Enlisting Gopal Kanda’s support is immoral, Uma Bharti tells BJP leadership

Former Union minister Uma Bharti on Friday called out the Bharatiya Janata Party for taking support from Haryana Lokhit Party leader Gopal Kanda to form the government in Haryana, where it fell short of the majority by six seats. Kanda has been accused of abetting the suicide of Geetika Sharma, an air hostess who was an employee in his aviation company, and her mother.

Maharashtra: Shiv Sena claims to have the ‘keys to power’, says ‘voters didn’t accept arrogance’

The Shiv Sena on Friday said that the Uddhav Thackeray-led party has the “keys to power” in Maharashtra. The remark came in an editorial in the party’s mouthpiece Saamana, a day after the results of the Assembly elections in the state.

Bye-polls to four Assembly seats in West Bengal and Uttarakhand on November 25

The Election Commission announced on Friday that bye-elections to three Assembly seats in West Bengal and one in Uttarakhand will be held on November 25.

Jharkhand: Vote for BJP even if candidates are dacoits or naughty men, says Godda MP Nishikant Dubey

Nishikant Dubey, the Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Godda in Jharkhand, told voters to support candidates of his party even if they are criminals. The minister also said that voters should support “handicapped” BJP candidates as well.

Haryana Assembly polls: ‘Neither BJP, Congress is untouchable for us,’ says Dushyant Chautala

Jannayak Janta Party leader Dushyant Chautala on Friday said he has not spoken to either the Bharatiya Janata Party or the Congress about extending his support to help them form the next government in Haryana after the state elections resulted in a hung Assembly. He said he will support any party that agrees on a common minimum programme with his party.

Supreme Court reserves verdict on Karnataka rebel MLAs’ plea against their disqualification

The Supreme Court on Friday reserved its judgement on a plea filed by 17 Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) MLAs from Karnataka challenging their disqualification from the state Assembly after they resigned as legislators in July. The MLAs have urged the Supreme Court to allow them to contest bye-elections, which will be held in December.

Haryana elections: Congress accuses BJP of using promises of money, power to secure a majority

The Congress on Friday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of using allurement of money and power to get a majority in the Haryana Assembly, and said that such a government would be “illegitimate”. The BJP won 40 out of the 90 seats in the Haryana legislature, while the Congress came second with 31 seats. The majority mark in the Assembly is 46.

J&K local polls: Modi attributes high voter turnout to Parliament’s move to scrap special status

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday attributed the high voter turnout in the Jammu and Kashmir block development council elections to the Centre’s decision to revoke the state’s special constitutional status. The elections held on Thursday were the first since the revocation of Article 370 in August. They took place amid heightened security.

Gujarat-based company wins contract to revamp Parliament, Central Vista in New Delhi

Gujarat-based company HCP Design, Planning and Management Private Limited has won the contract to revamp the Central Vista and the Parliament in New Delhi, PTI reported. Central Public Works Department Director General Prabhakar Singh said on Friday that the company had executed several projects in the past, and 80% weightage was given to quality and the rest to finances during the selection process.

Rain predicted on western coast as cyclonic storm Kyarr set to become severe by Friday evening

The cyclonic storm Kyarr over the east-central Arabian Sea is likely to become severe by Friday evening and very severe by early Saturday, the India Meteorological Department said. The storm is likely to lead to light to moderate rainfall at most places, and heavy to very heavy rain at some places, in coastal Karnataka, Goa and Konkan.

Maradu flats: SC orders Kerala to give Rs 25 lakh interim compensation to owners

The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Kerala government to give Rs 25 lakh interim compensation to Maradu flat owners, after the court was told that some owners received lesser compensation. The Kerala government told the court that it has so far disbursed Rs 10 crore compensation.

Telangana transport strike: ‘Workers who committed suicide not my responsibility,’ says KCR

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Thursday refused to take responsibility for the suicide of protestors during the transport workers’ union strike that began earlier this month. Two employees of the state transport body had killed themselves on October 13.

Supreme Court issues notice to Centre on plea seeking entry of Muslim women in mosques

The Supreme Court on Friday issued a notice to the Union Ministries of Law and Justice and Minority Affairs to respond to a petition seeking the entry of Muslim women in all mosques of the country. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi posted the matter for hearing on November 5.

JNU sedition case: Delhi government has still not decided on prosecuting accused, police tell court

The Patiala House court on Friday summoned the investigating officer in the Kanhaiya Kumar sedition case after the public prosecutor said the Delhi government had still not decided on prosecuting the former Jawaharlal Nehru University student leader. The sanction has been pending with the Delhi government since February despite multiple extensions allowed by the court.

Delhi: Air quality drops to worst levels this season, most areas in ‘very poor’ category

Delhi’s air quality declined to its worst level so far this season on Friday, with most measuring stations falling in the “very poor” category in the morning. At 10 am, the overall air quality index value for the city was 308, slightly better than the index value of 315 recorded at 8.30 am.

US asks India for a roadmap to restore normalcy in Kashmir, release political detainees

The United States on Thursday asked India for a roadmap on the restoration of normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir, including the immediate release of all political detainees.

Haryana Assembly polls: BJP banks on Independents to form government, ML Khattar reaches Delhi

The Bharatiya Janata Party, which fell six seats short of the majority mark in the Assembly after results were declared on Thursday, claimed that Independent candidates in the state were going to side with the saffron party. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar reached Delhi on Friday to hold discussions with the party’s Working President JP Nadda and Haryana in-charge Anil Jain.

‘BJP wins, Opposition rises’: How front pages reported the Assembly election results in two states

The Bharatiya Janata Party, with its alliance partner the Shiv Sena, won a comfortable victory in the Maharashtra Assembly elections on Thursday. However, the party’s tally fell from its 2014 figure in the Maharashtra elections, at the expense of the Nationalist Congress Party. In Haryana, the BJP emerged as the single largest but failed to secure a majority, and will have to rely on alliances to form the government.

Kamlesh Tiwari murder: Cleric arrested for allegedly helping two main suspects

The Special Investigation Team formed to look into the murder of Hindu Samaj Party leader Kamlesh Tiwari arrested a cleric based in Uttar Pradesh’s city of Bareilly on Thursday for allegedly sheltering the two accused. This followed two days after the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism squad arrested the main suspects in the case.

Bye-polls: Out of 51 seats, BJP secures 17 alone, suffers setback in Gujarat, Bihar

Out of the 51 Assembly seats in 17 states where bye-polls were held, the Bharatiya Janata Party alone won 17 and the Congress secured 11 after the results were announced on Thursday. Previously, 30 of the 51 Assembly seats were held by the saffron party, 12 by the Congress and the rest by regional parties.

US comments on Jammu and Kashmir show limited understanding of India’s history, says MEA

India on Thursday criticised the United States’ Congressional hearing on Jammu and Kashmir, describing the remarks made about the prevailing situation in the region as regrettable. This came a day after the US held the first hearing to review human rights in South Asia.

India and Pakistan sign agreement to operationalise Kartarpur corridor

India and Pakistan on Thursday signed an agreement to operationalise the Kartarpur corridor, which will allow Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Narowal district of Pakistan without a visa. The signing of the agreement was delayed by a day.

Assembly elections: Haryana heads for a hung House as both BJP and Congress fall short of majority

A neck-and-neck contest panned out between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress in the Haryana Assembly elections on Thursday, when votes were counted.

J&K: Independent candidates and BJP dominate block development council polls

Independent candidates and the Bharatiya Janata Party dominated the block development council elections held in Jammu and Kashmir on October 24.Assembly elections: Haryana heads for a hung House as both BJP and Congress fall short of majority

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