LIVE! Saudi women to start own business without male permission

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Sun, 18 February 2018

Saudi women to start own business without male permission

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21:28 Saudi women to start own business without male permission

Women in Saudi Arabia can now open their own businesses without the consent of a husband or male relative, as the kingdom pushes to expand a fast-growing private sector.

The policy change, announced by the Saudi government, also marks a major step away from the strict guardianship system that has ruled the country for decades.

"Women can now launch their own businesses and benefit from (governmental) e-services without having to prove consent from a guardian," the ministry of commerce and investment said on its website.

Under Saudi Arabia's guardianship system, women are required to present proof of permission from a male "guardian" - normally the husband, father or brother - to do any government paperwork, travel or enrol in classes.

While women still face a host of restrictions in the ultraconservative Muslim kingdom, Saudi Arabia's public prosecutors office this month said it would begin recruiting women investigators for the first time.

The kingdom has also opened 140 positions for women at airports and border crossings, a historic first that the government said drew 107,000 female applicants.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the powerful heir to the Saudi throne, has been leading the drive to expand the role of women in the workforce in recent months.

His father, King Salman, in September approved the end of a decades-long ban on driving, which goes into effect in June.

The Communist Party of India today blamed the Prime Minister's Office for diamond merchant Nirav Modi fleeing the country and hit out at Narendra Modi for keeping mum on the Rs 11,400-crore Punjab National Bank scam.

The party's general secretary Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy said the PM's silence on such a "big scandal is surprising".

"On every issue, the prime minister reacts, tweets and comments. But when such a serious incident takes place, why doesn't he speak or react? He must reply," Reddy told reporters.

He claimed that in 2016, an individual named Hari Prasad had complained to the PMO about the matter and had requested Nirav Modi's arrest.

"But no action was taken and Nirav Modi and his family members fled the country in January this year," he said.

About Nirav Modi being part of an Indian delegation at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Reddy asked, "Nirav Modi met and got himself photographed with the PM. How did it happen? How could Nirav Modi enter? Who helped him?"

"We squarely hold the PMO responsible for Nirav Modi fleeing the country. We demand that the PM respond. The CPI demands that Nirav Modi be arrested and be brought back to India immediately," he said.

Reddy said liquor baron Vijay Mallya and cricket administrator Lalit Modi left the country under similar circumstances and that no one knew if the government was serious about bringing them back to face justice.

He said the BJP claimed to be a party that was "above corruption" but it too faced allegations like the one against the son of the party's national president and was refusing a transparent inquiry into these allegations.

-- PTI

Pakistan has billed India Rs 2.86 lakh as route navigation charges for Indian Air Force aircraft used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a stopover in Lahore and visits to Russia, Afghanistan, Iran and Qatar, an RTI response shows.

The data gathered by activist Commodore Lokesh Batra (retired) through his RTI application, show that till June 2016, Indian Air Force aircraft were used for the Prime Minister's visits to 11 countries--Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Qatar, Australia, Pakistan, Russia, Iran, Fiji and Singapore.

Batra gave a copy of the RTI responses, received from August last year to January 30 2018, to PTI.

During one such visit on December 25, 2015, Modi had a brief stopover in Lahore at the request of then Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

The stopover took place when Modi was returning from Russia and Afghanistan.

For this, a bill of Rs 1.49 lakh has been issued as route navigation charges, records accessed under the RTI Act from the Indian High Commission in Pakistan show.

The records were part of a response collected from various missions of India on the expenditure incurred on the visits of Modi on IAF aircraft between 2014 and 2016.

According to the data collected, a total of about Rs 2 crore has been spent on foreign visits of the Prime Minister during the period for the use of IAF aircraft.

-- PTI

Refuting rumours of Goa Chief Minister being treated for stage IV pancreatic cancer, Lilavati Hospital in suburban Mumbai issued a statement saying, "We categorically deny all such rumours. We reiterate that Goa CM Parrikar is being treated and is responding well to the treatment."

Earlier, some media reports had stated that Parrikar was undergoing treatment for Stage IV Pancreatic Cancer at the Lilavati hospital.

The Goa CM was rushed to the hospital on Thursday, with his office saying that he was in the city for a routine check-up.

