"Today there is a fight between two ideologies in the country. On one side is the Congress Party and the INDIA bloc, which are engaged in saving the Constitution. On the other side are Narendra Modi and RSS, who are trying to destroy the Constitution. Whatever you have got is from this Constitution, but BJP wants that the Constitution book be thrown away and the country be run by 20-25 people," he said while addressing a public rally in Madhya Pradesh's Bhind.

"BJP leaders have said that if they win the elections, the Constitution will be changed. But I want to tell you -- the Constitution is the soul of the poor, no power can erase it," he added.

The Congress MP also alleged that the BJP government privatised public sector companies in order to end reservation.

"If the BJP is not against reservation, then why have all the public sectors been privatised by PM Modi's government," he questioned.

Congress has fielded Phool Singh Baraiya from Bhind Lok Sabha seat which the BJP has retained since 1989.

The election in Bhind along with six other Lok Sabha seats including Guna, Morena Bhopal and Vidisha will be held in the third phase on May 7.

Addressing a rally at Katwa in East Burdwan district, the Union Home Minister said, "Mamata Banerjee was invited to attend the Ram Mandir inauguration. But she did not attend because she wanted to please the illegal infiltrators in the state, who are the principal vote bank of her party."

He also said that the BJP winning 18 seats from West Bengal became a crucial factor in enabling the inauguration of Ram Temple at Ayodhya.

"Uncertainties were prevailing over Ram Mandir for the last 70 years. But the people of Bengal gifted BJP with 18 seats in 2019 and Narendra Modi became the prime minister for the second term. Within five years, Ram Mandir was inaugurated," he said.

The union minister also questioned the rationale behind Mamata Banerjee's opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

"She is opposing CAA just to please her dedicated vote bank among the illegal infiltrators. At Sandeshkhali, a reign of terror was unleashed by such an illegal infiltrator where even the women were subjected to harassment. It is unfortunate such things happened in a state which has a woman Chief Minister," the Union Home Minister said.

"Several BJP leaders and workers were killed in West Bengal. Today I promise that once BJP comes to power in West Bengal, the killers will be severely punished. The state government should be ashamed that they are implicating BJP workers in false cases," the Union Home Minister said.

BJP's Goa unit president Sadanand Tanavade, speaking to reporters on Tuesday, said that Amit Shah will address the meeting at Mapusa in North Goa.

"We have received good support during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting last Saturday. We are expecting support from the public for Amit Shah's meeting on May 3 at Mapusa," Tanavade said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded Union Minister Shripad Naik from North Goa and industrialist Pallavi Dempo from South Goa.

The coastal state will go to the polls on May 7, in the third phase of Lok Sabha elections.

The Special Cell has also sent police teams to Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Nagaland, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh as a part of an ongoing probe into the matter.

Earlier, on Monday, Reddy along with four Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) members -- Shiva Kumar Ambala, Asma Tasleem, Satish Manne, and Naveen Pettem were summoned to appear before police on May 1.

According to sources, one Samajwadi Party Lok Sabha candidate in Uttar Pradesh, and two Congress leaders in Rajasthan and Nagaland have also been asked to appear before police with their mobile phones.

This comes after Delhi Police on Sunday registered an FIR after two complaints were received by police, one from the BJP and another from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Following this, the Delhi Police Special Cell Cyber Wing's IFSO unit filed an FIR.

A case has been registered under Sections 153, 153A, 465, 469, and 171G of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 66C of the Information Technology (IT) Act.

According to the FIR, a copy of which is in possession of IANS, the MHA, in its complaint, stated that it has been found that "some doctored videos are being circulated by users of Facebook and Twitter".

“The video seems to be doctored, spreading misleading information with the intention of creating disharmony among communities which is likely to affect public tranquillity and public order issues. It is requested to kindly take necessary legal action as per the provisions of law," the ministry said, as per the FIR.

It also stated that a report was attached with the complaint containing details of links and handles from which the doctored videos of the Home Minister are being shared.

The controversy erupted after a video surfaced on social media purportedly showcasing Home Minister Amit Shah making statements suggesting the BJP's intention to annul reservation provisions for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

"The leader who has failed to fulfil his promise, has no guts to contest from Madha constituency. The same leader has deceived the people," PM Modi claimed.

The PM was speaking at a rally in Malshiras while campaigning for BJP nominee Ranjit Singh Naik Nimbalkar who is fighting against NCP(SP) candidate Dhairyasheel Mane from Madha constituency.

"When a big leader of Maharashtra was the agriculture minister, he did not give an adequate price to sugarcane farmers. I was tired of sending letters in the interest of sugarcane farmers during his tenure but nothing happened,'' claimed PM Modi.

However, he said that during the BJP's 10 year rule at the Centre, the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) given to sugarcane farmers increased substantially.

"During his tenure as the agriculture minister no efforts were made to increase the FRP which was at that time Rs 200 per quintal and was increased to Rs 350 per quintal during our rule," he added.

"The leader from Maharashtra was the agriculture minister but why could he not waive the income tax imposed on the sugar mills? We did it. We gave a boost to ethanol production that helped the sugarcane farmers to get additional Rs 70,000 crore," he said.

PM Modi said the government has been focussing on the implementation of irrigation schemes across the country, especially those which were suspended by the Congress during its term.

