The official Twitter handle of Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal was hacked tonight, the L-G Secretariat said.

A complaint has been filed with the Delhi Police and the matter is being investigated, an official said.

"The L-G's Twitter handle was hacked tonight," the official said, adding a complaint has been filed with the Cyber Cell of the Delhi Police and it has been asked to take a strict action in the case.  -- PTI

Sridevi's mortal remains brought to her Lokhandwala residence.

About a dozen police personnel and as many private security men have been deployed for crowd management.

Family members, including her film-maker husband Boney Kapoor and stepson Arjun Kapoor, brought her body in a private jet after three days of uncertainty over her unexpected death on Saturday in Dubai. -- ANI, PTI

Photograph: ANI

Sridevi's mortal remains being taken to her Lokhandwala residence. Photograph: ANI

JUST IN: The plane carrying mortal remains of Sridevi lands in Mumbai, reports ANI.

Actor Anil Kapoor present at the airport with daughter Sonam Kapoor.

Reports say Reliance ADA Group chairman Anil Ambani is also at the airport.

The Embraer aircraft on which the body was flown-in belongs to Ambani's ADAG.

The funeral will take place tomorrow.

Actor Anil Kapoor has arrived at Mumbai airport as chartered plane carrying mortal remains of Sridevi to land shortly.

Anil Kapoor's elder brother and Sridevi's husband Boney Kapoor boarded the chartered plane with the mortal remains of Sridevi from Dubai in the evening.

Their youngest brother Sanjay Kapoor and Boney's son actor Arjun Kapoor are also on board the plane.  -- ANI

A Mumbai court has issued summons to Nirav Modi to appear on March 12, failing which the court may issue a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against him.

The Enforcement Directorate today had moved a special court, seeking issuance of a NBW against Nirav Modi, a key accused in the over Rs 11,000-crore PNB fraud case.

Yesterday, the court, set up under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, had allowed the central agency's plea seeking issuance of Letters Rogatory (LRs) to six countries for obtaining information about the overseas businesses and assets of the diamantaire.

Special PMLA Court Judge M S Azmi today heard the arguments of ED's special counsel Hiten Venegoankar on the agency's plea seeking issuance of the NBW against Nirav Modi, who is believed to be in the US.

The judge will hear tomorrow Modi's lawyer Ashul Agarwal on the issue of his locus standi to address the court in the absence of his client.

Venegoankar told the court that the ED registered a case against Nirav Modi on February 15 and from that time issued three summonses to him to appear before the agency.

He said the summonses were issued on February 15, February 17 and February 22, asking him to appear before the ED on February 16, February 22 and February 26, respectively.

The ED lawyer said Nirav Modi did not appear before the agency for questioning and hence it has sought issuance of an NBW was against him.   -- PTI

A chartered plane carrying the mortal remains of Sridevi took off this evening from Dubai for Mumbai where film personalities and fans are eagerly waiting to see her one last time.

The Embraer aircraft belonging to Anil Ambani's ADAG group departed from Dubai at around 7 pm (IST), a senior Mumbai airport official said.

It is expected to land in Mumbai at around 9.30 pm.

The mortal remains of arguably the first woman superstar of the silver screen will be kept at the Sports Club Garden in Lokhandvala Complex in the western suburb of Andheri where people can pay their last respects from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm tomorrow.

The last rites will be held at 3.30 pm, according to a statement issued by her family.  -- PTI

Following is a statement on behalf of Kapoor family:

On behalf of Khushi, Janhvi, Boney Kapoor, the entire Kapoor and Ayyappan families, a sincere thanks to the media for your continued sensitivity and support during this emotional moment.

Kindly find all the details for tomorrow:

- Condolences and last respects (to Sridevi) on Wednesday from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm at Celebration Sports Club Garden No 5, Lokhandwala Complex, Andheri West.

- The last journey will commence at 2 pm from Celebration Sports Club to Pawan Hans. Cremation Ceremony will be held at Vile Parle Seva Samaj Crematorium and Hindu Cemetery, Next to Pawan Hans, SV Road, Vile Parle from 3.30 pm onwards on Wednesday.


The family has requested the media leave 'cameras, recording devices, etc' outside the venues.

A six-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her father in Parmar Nagar in Phagwara, police said today.

The incident took place last night and based on a complaint by the girl's mother, the man was arrested today, Sub-Inspector (SI) Manpreet Kaur said.

The 35-year-old man was booked for rape and charged under relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the officer said.

The mother in her complaint said that she heard her daughter screaming and when she 'ran out of the house, she saw her husband doing 'kukaram' (rape)'. The man was arrested after the medical examination of the girl, the SI said.  -- PTI

The plane carrying Sridevi's body is expected to take off from Dubai airport at around 6:30 pm.