Before arriving in Mumbai, Parrikar was earlier treated at the government-run Goa Medical college when he complained of stomach pain.

The Virgin Group today signed an "intent agreement" with Maharashtra to build a hyperloop transportation system between Mumbai and Pune, which aims to reduce the travel time between the two mega cities to 20 minutes from the three hours at present.

The first hyperloop route will link central Pune with the megapolis as well as the Navi Mumbai international airport, the foundation stone for which was laid by Prime Minister Narenda Modi this evening.

"We have signed an agreement with Maharashtra to build a Virgin Hyperloop between Mumbai and Pune, beginning with an operational demonstration track in the region," Virgin Group chairman Richard Branson said on the first day of Magnetic Maharashtra investor summit this evening.

With easier access to airport gates, the loop will be able to ferry 150 million passengers every year.

"The proposed hyperlook transportation system will transform the transportation system and make Maharashtra a global pioneer in the space. The socioeconomic benefits of the project is $55 billion," Branson said, claiming that the project will create thousands of jobs.

Details such as the project cost and a time-line are yet to be announced.

The hyperloop route will be a fully electric system and will have the capability travel up to 1,000 km per hour.

The proposed project will begin after a six-month in-depth feasibility study which will analyse and define the route alignment, including environmental impact, economic and commercial viability, the regulatory framework, and cost and funding model suggestions.

-- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said India's aviation sector is growing tremendously.

While speaking at foundation stone laying ceremony of Navi Mumbai International Airport, Prime Minister Modi said, "India's aviation sector is growing tremendously. This makes quality infrastructure in the aviation sector important. Our government brought an aviation policy that is transforming the sector. Aviation will also boost tourism sector in the country."

The PM also said his government has also increased the airplane fleet in the country.

"Today around 450 airplanes, including both government and private, are operational in the country. Within last one year, order for 900 new airplanes has been placed," Prime Minister Modi said.

He added that the aviation sector also brings more employment opportunities.

He also accused former governments of stalling infrastructure projects and said his government started development projects worth Rs 10 lakh crore which were stalled during previous government's rule.

-- ANI

19:11 Pakistan violates ceasefire in J-K's Poonch

Pakistani troops today violated ceasefire by targeting forward villages and posts along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, police said.

The firing from small and heavy weapons from across the border in the Khari Karmara sector started around 1725 hours and continued for 15 minutes, a police official said.

However, there was no report of casualty in the cross-border firing, the official said, adding that Indian troops also fired in retaliation.

Twenty people -- 11 security personnel and nine civilians -- were killed and over 75 others injured in Pakistani shelling along the LoC and the International Border in Jammu division since the beginning of this year.

-- PTI

Harry Potter star Emma Watson has donated 1 million (Rs 9.03 crore) to a new campaign aimed at helping those affected by harassment.

The donation comes as more than 200 female British and Irish stars have signed an open letter calling for an end to sexual harassment at work.

Emma Thompson, Keira Knightley and Emma Watson are among the actors to sign the letter.

Women attending the Bafta Awards in London on Sunday night say they will wear black on the red carpet.

The move is a show of solidarity with the Hollywood-based movement Time's Up, launched in the wake of sexual abuse allegations by high-profile actresses against film producer Harvey Weinstein.

Watson is one of the first donors to the UK Justice and Equality Fund, which has launched a crowdfunding campaign to pay for a new advice network.

The fund has been set up by the women who have signed the letter, along with a group of 160 people - including academics, activists and charity workers - to help victims "access support and justice".

Shiv Sena legislators from Raigad district today claimed that the BJP-led Maharashtra government deliberately did not invite local MP and MLA of the Sena for the ground-breaking ceremony of the Navi Mumbai International Airport.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed the ground-breaking ceremony for the airport today afternoon. The new airport, on completion, is supposed to relieve the burden on the Mumbai airport.

Local Sena MLA Manoj Bhoir alleged that he and member of Parliament from Maval, Shrirang Barne, were deliberately not invited for the function.