"Nearly 63 schemes out of 100 irrigation schemes have been completed in the country while the balance will be finished soon. Our government has provided piped water to more than 11 crore households in the last five years. Micro irrigation has doubled in the last 10 years. My aim is that farmers and agriculture should benefit from these schemes," he noted.

PM Modi said the Ministry of Cooperation was created to strengthen cooperatives in rural areas.

In 2019, about 10,000 Farmers Producers Organisations were established and they have been expanded to undertake online sales.

"To enable the small farmers to store foodgrains, the foodgrain storage scheme has been launched. Onion farmers will also benefit from it. The government has also announced its commitment to help potato, onion and tomato farmers," he added.

"I urge you to sensitise voters against the divisive and discriminatory intentions of the Congress party and its Indi Alliance. Their intention is to give reservation to their vote bank by snatching it away from the SC, ST and OBC communities, even though reservation on the basis of religion is unconstitutional," PM Modi wrote in his letter.

"They are bent on snatching away people's hard-earned money and giving it to their vote bank. Congress has also made it clear that they will support dangerous ideas like 'inheritance tax'. The country will have to unite to stop them," he added.

PM Modi mentioned that his government has, during the last 10 years, brought about many positive changes in every section of the society.

"Every vote that BJP gets is a vote to accelerate its efforts to form a strong government and make India developed by the year 2047. The encouraging trends of the first two phases of elections show that the people of India are moving forward in this election with a strong intention of supporting our vision," he said.

Writing to the BJP candidates, including several Cabinet ministers, the PM highlighted their journey in politics and the work that they have done over the past few years.

"At a very young age, you became the leader of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha and have worked for the organisation in various positions. Coming from a middle-class farmer family, you have been connected with your voters," he wrote in his letter to Health and Family Welfare Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.

PM Modi also asked the party workers to encourage people to come out in large numbers and vote.

"Concentrate on winning the booth. To win in the parliamentary constituency, it is necessary that we ensure victory at every booth. Also, amidst all this, I request my fellow party workers to take care of their own health and the health of the people around them," he stated.

"I urge you to sensitise voters against the divisive and discriminatory intentions of the Congress party and its Indi Alliance. Their intention is to give reservation to their vote bank by snatching it away from the SC, ST and OBC communities, even though reservation on the basis of religion is unconstitutional," PM Modi wrote in his letter.

"They are bent on snatching away people's hard-earned money and giving it to their vote bank. Congress has also made it clear that they will support dangerous ideas like 'inheritance tax'. The country will have to unite to stop them," he added.

PM Modi mentioned that his government has, during the last 10 years, brought about many positive changes in every section of the society.

"Every vote that BJP gets is a vote to accelerate its efforts to form a strong government and make India developed by the year 2047. The encouraging trends of the first two phases of elections show that the people of India are moving forward in this election with a strong intention of supporting our vision," he said.

Writing to the BJP candidates, including several Cabinet ministers, the PM highlighted their journey in politics and the work that they have done over the past few years.

"At a very young age, you became the leader of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha and have worked for the organisation in various positions. Coming from a middle-class farmer family, you have been connected with your voters," he wrote in his letter to Health and Family Welfare Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.

PM Modi also asked the party workers to encourage people to come out in large numbers and vote.

"Concentrate on winning the booth. To win in the parliamentary constituency, it is necessary that we ensure victory at every booth. Also, amidst all this, I request my fellow party workers to take care of their own health and the health of the people around them," he stated.

Speaking to reporters here, former Chief Minister and JD(S) state President H.D. Kumaraswamy said that if he is proven guilty in the probe being conducted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the state government, Prajwal Revanna would be expelled permanently from the party.

The decision was taken in the core committee meeting of the JD(S) held in Hubballi city. The Core Committee Chairperson, JD(S) MLA G.T. Deve Gowda stated that the suspension of Prajwal Revanna was made as per the decision of the party. "The decision has been conveyed to the National President H.D. Deve Gowda and he has also been requested to take a call on expelling Prajwal Revanna," he said.

Kumaraswamy lashed out at the state government for dragging Prime Minister Narendra Modi's name into the matter. "Why is the Congress government taking Prime Minister Modi's name here? Let Chief Minister Siddaramaiah be reminded about the tragedy his family suffered. Prime Minister Modi had protected the respect of his family then. This is the gift he is giving to Prime Minister Modi for protecting the honour of his family," Kumaraswamy stated without giving details.

The pen drive containing the sex videos of hundreds of women allegedly involving Prajwal Revanna came into circulation three days before the first phase of polling on April 26. Following the complaint to the State Women's Commission in this regard, the state government formed an SIT to probe the matter.

Meanwhile, Prajwal Revanna has left the country and is in an undisclosed location. His father JD(S) MLA H.D. Revanna has said that "no matter where he is, if the SIT summons him, he will attend the probe". The matter has taken a political turn ahead of the second phase of polling in Karnataka scheduled on May 7 for 14 Lok Sabha seats.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohtagi, representing Patanjali Ayurved Ltd, apprised a bench presided over by Justice Hima Kohli that he came across a "very disturbing interview" of Asokan given on Monday to a media outlet.

"He (IMA president) says why the court has turned fingers at us and the court is making unfortunate statements ... .This is direct interference with the court's proceedings," Rohtagi said.

"Bring it on record. We will deal with it," said the Bench, also comprising Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah.

Rohtagi, who also represents Swami Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna, said that he would move an application seeking contempt against the IMA president.

