balls that will be punished at this level — dew or no dew, whether it is easy pitch or tough pitch.

There was an exception in Vysakh Vijayakumar who used knuckle balls and pace-off deliveries to good effect to return with excellent figures of 1/23, but the more experienced names were reluctant to bring in those variations – at least consistently.

“The second innings was slightly better to bat because the ball came on to the bat a bit quicker because of the dew. I was trying to use hard-length balls and short balls banged into the pitch to contain batters,” Vijaykumar said in the post-match press conference.

“But it was still gripping from both the ends. We did try to mix it up but they (KKR batters) got away with it.” There’s some truth in his words. The stats show that KKR bowlers used 22 balls under 120 kmph and conceded just 20 runs off them to pick up three wickets.

Meanwhile, the RCB bowlers bowled 19 balls under 120 kmph, but gave away 40 runs and could bag only a wicket.

(With PTI inputs)

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Ecuador Gangsters Kill 5 Tourists Mistaking Them As Rival Gang Members

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Ecuador Gangsters Kidnap, Kill 5 Tourists Mistaking Them As Rival Gang Members

“The assailants “apparently mistook them for adversaries” from a rival drug gang.” (File)

Quito:

Ecuadoran gangsters abducted, interrogated and killed five tourists, apparently thinking they were members of a rival drug gang, officials said Saturday.

Around 20 attackers stormed a hotel Friday in the beach town of Ayampe in southern Ecuador and kidnapped six adults and a child, local police commander Richard Vaca said.

The abducted tourists, all Ecuadorans, were interrogated and hours later the bodies of five adults were found with gunshot wounds on a road, he said.

The assailants “apparently mistook them for adversaries” from a rival drug gang, said Vaca.

President Daniel Noboa said one person has been arrested so far in the case and the government is tracking down the rest of the attackers.

Once considered a bastion of peace in Latin America, Ecuador has been plunged into crisis by the rapid spread of transnational cartels that use its ports to ship drugs to the United States and Europe.

In January, Noboa imposed a state of emergency and declared the country in a state of war against gangs after a wave of violence following the prison escape of a notorious gang leader.

Since then, the military has been deployed in the streets and taken control of the country’s prisons, where a string of gang riots in recent years has left some 460 people killed.

As drug gangs battle it out, the homicide rate in Ecuador has soared from six per 100,000 inhabitants in 2018 to 46 per 100,000 in 2023. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Governor's Post Serious, Must Act Under Constitution: Supreme Court Judge

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Governor's Post Serious, Must Act Under Constitution: Supreme Court Judge

She said that it is quite embarrassing for the governors to be told to do or not to do a thing.

Hyderabad:

Supreme Court Judge BV Nagarathna on Saturday cautioned against instances of governors sitting indefinitely on bills passed by elected legislatures, referring to the case involving the Punjab Governor.

In her keynote address at the inaugural session of the fifth edition of Courts and the Constitution Conference, held at the NALSAR University of Law here, Justice Nagarathna spoke about the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly case as another instance of gubernatorial overreach, where the governor lacked sufficient material to declare the floor test.

“This is not a healthy trend under the Constitution to bring the actions or omissions of the Governor of a state for consideration before constitutional courts,” she said.

“I think I must appeal that the office of a governor, though it is called a gubernatorial post, the governor’s post is a serious constitutional post, the governors must discharge their duties under the constitution in accordance to with the Constitution so that this kind of litigation before the law courts is reduced,” Justice Nagarathna added.

She said that it is quite embarrassing for the governors to be told to do or not to do a thing.

So, a time has come where they would be now told to discharge their duties as per the Constitution, she said.

Justice Nagarthna’s comments came days after a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud expressed “serious concern” over the conduct of Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi for his refusal to reinduct DMK leader K Ponmudi as a minister in the state cabinet.

Justice Nagarathna also spoke on her dissent on the demonetisation case.

She said she had to dissent against the move by the central government as in 2016, when the decision was announced, the Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes comprised 86 per cent of the total currency notes in circulation, and 98 per cent of it came back after they were banned.

In October 2016, the Indian government demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 banknotes, purportedly in a blow against the black money.

“I thought it was a way of converting money into white money by this demonetisation because firstly, 86 per cent of the currency was demonetised and 98 per cent of the currency came back and became white money. All the uncounted money went back to the bank.