"It is a state-organised event, taking place at the hands of PM Modi. The airport is located in Raigad district, in my constituency. Our MP, Shrirang Barne, represents the same area in the Lok Sabha, and still we both were not invited which is a violation of protocol," Bhoir said in a statement.

"This is an insult to people's representatives.... I condemn this act of the BJP-led government as it has insulted the people of Uran assemly constituency which I represent," Bhoir said.

A Shiv Sena spokesperson said that none of its ministers or legislators were attending the ground-breaking ceremony.

Though the BJP and Sena are partners in the state as well as in the NDA government at the Centre, relations between the two are strained.

-- PTI

At least 200 shell firms and "benami" assets have come under the scanner of the investigative agencies that are probing the Rs 11,400-crore alleged fraud at the Punjab National Bank, involving diamond czar Nirav Modi, his relative and business partner Mehul Choksi and others.

The Enforcement Directorate, which continued its searches against Modi, Choksi and their companies for the fourth day today, is also moving to attach at least two dozen immovable properties under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The ED today raided at least 45 premises, including jewellery showrooms and workshops, across the country.

"As many as 29 properties -- of Modi, his family members and companies -- that have been provisionally attached by the Income Tax department, are being assessed by the ED under the PMLA. A few more assets will be attached soon under the anti-money laundering law," a senior ED official said.

He added that the ED and the I-T department had zeroed in on about 200 dummy or shell companies in the country and abroad that were being used to route or receive funds as part of the alleged fraud.

It is suspected that the shell firms were being used by the accused to launder money and create "benami" assets in the form of land, gold and precious stones, which is now being probed by the tax department.

Both the ED and the IT department had formed special teams to investigate the case, sources said.

The ED has seized diamonds, gold jewellery and other precious stones worth Rs 5,674 crore till now in the case.

The I-T department yesterday attached nine bank accounts of Gitanjali Gems, its promoter Mehul Choksi and others in connection with a tax evasion probe against them.

It had also attached 29 properties and 105 bank accounts of Modi, his family members and firms owned by them.

Modi, Choksi and others are being investigated by multiple probe agencies after it recently came to light, following a complaint by the PNB, that they allegedly cheated the nationalised bank to the tune of Rs 11,400 crore, with the purported involvement of a few employees of the bank.

-- PTI

All 66 people on board an Iranian passenger plane were feared dead on Sunday after it crashed into the country's Zagros mountains, with emergency services struggling to locate the wreckage in blizzard conditions.

Aseman Airlines flight EP3704 left Tehran for the city of Yasuj, some 500 kilometres to the south, the airline's public relations chief Mohammad Tabatabai told state broadcaster IRIB.

The ATR-72 twin-engine plane, in service since 1993, disappeared from radar around 45 minutes after takeoff from the capital's Mehrabad airport.

Emergency services had yet to locate the precise location of the crash.

The plane was carrying 60 passengers, including one child, as well as six crew, said Tabatabai.

"After searches in the area, unfortunately we were informed that the plane crashed. Unfortunately, our dear ones lost their lives in this incident," he said.

But he later retracted his statement, telling the ISNA news agency: "We still have no access to the spot of the crash and therefore we cannot accurately and definitely confirm the death of all passengers."

The Congress today alleged "fraudsters" were linked to the "highest echelons" of the BJP-led NDA and urged the government to bring out a white paper on the banking system which it said had witnessed scams involving over Rs 61,000 crore in the last five years.

"Bank frauds are tumbling out of the closet faster than you can say Jack Robinson," Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said, alleging that another banking fraud was now out in the open.

Referring to the Rs 11,400-crore scam in which billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi allegedly acquired fraudulent letters of undertaking from state-owned Punjab National Bank, Tewari said while the "Modi-Choksi tango" was still going on, reports had emerged about another banking fraud.

Vikram Kothari, the owner of Rotomac pens, owes Rs 800 crore to a consortium of Indian banks and was now untraceable, he said.

The frauds in the Indian banks are growing every day, the former Union minister said, claiming that according to Reserve Bank of India data, Rs 61,260 crore of banking frauds had taken place in the last five years.