The senior counsel sought permission to allow him to bring on record the entire page of newspapers containing the public apology published by Patanjali.

The matter will be taken up for further hearing after two weeks.

Earlier, the top court had questioned if Patanjali's printed apologies were of the same size as the advertisements.

In an affidavit filed before the apex court, the Uttarakhand government said that its State Licencing Authority has granted permission to file a complaint against Ramdev, Balkrishna, Divya Pharmacy and Patanjali Ayurved Limited for repeated violations of the drug advertisements law and has suspended manufacturing licences for 14 of their products.

The Indian Medical Association has sought action against Patanjali for violation of the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954 -- which prohibits the advertisement of certain products for the treatment of specified diseases and disorders, including diabetes, heart diseases, high or low blood pressure and obesity.

The ayurvedic company had earlier made an undertaking before the top court saying that it would not make any casual statements claiming the medicinal efficacy of its products or advertise or brand them in violation of law and would not release any statement against any system of medicine to the media in any form.

The incident occurred when she went to Kharivanga area to meet local BJP activist Kalidas Bachar, who got injured on Monday allegedly following clashes between Trinamool Congress and BJP activists there.

As Rekha Patra reached the spot accompanied by local BJP leader Archana Majumdar and her security personnel, eyewitnesses said, a group of Trinamool Congress activists started protesting and shouting slogans against her.

This led to a scuffle between the Trinamool Congress and BJP activists. The ruling party activists, who included some women, also tried to attack Rekha Patra and Archana Majumdar with sticks. The BJP leadership claimed that the candidate and the party leader were injured.

"The attack was unprovoked. The police were there. But they remain mute spectators. Both me and Rekha were hit," Archana Majumdar told media persons.

"Are they human beings? Trinamool Congress is trying to instigate violence in the area in such a manner," said Rekha Patra.

However, the local Trinamool Congress leaders claimed that the scuffle was the result of the spontaneous protest by the local villagers and women against attempts by Rekha Patra to "create tension" in the areas.

The ruling party leadership claimed that on Monday, Kalidas Bachar and his associates "created tension" in the area by launching an "unprovoked attack" on the Trinamool Congress workers, and on Tuesday, Rekha Patra came to "aggravate the tension" further.

The Union government has given Rekha Patra Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) security cover. Besides Rekha Patra, five other BJP candidates -- Pranat Tudu from Jhargram, Nirmal Saha from Baharampur, Ashok Kandari from Jaynagar, Ashok Purkit from Mathurapur and Kartik Paul from Raiganj -- have also been given the CAPF security.

In the fray are the ruling Mahayuti-Shiv Sena sitting MP Dhairyasheel S. Mane, the Maha Vikas Aghadi-Shiv Sena (MVA-UBT)’s Satyajeet Patil-Sarudkar, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA)’s Dadgonda C Patil and the two-term veteran Swabhimani Paksha’s Raju Shetti, a prominent farmers’ leader.

Shetti was the first MP elected in 2009 after the newly-carved Hatkanangale constituency came into being, and later he also pushed back the first BJP-wave of 2014 to sail through.

However, in 2019, the VBA entered the scene and the (undivided) Shiv Sena nominee easily won it, while ruining the prospects of Shetti.

At present, riding high on his credentials as a farmers’ messiah, Shetti is hoping for his third innings from Hatkanangale in 2024.

Keen to get the Opposition MVA’s nomination or at least outside backing, he held negotiations with its leaders but there were serious differences on the poll symbol, after which he decided to go solo.

The current MP Mane shrugs off all competition and is preparing to win on the basis of the Mahayuti’s Shiv Sena-BJP-NCP combined strength, and the farmer-friendly policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi which have boosted rural development.

Despite flexing the huge peasantry support base he commands, Shetti has willy-nilly admitted that the 2024 Lok Sabha battle won’t exactly be a cakewalk as the poll plank of all four rivals is common.

However, he feels that his own record as a two-time MP is a big plus, aided by the simmering anger in the farming community of Maharashtra and rest of India.

SS(UBT) leader Patil-Sarudkar’s nomination came after Shetti’s talks with the Uddhav Thackeray-led party failed and there was no response even from the other MVA allies Congress-NCP(SP) offering him support. As far as the VBA’s Patil is concerned, this time the party is not in alliance with the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and is likely to be relegated to the sidelines causing little or no damage to the other three contenders, local leaders opine.

The predominantly rural constituency with a royal past was first established in 1962 as Ichalkaranji, later dissolved in 1977, and again sliced out in 2008 as the present day Hatkanangale.

The seat has six Assembly segments of which one, the Jan Surajya Shakti is supporting the ruling Mahayuti, one is with the Congress, two with NCP(SP) and two have elected Independents.

They are Shahuwadi (JSS MLA Vinay Kore); Hatkanangale-SC (Congress MLA Raju Awale); Islampur (NCP-SP state President and MLA Jayant Patil); Shirala (NCP-SP MLA Mansingh F Naik); and Independents in Shirol (MLA Rajendra Patil) and Ichalkaranji (MLA Prakash Awade).

The Kolhapur region is famed for its chief attraction, the Mahalakshmi Temple and one of the 18 MahaShakti Peethas in India, a reputed garment and uniforms hubs in the country, several forts, lakes and gardens.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in)

The poster was put up in the Mandi House roundabout area.