The body will be flown to Mumbai in a private jet  belonging to Reliance Group chairman Anil Ambani, which was on standby for the last 2 days in Dubai.

A flight from Dubai to Mumbai takes approximately three hours and the plane is expected to land in Mumbai at around 9:30 pm.

The body will be taken to her Lokhandwala home, Green Acres, where preparations are on to receive the body.


Tomorrow, from 8 am onwards, her body will lie in state at The Celebration Sports Club in Andheri for the public to pay their last respects.

The cremation will take place after 10:30 am at the Pawan Hans crematorium in Juhu.


Image: Sridevi, the superstar, looks resplendent in Manish Malhotra couture. Pic courtesy: Manish Malhotra's instagram account.

In other news, bank stocks today fell by up to 7 per cent as investor sentiments remained weak amid fresh disclosures by scam-hit Punjab National Bank. Bank of India shares slumped 7.18 per cent, IDBI 6.78 per cent, Indian Bank 3.66 per cent, UCO Bank 2.42 per cent on BSE. The scrip of Bank of Maharashtra fell by 1.78 per cent, Bank of Baroda 1.63 per cent and Allahabad Bank 0.77 per cent.


"PNB issue continued to impact the PSU banks and its effect was seen in the broad market as well," said Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Financial Services Ltd. --  PTI

The embalming certificate (see image alongside) basically gives details like her name, sex, age (incorrectly states 52 instead of 54), nationality, passport number, the cause of death (accidental drowning) and embalming particulars.


India Today has said that Sridevi's funeral is expected to be held at 10:30 am, but we are awaiting further confirmation on the time.

The body, as we said earlier, will be kept for the public to pay their final respects, from between 8 and 8:30 am tomorrow.  Again, confirmations pending.

Just in: Sridevi's body is likely to reach Mumbai by 10:30 pm. The body has been embalmed and has left for Dubai airport. The embalming report says the 'body is fit to travel by air or sea and has been sealed in a coffin'. The body is now at the Dubai airport, the paperwork is in the process of being completed.


A private jet belonging to Reliance Group chairman Anil Ambani, which was on standby for the last 2 days in Dubai, will be carrying her body back to Mumbai.


In Mumbai, the body will be taken to Sridevi's Lokhandwala residence, Green Acres, and not to Anil Kapoor's residence where her daughters and Boney Kapoor's family have been camping ever since news of her death broke on Saturday night/Sunday morning.


Tomorrow morning, from 8:30 am onwards, the body will be kept for public viewing for her fans to pay their last respects.


The cremation is likely to take place at 10:30 am. 

Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash today attended a cabinet meeting to finalise dates for the Delhi assembly's Budget Session, his first official meet with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal since he was allegedly assaulted by Aam Aadmi Party MLAs last week.

Hours before the meeting, Prakash in a letter to Kejriwal, said he would attend it to discuss important budget matters, assuming that the chief minister ensures 'no physical attack and verbal assault' on officers attending the meet.

The Delhi assembly's Budget Session would be held from March 16 to 28, the cabinet has decided.

This is the first meeting of the chief secretary with Kejriwal since the alleged assault on him by some AAP MLAs at the chief minister's residence on February 19.

In his letter, Prakash said, "A meeting of the Council of Ministers has been scheduled (today) to discuss important matters of finalisation of dates for the Budget Session of the Delhi Legislative Assembly."

"Since finalising the dates of the Budget Session and passing of the budget are important for the functioning of government, I along with officers concerned, will be attending the meeting," he said.

Prakash said that he hoped that in the Cabinet meeting, proper decorum would be maintained and dignity of officers would be protected.

In another development, the Delhi Court has refused to grant bail to AAP legislator Prakash Jarwal who was arrested in connection with the alleged assault on Prakash.

Officials in the national capital, including those belonging to the IAS, DANICS and DASS cadre, are communicating with the ministers only through written means since the alleged assault on the chief secretary.

A joint forum of Delhi government employees, in a meeting, passed a resolution, saying officers associated with the budget have attended the Cabinet meeting in the interest of the people.

However, the forum has decided to continue only written communications with ministers and maintain five-minute silence at 1.30 pm, during lunch time, every day till Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia tender a written apology.

"Delhi government employees will continue to work through formal written means of communication and continue their protest in the form of a 5-minute silence at 1.30 pm during lunch time in all government offices till a specific written and public apology is tendered by the chief minister and the deputy chief minister," Pankaj Kumar, a member of the forum, said in a press meet.

"Steps are being taken to ensure the personal safety and dignity of officers while they discharge their official duties," he said.  -- PTI

IMAGE: Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash. Photograph: PTI Photo

Sridevi's body has reached the embalming centre in Dubai. The process, say reports, will take between four and five hours. The body will then be flown to Mumbai by a chartered flight. Boney Kapoor, his son Arjun, and brother Sanjay, will be accompanying the body back to Mumbai, tonight. The funeral is expected to take place tomorrow.