"Data released by the RBI show that Rs 61,26o crore banking frauds have taken place in the last five years, and out of these five years, the BJP-led NDA has been in power for four years. The linkages between these alleged fraudsters and the highest echelons of the BJP raise some very serious questions about the health of the Indian economy," he told reporters.

Therefore, the Congress party "demands a white paper on the Indian banking system from the government," he said, adding that the BJP-led NDA should direct all banks to publish and declare the name of fraudsters and details related to NPAs ( non-performing assets). The total NPAs of all public and private banks were worth Rs 8,36,782 crore as of September, 2017.

-- PTI

Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Samajwadi Party leader has once again lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre and in the state, accusing the ruling party of diverting public attention on chai and pakoda.

BJP governments in the Centre and state do not want discussion on development issues but it is diverting public attention on Chai and Pakoda, said the Samajwadi Party leader in view of byelections in Gorakhpur, scheduled to be held on March 11.

He further said, (I) appeal to the public of Gorakhpur to give a message to the nation in the upcoming Lok Sabha byelection.

The bypoll in Gorakhpur was necessitated as its Lok Sabha representative Yogi Adityanath was elected to the state assembly after becoming the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh has become one of the top five politicians in the country whose Twitter followers have crossed the 10-million mark.

Singh's Twitter handle @rajnathsingh crossed the 10 million followers mark last night, a home ministry official said.

The four other politicians in the country who have more than 10 million followers are, Prime Minister Narendra Modi (40.3 million followers), Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal (13.3 million), Finance Minister Arun Jaitley (11.8 million) and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj (11.4 million).

The home minister's official Twitter handle @HMOIndia has 2.26 million followers. It provides regular updates on his statements, policy initiatives of his ministry, his various programmes , photos and information on dignitaries who call on him.

-- PTI

"Kamal Haasan wants to serve the people of Tamil Nadu. I pray to God that he attains success. He has not entered politics for fame or money but only to serve people of the state," said superstar Rajinikanth after meeting Kamal Haasan at his residence.

The two stars met today and discussed various issues.

When reporters asked Kamal Haasan about the meeting, he said, "Its a courtesy call, not a political meeting. I came to inform him about my political tour. He wished me good luck."

Maharashtra government is all set to roll out its "Asmita Yojana" on the

International Women's Day next month.

Under the scheme, girls in Zilla Parishad schools will get a sanitary napkin packet at Rs 5 while rural women can avail it at a subsidised rate of Rs 24 and Rs 29.

The scheme, catering to girl students and women in rural areas, will be formally launched on March 8, said a rural development ministry official.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar will be present at the launch.

Akshay's film "Padman", released recently, envisioned to create awareness about menstrual hygiene among rural women.

The Asmita Yojana was announced last year by Women and Child and Rural Development Minister Pankaja Munde.

-- PTI

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi tweeted again today, demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley speak out on the Rs 11,300 crore banking fraud involving celebrity diamond jeweller Nirav Modi.

The Congress has launched an all-out attack on the PM over the issue, claiming that a fraud of such scale could not have taken place without "top-level protection".

At the party's steering committee meeting yesterday, Gandhi had said instead of spending time to talk about countering exam-related stress to schoolchildren, the prime minister should tell people what is going to be done to Nirav Modi and "what is he going to do to make sure that the banking system is safe".

His tweet today was on the same lines: "PM Modi tells kids how to pass exams for 2 hrs, but won't speak for 2 mins on the 22,000Cr banking scam.

Mr Jaitley is in hiding.

Stop behaving as if you're guilty! Speak up."

The Central Bureau of Investigation has already asked the Interpol to arrest the 48-year-old, who is currently in New York. The jeweller, his family and uncle and business partner Mehul Choksi had fled the country on January 1, before the agency had filed a case against him.

A passenger plane carrying 66 people has crashed in a mountainous area of central Iran, media report.

The plane came down in the Zagros mountains near the city of Semirom in Isfahan province while flying between Tehran and the south-western city of Yasuj, reports say.

"All emergency forces are on alert," an emergency services spokesman said.

Bad weather prevented an emergency helicopter reaching the site. There is no official word yet on casualties.

The plane, believed to be an ATR 72-500, was operated by Aseman Airlines.