"Vote for Congress to support freedom of speech and release of Yasin Malik," read the poster.

There was no mention of the printer's name on the poster.

A senior police officer said they had removed the poster from the area and no similar posters were detected elsewhere.

"We are probing who had put the poster here," said the official.

In 2022, Yasin Malik was sentenced to life imprisonment by a special NIA court in a terror funding case, and was convicted of offences under Sections 120B, 121, 121A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Sections 13 and 15 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) read with 120B of the IPC besides Sections 17, 18, 20, 38 and 39 of UAPA.

Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) may pass from one infected person to another via blood, semen, vaginal, and other bodily fluids through sexual contact.

While these are usually asymptomatic, they can cause serious complications like infertility, both in men and women, if left untreated.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), almost 1 million people worldwide contract STDs.

Each year, about 30 million people in India alone contract STDs.

On the other hand, a recent Lancet study showed that India's Total Fertility Rate (TFR) -- the average number of children born per woman -- is dipping irreversibly to 1.29, far lower than the replacement rate of 2.1.

Explaining the link between the two, gynaecologist Dr. Manisha Singh from Fortis Hospital, Bengaluru, told IANS, "STIs like chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, and Mycoplasma genitalium can sneakily mess with fertility. They cause inflammation and scarring in reproductive organs, like the fallopian tubes in women or sperm ducts in men."

"Chlamydia and gonorrhoea are the two most common infections in women that can cause infertility. These infections cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) which can lead to chronic inflammation and damage to reproductive organs, like the fallopian tubes and uterus, making it difficult to conceive," added Dr. Dhivya Chandrasekar, Consultant - Obstetrician & Gynecologist, Motherhood Hospitals, Bengaluru.

"In men, it results in inflammation of the urethra, testicles, and other reproductive organs, which can lead to severe conditions like epididymitis or prostatitis, harming sperm production and quality," she told IANS.

The doctors said detecting and treating these infections early and having safe sex, are crucial to protect fertility.

When the tubes get blocked, one may require In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF), where fertilisation happens outside the body in a lab, as it can't occur naturally within the fallopian tubes.

"If you suspect the presence of an STI, it is best to get it diagnosed at the earliest. One must prioritise preventive measures like when used correctly and consistently, condoms offer one of the most effective methods of protection against STIs, including HIV," Dr. Dhivya said.

The accused was identified as Tillu a.k.a Ramdas.

According to police, on February 4, 1997, a man identified as Kishan Lal was killed by his brother-in-law Tillu and one Ramu in Tughlakabad extension. Both Tillu and Ramu were declared proclaimed offenders on May 5, 1997.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Amit Goel said that a police team was tasked to trace wanted/absconding accused and parole jumpers of various heinous cases when Tillu, wanted in the murder case, was identified.

The police team developed the information further and managed the mobile numbers of family members and close relatives. "After thorough technical analysis, one mobile number was zeroed down, which frequently shifted its place and had no permanent location. As per location history, it also revealed that the location of the user of the mobile number was mostly near religious places in Haridwar and Rishikesh, Uttarakhand," said the DCP.

It was further revealed that the above suspect person had become a saint and used to visit temples and stay in different dharamshalas across the country.

"In 2023, his movement was located in Kanyakumari, but he could not be traced as he moved to Jagannath Puri, Odisha. However, his current location was traced in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand," said the DCP.

The police team conducted field recce in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand near his last location and voluntarily worked as 'Bhandara' distributors in temples near the location. "After continuously working as volunteers for three days, the team identified Tillu and nabbed him," said the DCP.

On interrogation, Tillu disclosed that after the death of his wife, he along with his daughter moved to Delhi at the house of his sister.

"In 1997, Ramu had called Kishan Lal at his house to discuss the financial dispute between them. During the discussion, the matter escalated wherein Kishan Lal threatened him and Ramu to face consequences. Upon that, they got agitated and started quarrelling with each other wherein the above Kishan Lal got killed by them. After that, they along with their family members fled from the spot," said the DCP.

Out of the four constituencies, Murshidabad and Jangipur in Murshidabad District are under the special scanner of the commission considering their history of poll-related violence and loss of human lives.

In the polls for the three-tier panchayat system in West Bengal last year, the state witnessed 55 casualties, the majority of which were from Murshidabad District.

Apart from the history of violence, insiders in the Chief Electoral Officer's (CEO) office say the ECI is apprehensive as reports of pre-poll clashes have been surfacing from Murshidabad District in the last few days.

Insiders said that keeping the past record in mind the ECI chose not to conduct polls in Murshidabad District on a single day.

While the elections for Murshidabad and Jangipur will be conducted in the third phase on May 7, those for Baharampur will be conducted in the fourth phase on May 13.

Second, as per the plans of the ECI as of now, 406 companies of the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) will be deployed for the third phase.

"Already 382 CAPF companies are in West Bengal, another 24 will be reaching in a day or two. The final constituency-wise distribution will be announced after that. But needless to say, the maximum deployment will be for Murshidabad and Jangipur," sources in the CEO's office said.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Trinamool Congress got elected from both Murshidabad and Jangipur, an erstwhile Congress stronghold. While the BJP bagged the Maldaha-Uttar constituency, the Congress' candidate got elected from Maldaha-Dakshin.

A fisherman, Murugan, was injured in the attack and was admitted to the Nagapattinam government hospital.