In other news, and there has been some of that, smoke was today detected in a communication set in a chopper, minutes before Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao was to fly in it from Karimnagar district, a police official said.


The incident was reported at around 10.30 am, following which the communication set was removed from the chopper, he said. Rao and others travelling in the helicopter were safe and the chief minister continued with his tour, he said.


"The staff, after noticing smoke from the communication kit, immediately got it removed from the chopper and later the CM flew to Adilabad district in the helicopter," the police official said. "There was no snag in the helicopter of the chief minister. The VHS (communication) set used by police had a short circuit. The smoke was noticed and immediately the kit carrying the communication set was removed from the chopper," a government official said. -- PTI

Adil Hussain spent 30 days with Sridevi, filming her comeback film English Vinglish. During this time, he gained an interesting perspective into the iconic actress's way of working, and realised just why she was so popular with audiences. Adil shares his memories of Sridevi with Rediff.com's Patcy N. Read the interview here.


IMAGE: Adil Hussain played Sridevi's husband in English Vinglish.

Update on the Sridevi death story. Khaleej Times reports that the actress' body has left the Dubai morgue and is on its way to the embalming unit. Boney Kapoor's nephew Saurabh Malhotra was outside the morgue to collect the body and will be accompanying the ambulance carrying the body to the embalming centre.


Gulf News said that the Dubai Media office tweeted saying, "The Public Prosecutor's Office in Dubai has stated: 'The decision to release the body came after all the investigations and procedural matters followed in such incidents were completed, in order to determine all its circumstances and ensure that justice was done within the framework of the law'."


The Dubai public prosecutor's office has said the case is considered closed. The office said that actress died due to accidental drowning, the Gulf News reported.


Clearance letters to repatriate Sridevi's body to India had been handed over to Boney Kapoor's family and the Indian consulate clearing the way for the body to be released from the morgue in Dubai. The embalming process is expected to take anywhere between four and five hours and the body is expected to be flown to India tonight.

Sridevi death update: The Dubai police hands over clearance letters for the release of Sridevi's mortal remains to the Indian consulate and her family members, so that they can proceed for embalming, reports say. The body will be released to the family shortly. Her family is at the Dubai police department morgue, reports say.


The Gulf News citing sources also said that a no objection certificate to release the mortal remains of the actress was handed over to the representatives of the Indian Consulate and her family at around 1:15 pm IST.


The Dubai Police on Monday transferred the case to the Dubai Public Prosecution after investigation found Sridevi had died due to accidentally drowning in the bathtub inside her hotel room.


This necessitated further legal procedures and clearances for flying her mortal remains to India.


It is expected that her body will soon be shifted from the mortuary at the Dubai Police Headquarters to the Medical Fitness Centre in Muhaisnah for embalming, the Gulf News reported.


Sridevi's body will now be sent for embalming which should take between 4-5 hours. The body is likely to be flown back to Mumbai tonight and the funeral is likely to be held tomorrow.

India Tourism Development Corporation's flagship hotel in Delhi, the five-star Ashoka Hotel in Chanakyapuri, is in the red for many years now.

The 65-year-old hotel, which is located near the Prime Minister's official residence, is facing a severe financial crunch, so much so that there is a freeze in recruitment.  

Union Tourism Minister KJ Alphons has been holding regular meetings on the future of the hotel and course correction if possible. He is also keen to ask the Cabinet for suggestions.

Sources say that Alphons has asked whether the hotel should be privatised or leased to a private hotel company for 55 years or whether it should be demolished and a convention centre built in its place. Or for that matter should it be made into an annexe of the Parliament... ideas that are being thrown around. 

A decision will be taken by middle of May, Alphons has said.  

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramaniam Swamy on Tuesday said that veteran actress Sridevi was murdered, even as the forensic report rules out any kind of foul play in her death.


Swamy also pointed a finger at the underworld terrorist Dawood Ibrahim, saying that we should take serious cognizance of the "illicit relations between cinema actresses and Dawood."


"It doesn't appear to me the facts that have come out in the media are consistent. She never drank hard liquor so how did it enter her system? Was she forcibly fed? What happened to the CCTV, we have not heard a word about that," Swamy told ANI, and added, "It suddenly appears in the media that she died of heart failure as if it's pre-planned."At length, he concluded, "If you ask my opinion I'll tell you that I think it's murder."

US President Donald Trump today said he would have entered the Florida school to save the students from a gunman even without a weapon as he criticised the inaction of a sheriff's deputy assigned to the school.


Last week, Trump called out the armed school resource officer who stayed outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School as the shooting unfolded, saying he "didn't have the courage."