Reports say those on board were 60 passengers, two security guards, two flight attendants and the pilot and co-pilot.

13:39

JUST IN: 45.86 per cent voter turnout till 1.00 pm in Tripura elections.

13:26 Jignesh Mevani detained in Gujarat after Ahmedabad bandh call

Gujarat Dalit leader and independent MLA Jignesh Mevani was on Sunday detained by the state police in the wake of the Ahmedabad bandh call given by him in protest against the death of Dalit activist Bhanubhai Vankar, who had immolated himself on Thursday.

Mevani had convened Dalit protesters to converge at a statue of Dr BR Ambedkar in Sarangpur, but before he could reach the area, his car was stopped Saraspur. He was detained by the Gujarat Police to ensure no untoward incident takes place.

Another Dalit leader, Naushad Solanki, was also detained by the police. Apart from them, at least 25 members of Bhim Shakti Sena were detained to stall the bandh call.

The family of the Dalit activist, who had immolated himself, had refused to accept his body after it was brought for post-mortem to Gandhinagar civil hospital.

Hundreds of Dalit protesters had gathered outside the hospital to support the family which was demanding the setting up of a Special Investigation Team to probe the matter and re-granting of land which had been allotted to Dalits across the state but whose ownership titles had not been regularised.

13:24

JUST IN: Plane crashes in Iran with more than 50 aboard

12:58 Nirav Modi opens stores in Macau, Kuala Lumpur despite lookout notice

It has been revealed that Nirav Modi, jeweller to Hollywood and Bollywood stars, opened at least two new stores days after the first FIR was registered against him by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the PNB scam.

Though the state-run Punjab National Bank claims it detected the multi-crore scam allegedly involving fake Letters of Undertaking, details emerging tell a different story.

In the bank's first complaint letter, its deputy general manager Avneesh Nepalia wrote to the joint director of CBI on January 29 that on January 16 when they asked for 100 per cent cash margin from diamond trader Nirav Modi's associates to avail the LoU facility from PNB's Brady House branch in Mumbai, the bank was told that the company had been availing this facility for years.

This raised suspicion and then the scam was unearthed, the letter said. However, sources said that actually claims raised by forex banks first brought attention to the matter and blew the lid off the scam. The sources said that in the first week of January, Punjab National Bank's Brady House branch received claims from Allahabad and Axis Banks' forex branches.

LoUs were issued in favour of Allahabad Bank and Axis Bank in Hong Kong. This is when PNB officials searched their data and they neither found any guarantees issued in the core banking system, nor any import bill against which this alleged guarantee was given.

Further investigations revealed that the LoUs, which were missing in the bank's own CBS, were present in SWIFT instructions to the overseas branches of Indian banks for raising buyers' credit and funding the NOSTRO accounts.

This prompted panic as PNB officials noticed that some insider had been issuing LoUs without import bill and mentioning this in the CBS.

A FIR has been registered against Bengaluru District Youth Congress General Secretary Mohammed Haris Nalapad and 10 others for allegedly beating up a person in a restaurant in Bengaluru's UB City.

Allegedly, the accused had threatened the victim Vidwath, at Mallya hospital where he later went for treatment.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah took to Twitter and said, "Offenders should be punished to the full extent of law regardless of who they are. No less, no more. @CPBlr will take action as per law and bring the guilty to book."

Mohammed Nalpad is the son of Congress MLA NA Harris.

-- ANI

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family have reached Agra for a visit to the iconic Taj Mahal.

The Trudeaus landed in Delhi last evening on a week-long visit to India that's expected to deepen ties as much with New Delhi as with Indians in Canada. The 46-year-old PM is accompanied by a chunk of his cabinet ministers.

This trip, he said, was focused on creating jobs and strengthening the "deep connection" between the people of the two nations.

Tomorrow, Trudeau, who is on his first state visit to India, will fly to PM Modi's home state, Gujarat. Besides a visit to Mahatma Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram on Monday, Trudeau will also visit the Akshardham Temple in Gujarat and lead a discussion at the Indian Institute of Management on "Education and Investment Opportunities" with students.