“Therefore, I thought it was a good way of getting unaccounted for cash accounted. Therefore, this common man’s predicament really stirred me. Therefore, I had to dissent,” the judge said.

The conference heard addresses from judges of the Supreme Courts of Nepal and Pakistan Justices Sapana Pradhan Malla and Syed Mansoor Ali Shah.

Telangana High Court chief Justice Alok Aradh and NALSAR Chancellor Justice S Ravindra Bhat also spoke at the conference, a press release from NALSAR said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Ecuador Gangsters Kidnap, Kill 5 Tourists Mistaking Them As Rival Gang Members

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Ecuador Gangsters Kidnap, Kill 5 Tourists Mistaking Them As Rival Gang Members

“The assailants “apparently mistook them for adversaries” from a rival drug gang.” (File)

Quito:

Ecuadoran gangsters abducted, interrogated and killed five tourists, apparently thinking they were members of a rival drug gang, officials said Saturday.

Around 20 attackers stormed a hotel Friday in the beach town of Ayampe in southern Ecuador and kidnapped six adults and a child, local police commander Richard Vaca said.

The abducted tourists, all Ecuadorans, were interrogated and hours later the bodies of five adults were found with gunshot wounds on a road, he said.

The assailants “apparently mistook them for adversaries” from a rival drug gang, said Vaca.

President Daniel Noboa said one person has been arrested so far in the case and the government is tracking down the rest of the attackers.

Once considered a bastion of peace in Latin America, Ecuador has been plunged into crisis by the rapid spread of transnational cartels that use its ports to ship drugs to the United States and Europe.

In January, Noboa imposed a state of emergency and declared the country in a state of war against gangs after a wave of violence following the prison escape of a notorious gang leader.

Since then, the military has been deployed in the streets and taken control of the country’s prisons, where a string of gang riots in recent years has left some 460 people killed.

As drug gangs battle it out, the homicide rate in Ecuador has soared from six per 100,000 inhabitants in 2018 to 46 per 100,000 in 2023. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

India

8 Dead, 20 Injured In Car Explosion In Syria's Popular Market

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8 Dead, 20 Injured In Car Explosion In Syria's Popular Market

Syria’s war began after the government repressed peaceful protests in 2011. (File)

Beirut:

A bomb exploded in a market in a north Syrian city held by pro-Turkish forces early Sunday, killing eight people and wounding more than 20 others, a war monitor said.

At least “eight people were killed and 23 others wounded” when “a car bomb exploded in the middle of a popular market” in Azaz, in Aleppo province, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, adding the toll was provisional. 

The Britain-based Observatory, which has a network of sources inside Syria, said the blast caused “significant damage” and sparked a fire, adding that ambulances and rescue personnel were at the scene.

Syria’s war began after the government repressed peaceful protests in 2011 and escalated into a deadly conflict that pulled in jihadists and foreign armies.

The war has killed more than 507,000 people, displaced millions and battered the country’s infrastructure and industry.

Turkey has launched successive military offensives in Syria, most of them targeting Kurdish militants that Ankara links to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state.

Turkish troops and their Syrian proxies hold swathes of the border, including several major cities and towns such as Azaz.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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US Ex Envoy Among Candidates In BJP's Latest List For Lok Sabha Polls

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US Ex Envoy Among Candidates In BJP's Latest List For Lok Sabha Polls

BJP has so far announced its candidates for 411 seats. (File)

New Delhi:

The BJP on Saturday named its candidates for 11 more Lok Sabha constituencies, fielding a number of leaders who joined it from different parties recently such as Bhartruhari Mahtab, Ravneet Singh Bittu, Sushil Kumar Rinku and Preneet Kaur.

All these leaders have been fielded from the seats they represent in the outgoing Lok Sabha, while former Indian ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu will be making his poll debut from Amritsar.

Hans Raj Hans, who had won from North West Delhi in 2019 on a BJP ticket, will contest from the Faridkot seat, which is reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs).

Veteran parliamentarian Mahtab, who quit the BJD recently, will contest from Cuttack, Bittu from Ludhiana, Kaur from Patiala, and Rinku from Jalandhar, a seat reserved for SCs.

Both Bittu, the grandson of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh, and Kaur, the wife of former Punjab CM Amarinder Singh, were in the Congress before joining the BJP, while Rinku was in the Aam Aadmi Party.

The BJP on Sunday named two candidates from West Bengal, three from Odisha and six from Punjab.

It has so far announced its candidates for 411 seats. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)