The attack happened 15 nautical miles from Nagapattinam coast within Indian sea limits near the international maritime boundary.

Tamil Nadu coastal police said the pirates robbed walkie-talkies and GPS from the boat.

R. Antony Johnson, leader of the Nagapattinam fishermen association, said the pirates were from Sri Lanka.

“We are being hounded and attacked in mid-sea regularly. Be it the attack by pirates or the arrest and impounding of mechanised boats by the Sri Lankan Navy, fishermen are routinely attacked. The Central government should immediately intervene in the matter and bring a solution to this grave issue,“ Johnson said while speaking to IANS.

Many fishermen are reluctant to venture into the sea and engage in fishing and the families are also worried about the regular attacks, Johnson said.

Tamil Nadu Coastal police officials also said that fishermen from Nagapattinam are now reluctant to venture into the sea these days.

More details were awaited.

Hisar (Haryana), April 30 (IANS) A fratricidal battle is on within the clan of one of Haryana’s tallest Jat leaders and former deputy Prime Minister Chaudhary Devi Lal, whose founded regional party, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), and its offshoot outfit Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) are floundering.

Ranjit Singh Chautala, who is Devi Lal’s youngest son, and Singh’s two daughters-in-law of his eldest brother and five-time chief minister O.P. Chautala face one another in the dynastic supremacy feud from Haryana’s Hisar seat that will go to the polls along with nine other state parliamentary seats on May 25.

While Ranjit Singh, a Cabinet minister in the state government, is the BJP nominee, his two ‘bahus’ -- Naina Chautala and Sunaina Chautala are the JJP and the INLD candidates, respectively.

While Naina is the mother of former deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala and wife of Ajay Chautala, who is Devi Lal’s grandson, Sunaina is the wife of Ravi Chautala, who is a son of INLD patriarch O.P. Chautala’s elder brother Pratap Chautala.

Naina, the first woman who took a political plunge in the 80-year-old history of the Chautala family and is known for ‘Hari Chunari ki Chaupal’ campaign to mobilise women voters, is a two-time legislator, while Sunaina has been leading INLD’s women’s wing since 2019.

Naina was fielded for the first time from the Dabwali constituency in INLD’s stronghold in Sirsa district in the 2014 assembly elections after her husband Ajay Chautala and her father-in-law Om Prakash Chautala were sentenced to jail in junior basic trained (JBT) teachers scam in 2013.

Sandwiched among the Chautalas is a Congress nominee and three-time Hisar MP, Jai Prakash, nicknamed JP or Pradhan ji, who started his political journey as an activist of the Lok Dal (now the INLD) of Devi Lal, who was widely known as Jan Nayak or people’s leader.

Sitting Hisar MP Brijendra Singh, who is the son of Chaudhary Birender Singh, quit the BJP last month to join the Congress. He was one of the aspirants for the Congress ticket.

Interestingly, neither the Devi Lal clan nor the Congress nominee belong to the Hisar parliamentary constituency. The Devi Lal family belongs to the Sirsa district, while Jai Prakash belongs to the Kalayat Assembly constituency in the Kaithal district.

After the family feud within the INLD, O.P. Chautala’s Ajay and his son Dushyant split the party vertically in 2018 and formed the JJP. In 2019, the JJP extended support to the BJP to form the government in the state.

Political observers told IANS the Congress candidate Jai Prakash, a confidante of two-time chief minister Bhupinder Hooda, has an edge over his rivals as he at the age of 32 became a deputy Union minister after he won his first Lok Sabha election in 1989 as the Janta Dal candidate.

Also, he knows each and every corner of the constituency, this being his eighth Lok Sabha poll from Hisar. He represented Hisar in 1989 as the Janata Dal nominee, in 1996 as a Bansi Lal-led Haryana Vikas Party candidate and in 2004 as the Congress nominee. He lost the Hisar seat in 1991, 1998, 2009 and 2011 by-polls.

Ajay Chautala’s son, Dushyant, won the Hisar parliamentary seat in 2014 by defeating Kuldeep Bishnoi, then a Haryana Janhit Congress candidate, but lost this seat to Brijendra Singh in 2019. Bishnoi, who claimed Bhajan Lal’s legacy and won this seat in 2011 after the demise of his father, was hoping to get a nomination from Hisar as a BJP candidate.

However, another member of Devi Lal’s family in the fray this time is Abhay Chautala, the younger son of O.P. Chautala. He’s contesting as an INLD candidate from Kurukshetra against BJP’s Naveen Jindal and INDIA block’s Sushil Gupta, who is Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) state chief.

Popularly known as Tau, Chaudhary Devi Lal, who played an active role in the formation of Haryana as a separate state, died on April 6, 2001, at the age of 85.

The INLD was founded in October 1996 as Haryana Lok Dal (Rashtriya) by Devi Lal, who served as Deputy Prime Minister of India in the V.P. Singh’s Cabinet. His son O.P. Chautala is the current president. The party was renamed into its current name in 1998.

The Hisar constituency comprises nine assembly segments -- Bawani Khera (reserved), Nalwa, Hisar, Barwala, Hansi, Adampur, Narnaud, Uklana (reserved) and Uchana.

Interestingly, no candidate has so far managed to win twice from the Hisar constituency on the same party’s ticket since 1966. Also, this constituency, where women are told to remain behind the ‘ghoonghat’ (veil), has never elected a woman as its representative in the Lok Sabha elections.