PM Modi inaugurates the new office of the Bharatiya Janata Party which has moved base from 11, Ashoka Road in the heart of Delhi - the BJP's headquarters for decades, often serving as a synonym for the party.

The new address - 6, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg - is five kilometres away from the present office, on a street named after a prominent leader of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS, the BJP's ideological mentor.

Earlier at the event, BJP president Amit Shah said, "This is an important day for BJP. Every member used to dream of BJP's own office. Now when the PM inaugurates this, this dream will turn into reality."

The 70-room new office space, the foundation for which was laid by PM Modi and BJP President Amit Shah in August 2016, is a modern, multi-storeyed building with three blocks, spread over a sprawling two acres. The main building is seven-storey high, and the other two on the side have three storeys each, housing the offices of the party president and other senior leaders.

The WiFi office complex includes two large conference halls and a digital library connected to each party office in state capitals and district headquarters. There will be several eateries for party functionaries and visitors.

Underground parking for 200 cars is planned.

US President Donald Trump says the FBI "missed all of the many signals" sent by the suspect in the Florida school shooting.

Trump said on Twitter: "This is not acceptable. They are spending too much time trying to prove Russian collusion with the Trump campaign - there is no collusion. Get back to the basics and make us all proud!"

The FBI received a tip last month that the suspect in the Florida school shooting had a "desire to kill" and access to guns and could be plotting an attack. But the agency said Friday that agents failed to investigate.

Florida Gov Rick Scott has called on FBI Director Christopher Wray to resign.

Trump has been a frequent critic of the FBI, accusing it of partisan bias.

Punjab National Bank officials arrested in connection with the fraudulent transaction scam were sanctioned fixed commission for granting Letters of Undertaking (LoU), the Central Bureau of Investigation revealed on Sunday.

As per CBI sources, arrested bank officials, during interrogation, disclosed that for every LoU, a commission was fixed depending on the amount to be sanctioned as loan.

Commission in exchange of issuing the aforementioned document was distributed between all employees of PNB involved in it, the CBI said.

Furthermore, the investigative agency stated that the involvement and connivance of more staff members and outsiders, including accused jewellery designer Nirav Modi and relative Mehul Choksi is being probed. -- ANI

09:59

Tripura CM Manik Sarkar casts his vote at a polling booth in Agartala. He is an MLA from Dhanpur constituency.

A turnout of 11 per cent was recorded till 9 am in the polls. -- ANI

09:49 PNB fraud case: ED continues raids at Gitanjali store

The Enforcement Directorate begins raid at a Gitanjali store Raipur in connection with the Punjab National Bank fraud case.

The ED on Saturday conducted searches at 21 locations across India.

The agency also seized diamonds, gold, precious stones and jewellery worth Rs 25 crore.

Earlier in the day, the ED seized diamonds worth Rs 2.30 crore from a Nakshatra jewellers showroom of Gitanjali Group in Bhopal.

The agency conducted searches at several places linked to Nirav Modi in Mumbai, Delhi and Gujarat, and seized diamond, jewellery and gold worth Rs 5,649 crore.

The raids came after the agency filed a money laundering case against Nirav Modi, his wife Ami, brother Nishal and relative Mehul Choksi on February 14, following a complaint by the PNB. -- ANI

Image only for representation.

08:49 Voting begins in Tripura on 59 seats

Polling for the 60-member Tripura assembly seats has begun.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the ruling Left Front have left no stone unturned to woo the voters.

Voting for the 59 out of 60 seats will be held at 3,214 polling stations.

Polling in the Charilam constituency has been deferred due to the death of CPM candidate Ramendra Narayan Debbarma. It will be held on 12 March.

The much-awaited polling in this northeastern state will decide the electoral fortunes of 292 candidates, including 23 women.

The BJP and the Congress party are looking to root out the Communist Party of India-Marxist, which has been ruling the state for the past 25 years.

In their attempt to remove the Manik Sarkar-led government from the state, the BJP has tied up with the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT).

While the BJP is contesting from 51 seats, IPFT has been given the remaining nine seats.

The CPM has fielded candidates on 57 seats, leaving one each for its alliances.The Congress, on the other hand, is fighting the battle alone.

The results of the polling will be declared on March 3. -- ANI

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