(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at gulatiians@gmail.com)

State Congress president K. Sudhakaran said, "He (Jayarajan) has the key to the 'palace of corruption'. Had the party taken any action against him for what he did, which all know is true, the 'palace' of corruption would be on fire as Jayarajan has the keys to it," said Sudhakaran.

"The CPI(M) leadership will not dare to touch Jayarajan. All that Jayarajan did was well in the know of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and had his blessings too," added Sudhakaran.

After Jayarajan got the clean chit, all the week-long happenings that had put the CPI(M) in a spot after it was widely reported on the polling day that he had met BJP veteran leader Prakash Javadekar at his son's apartment in March last year.

A known power broker and middleman in the state's power corridors, T.G. Nandakumar had said that a meeting had taken place. Kerala BJP Vice President Shoba Surendran also claimed that she met Jayarajan "three times to discuss his entry into the BJP". Jayarajan did admit that he had met Javadekar, but questioned the timing of raking up the issue as it had happened last year and for just five minutes.

After Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan publicly admonished Jayarajan, speculation was rife that some tough action may be decided at the state secretariat meeting of the party on Monday against Jayarajan. However, this did not happen.

CPI(M) state secretary M.V. Govindan after the meeting informed the media that the party is convinced Jayarajan did not do any wrong and that he should be careful while making friends with people like Nandakumar.

"All saw how Jayarajan walked out of the party meeting. He was walking like a batsman returning after scoring a century. None will dare to touch Jayarajan," added Sudhakaran.

According to election officials, the voting is going on peacefully and around 37 per cent of voters have cast their ballots till 11 a.m.

Manipur Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Pradeep Kumar Jha appealed to the voters to cast their votes in large numbers in these six polling stations.

The repolling started at 7 a.m. and would continue till 4 p.m.

The Election Commission on Saturday declared as "void" the Lok Sabha elections held in six polling stations in the Outer Manipur Parliamentary seat and announced fresh polling in these polling stations under three tribal reserve assembly segments - Ukhrul, Chingai and Karong.

Polling was held on April 26 at 848 polling stations in the remaining 13 of the 28 Assembly segments under the Outer Manipur Parliamentary seat, where voting for the 15 other Assembly segments was held in the first phase on April 19 along with the Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat.

Election officials said that various disturbances occurred in these six polling stations on April 26, prompting the poll panel to order fresh polling.

Nearly 82 per cent of around 4.85 lakh voters on April 26 exercised their franchise in the remaining part of the Outer Manipur Lok Sabha constituency, spread across eight hilly districts - Ukhrul, Kamjong, Tamenglong, Noney, Senapati, Jiribam, Pherzawl, and Tengnoupal.

The Division Bench of Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Justice Shalinder Kaur, upheld the trial court's decision to deny bail to Mubeen Kadar Shaikh, Saquib Nisar, and Mansoor Asghar Peerbhoy.

The Bench noted the significant delay in the trial proceedings, acknowledging that the accused have been in custody since 2008.

Consequently, it directed the trial court to increase the frequency of hearings, mandating that the case be taken up at least twice a week to ensure a timely conclusion.

Currently, proceedings are held every Saturday.

The court noted the complexity of the trial, mentioning that out of 497 cited witnesses, 198 were dropped, and 282 have been examined, leaving only 17 more to testify.

The severity of the charges played a crucial role in the court's decision to deny bail.

For instance, Mubeen Kadar Shaikh, a qualified computer engineer, was described as an active member of the Indian Mujahideen's Media Cell, allegedly involved in preparing the content of terror-related communications.

The Indian Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the blasts, which targeted locations such as Karol Bagh, Connaught Place, and Greater Kailash, through emails sent to media outlets.

Jaipur, April 30 (IANS) The BJP’s Haryana Lok Sabha election incharge Satish Poonia will be on a month-long tour of the state starting from Tuesday.

The BJP’s former Rajasthan President will be engaged in hectic campaigning on 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana during this time, confirmed his team members.

On Tuesday, Poonia will attend a meeting at the BJP’s state office in Rohtak, in which he will interact with public representatives and party officials of Haryana and Rajasthan.

In this meeting, there will be brainstorming of party leaders on strategies to ensure the BJP's victory on all seats.

It needs to be mentioned here that as per the instructions of the BJP central leadership, along with the Haryana state unit, many public representatives, party officials and workers of Rajasthan will stay in Haryana for campaigning and booth management in the Lok Sabha elections.

Poonia had been on a marathon tour of Rajasthan and campaigned in support of BJP candidates on 11 Lok Sabha seats of the state.

Talking to reporters here, he said, "Congress leaders have been trying to fool the people about our 400-seat target by saying that the BJP has plans to change the Constitution. This is an utter lie. The BJP got absolute majority in the last two general elections, but we never tried to do such kind of things."

The Home Minister said, "The Congress party leaders are so desperate that they have made a fake video of my speech and tried to spread it on social media. Congress Chief Ministers and other top leaders were found forwarding this doctored video."

According to the Union Home Minister, the original video of his speech was available and the "lies" of the Congress party have come to the fore.

"Now, one of the Congress leaders has been arrested in this case", he added.

He expressed confidence that the BJP has been getting excellent support from Southern states in the Lok Sabha polls and that the party will achieve its "400 paar" (more than 400 seats) target.

The union minister appealed to the voters not to fall into the Congress' "trap" and "teach it a lesson" in the polls.

Ravindra Singh Bhati is an MLA from Sheo Assembly constituency and is contesting Lok Sabha elections as an independent candidate.

The case was registered at the Pachpadra police station on Monday. Police inspector Amra Ram Khokhar confirmed that a case has been registered against Bhati and 32 people. CID-CB will investigate the case, he added.

On April 27, Bhati along with his supporters laid siege to the SP office in Balotra. Also, his supporters staged a four-hour dharna outside the office alleging irregularities during voting.

Bhati had accused that his supporters were assaulted during the second phase of Lok Sabha elections held in Rajasthan on April 26. He also alleged that many NRIs were stopped from casting their votes. He also alleged that fake voting took place at 100 booths and there was connivance of the administration due to which voting was affected during a certain period.

The incident occurred on Monday at around 11.30 p.m. and the victims remained trapped under the HIWA for over an hour.

A team of Ghogha police outpost reached the spot and initiated the rescue operation.

"Six persons, including two children, died on the spot. The impact of the accident was such that the SUV was completely mangled," a police official said.

"We have used an earthmover machine (JCB) to remove the debris and rescue the injured. They were admitted to Bhagalpur Medical College and Hospital. The bodies were also recovered and sent for post-mortem," he said.

The victims were on the way to attend a wedding ceremony in Khidmatpur village from Haveli Kharagpur block in Munger district. When they reached Amapur village, the driver of a speeding HIWA lost control over the vehicle and hit the SUV coming from the opposite direction.

The HIWA belongs to a private construction company and was coming from the Kahalgaon side.

Kailash Das, one of the survivors said: "We were trapped under the debris for over an hour and were unable to breathe properly. Then I became unconscious. When I regained consciousness, I found myself in the hospital."

Ravindra Singh Bhati is an MLA from Sheo Assembly constituency and is contesting for Lok Sabha elections as an independent candidate.

The case was registered at the Pachpadra police station on Monday. Police inspector Amra Ram Khokhar confirmed that a case has been registered against Bhati and 32 people. CID-CB will investigate the case, he added.

On April 27, Bhati along with his supporters laid siege to the SP office in Balotra. Also, his supporters staged a four-hour dharna outside the office alleging irregularities during voting.

Bhati had accused that his supporters were assaulted during the second phase of Lok Sabha elections held in Rajasthan on April 26. He also alleged that many NRIs were stopped from casting their votes. He also alleged that fake voting took place at 100 booths and there was connivance of the administration due to which voting was affected during a certain period.

During his visit to Maharashtra, Prime Minister Modi will address three public meetings in Madha (at 11 a.m.), Osmanabad (1 p.m.) and Latur (2:30 p.m.) districts. Later, he will address another public meeting in Telangana's Zaheerabad district (4:30 p.m.).

Home Minister Amit Shah will address one public meeting each in Assam, West Bengal and Gujarat, respectively.

Amit Shah will first address a press conference at the Assam BJP office in Guwahati (at 10 a.m.), followed by a public meeting at Bisnupur football ground in Rasulpur, Katwa district of West Bengal (at 12 p.m.) and later address another public meeting at the Panchayat office in Naroda village of Ahmedabad (at 7:30 p.m.).

Major political developments that will unfold across the country today:

*BJP National President J.P. Nadda will address public rallies in Karnataka where he will first address an intellectual meeting in Shivamogga district at Prerana Hall, PESITM College near Sagar Road. Later, he will hold a roadshow in Haveri district at 3 p.m. in Byadagi from Chandraguttemma Devi Temple near Gandhi Nagar till Subhash Circle.

*Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will address two public meetings in Madhya Pradesh, one at 12:50 p.m. in Khandwa district and another at 2:20 p.m. in Barwani district.

*Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Madhya Pradesh Congress Chief Jitu Patwari will hold a joint public meeting in Madhya Pradesh's Bhind district at 11:30 a.m. at the M.J.S. ground.

*Aam Aadmi Party and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh will hold a Sankalp Sabha tiled 'Julm ka Jawaab Vote Se' in Haryana's Kurukshetra Lok Sabha constituency at 4 p.m. at the Maharana Pratap Bhavan in Radaur Assembly constituency.

*Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge will address one public meeting each in Chhattisgarh and Karnataka.

*Kharge will first address a press conference at 12 p.m. in Raipur (Chhattisgarh) followed by a public meeting at 2:15 p.m. in Janjgir-Champa (Chhattisgarh). Later, he will address a public meeting at Chittapur in Kalaburgi district of Karnataka at 6:30 p.m.

*Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BJP leader Yogi Adityanath will visit West Bengal and address public meetings in Behrampore, Birbhum and Asansol districts.

Etah Jail Superintendent Amit Chaudhary said that a convicted prisoner named Sajid was found hanging from a fan with a towel in the jail.

The prisoner was sentenced to 10 years under Section 376 and 20 years under the POCSO Act. The relatives of the deceased have been informed.

The jail official said that a magisterial inquiry will be held into the matter. He was found dead on Monday night.

Sajid (24), a resident of Hindu Nagar, Etah, was in jail since 2021. The body has been sent for post-mortem.

Over 350 families have been relocated, several cattle/sheep perished and dozens of houses were damaged, said officials here.

Authorities have closed schools in the Valley and the University of Kashmir has postponed all exams scheduled for Tuesday.

Landslides and flash floods have killed four people while dozens of houses have been damaged by incessant rain/lightning/thunder in the hilly districts of Doda, Reasi, Kishtwar and Ramban in Jammu division and Kupwara district in Kashmir.

Several heads of cattle and over four dozen sheep perished at different places due to flash floods and the collapse of cattle sheds.

Authorities in Kupwara district have relocated over 350 families from flood-affected areas to safer places.

Over two dozen houses in J&K have been damaged in heavy rain during the last four days.

Floods have damaged some major infrastructure in the Kupwara district, including Shumriyal Bridge, Khumryal Bridge, Shatmuqam Bridge, Sohipora-Hayhama Bridge, Farkyan Bridge, two rural development department buildings at Kupwara and assistant director Handicrafts office building. Shumryal- Gundajhanger road got cut off due to scouring and a breach in the Doban Kachama dam.

Major roads and various link roads have come under water in Baramulla, Pulwama, Anantnag and other districts in Kashmir, and Samba and Kathua districts of Jammu division.

All major and minor highways and roads have been closed due to fresh snowfall and landslides in J&K. Srinagar-Jammu, Srinagar-Leh and the Mughal Road have been closed.

Parts of the Srinagar-Jammu highway have come under water in south Kashmir districts. Waterlogging has affected many residential areas in Srinagar city and other low-lying areas of the Valley.

All rivers, including Jhelum and the Sindh stream, are swollen and people living close to rivers and mountain streams have been asked to remain vigilant.

Authorities have drawn contingency flood evacuation plans in Srinagar and other districts by designating places of relocation in case the residential colonies get inundated due to flood waters.

All mountain streams like the Vishow Nallah, Rambiyara Nallah, Lidder and Doodganga Nallah are running high. Higher reaches like Gulmarg, Gurez, Machil, Baltal and Zojila Pass areas have received fresh snowfall today.

The MeT department has said, "Nowcast for J&K at 6.50 am on 30-04-24. Current Satellite image showing Generally cloudy over most parts of Kashmir Division and mainly clear to Partly cloudy in Jammu Division. Ocassional sunshine at few places with Generally cloudy weather likely expected till afternoon in Kashmir Division. Fresh intermittent light spells of Rain with thunder over many parts of Kashmir Division and few places of Jammu Division with possibility of Hailstorm at few places most likely from afternoon or late afternoon till evening/night."

Juna Akhara, one of the 13 Akharas of the country, conferred this title on Mahamandaleshwar Mahendranand Giri.

Mahendranand's disciple Kailashanand Giri was given the title of Mahamandaleshwar and Ram Giri was given the title of Shri Mahant.

Both these seers too belong to the Scheduled Caste.

These seers were ordained amid chanting of mantras at Siddha Baba Mauj Giri Ashram of Juna Akhara here at Prayagraj on Monday.

Swami Mahendranand is originally a resident of Banala village of Saurashtra Rajkot district of Gujarat.

All three seers are originally residents of Gujarat.

Kashi Sumeru Peethadhishwar Jagadguru, Swami Narendranand Saraswati, who is also the international president of Juna Akhara along with Shri Mahant Prem Giri, Shri Dudheshwar Peethadhishwar, Juna Akhara and international spokesperson Shri Mahant Narayan Giri, Mahamandaleshwar Vaibhav Giri garlanded the seers who received the titles.

During the ceremony, Mahendranand and Kailashanand were seated on the throne and presented with umbrellas.

Shri Mahant Prem Giri said, "Juna Akhara is working towards eliminating caste and class discrimination in the sanyasi tradition. The need was felt to further enrich this tradition to stop the process of conversion by creating differences among Hindus by other religions."

Taking important decisions in the same direction before Maha Kumbh-2025, Scheduled Caste seers are being conferred with important titles like Jagadguru, Mahamandaleshwar and Shri Mahant, he added.

After conferring the title, everyone took a holy dip in the Sangam and had the darshan of the city deity Lord Veni Madhav. Jagadguru Swami Narendranand Saraswati said that the decision of Juna Akhara is inspiring and after receiving the title of Jagadguru, devotion and dedication towards Sanatan Dharma has increased.

In 2021, at the Haridwar Kumbh, Juna Akhara conferred the title of Mahamandaleshwar on Mahendranand.

Swami Narendranand Saraswati said, "Juna Akhara is following the path of social harmony shown by Lord Shri Ram. Mahamandaleshwar Kailashanand pledged to connect those Scheduled Caste people who have been converted to Sanatan Dharma".

The five elected Sri Panchas of the akhara, headed by the secretary, hold the positions in decreasing order of seniority.

Acharya Mahamandaleshwara is the senior most teacher of the spiritual order of God.

Jagadguru is a prominent, well-versed, and highly knowledgeable seer of the akhara.

Mahamandaleshwara is the senior divisional leader of the spiritual order of the God. Mandaleshwara is the divisional leader of the spiritual order of God. Sri Mahant is the senior spiritual leader who looks after the affairs of the akhara.

Each Math (marhi) within the akhara is governed by five mahants, all of whom can be considered gurus. They collectively elect the secretary among themselves.

According to police, the accused man had committed the crime when the girl was alone and her parents had gone to work. The family of the victim had come to stay in the house a month ago.

The victim has been admitted to the Nelamangala Private Hospital and was being treated.

The police have booked the accused under the provision of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Further probe was on.