Addressing a gathering of US governors at the White House, Trump said, "You know, I really believe -- you don't know until you test it -- but I really believe I'd run in there, even if I didn't had a weapon.


"I think most of the people in this room would have done that, too, because I know most of you. But the way they performed was really a disgrace," he said, criticising the armed sheriff's deputy who did not confront the shooter, an expelled student, at the school early this month who killed 17 people, mostly students.


White House press secretary Sarah Sanders later said Trump was touting his willingness to be a leader. --  PTI

A senior United States National Security Council official has been quietly visiting Islamabad amid reports that both sides are giving 'behind-the-scenes' efforts aimed at fixing the strains in ties more chances to avoid a complete breakdown of the increasingly dysfunctional relationship. Read more

Bringing extensive experience in live events, the former Vanity Fair deputy editor succeeds Robert Safian, who spent 11 years in the role. Read

India Today reports that Boney Kapoor's son Arjun has rushed to Dubai to help his father. Boney Kapoor has been in Dubai since Saturday evening, February 24, the day Sridevi died. Sridevi's body is yet to be repatriated to India with reports saying that Boney Kapoor's family and friends have been meeting with the authorities in Dubai to get clearances.

The Dubai police yesterday recorded Boney Kapoor's statement. He reportedly discovered Sridevi unconscious in the bathtub filled with water.

She was taken to a hospital where she was declared dead on arrival. Dubai Police called in Kapoor today to Bur Dubai police station for investigation. Police took his statement after which he was allowed to go
back to his hotel room, sources were quoted as saying by the Gulf News.

The Dubai government said in a tweet the police had transferred the case to the "Dubai Public Prosecution" which will carry out regular legal procedures followed in such cases.

#NewsKiMaut: The way Indian media has covered Sridevi's death has been shameful.

Barkha Dutt weighs in. Do read

The legendary Waheeda Rehman makes her way to Anil Kapoor's residence to pay her condolences. The Kapoor family, including Boney Kapoor's daughters are at Anil Kapoor's home for the past two days.

What we know so far is that the Dubai police recorded Boney Kapoor's statement yesterday. Kapoor reportedly discovered Sridevi unconscious in the bathtub filled with water. She was taken to a hospital where she was declared dead on arrival.


Dubai Police called in Kapoor to the Bur Dubai police station for investigation, which reports say is routine. 


Police took his statement after which he was allowed to go back to his hotel room, sources were quoted as saying by the Gulf News.


The Dubai government said in a tweet the police had transferred the case to the "Dubai Public Prosecution" which will carry out regular legal procedures followed in such cases.


"Dubai police headquarters today stated that the death of the Indian actress Sridevi occurred due to drowning in her hotel apartment's bathtub following loss of consciousness," the Dubai government's media office said on Twitter.


There could be a further delay in Sridevi's body being brought back to India, with the Dubai police informing the Indian Embassy that another "clearance" was awaited before the body could be released.


Sridevi was in Dubai for a family wedding and had stayed back after the ceremonies. Her husband had flown back to Mumbai with their younger daughter Khushi, but returned to Dubai to surprise her.


The news of her death, first reported at around 3 am IST on Sunday, sent shock waves across the country with those who knew her at a loss to explain how the star, who was present at several wedding functions in Dubai last week, could suddenly breathe her last.


Her family has not commented beyond their initial statement yesterday to announce the death, and has requested the media not to contact them as they grapple with the tragedy.

The date for the assembly election in Karnataka is likely to be May 15, according to a highly placed source in the Election Commission.

The Election Commission is likely to announce the date in New Delhi in mid April.

Our sources tell us that by early April, the three election commissioners will be in Bengaluru and two other cities in Karnataka to to assess the state's preparedness for the polls.

The current Karnataka assembly's tenure expires on May 28 and the new House has to be constituted before that date.

School board examinations in Karnataka are likely to end by March and other examinations around April 14. The EC will announce the poll dates around April 15, keeping this in mind, our source tells us.


Image: Congress president Rahul Gandhi with Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah

"Even if one overlooks this ulterior motive, one still has to grapple with the inherent irony in someone who can't produce his degree lecturing students on how to prepare for examinations. That's like me writing a book as an authority on astrophysics just because I saw the movie Interstellar. You simply cannot remove the content from the supposed author because to do so would be to do disservice to the book's only selling point and its raison d'tre."

The review on the PM's book Exam Warriors. This is a must-read, trust us.

Around 17 per cent polling was registered in the first two hours of voting for the 60-member Nagaland Assembly today, a top election official said. Nagaland's Chief Electoral Officer Abhijit Sinha said a blast was reported from a polling booth at Tizit village in Mon district about an hour before the voting started.


"A handmade crude bomb was lobbed at the polling booth at around 5:45 am, in which one village council member, Yanlon, suffered minor injuries in the leg," he said. However, polling is continuing in the said booth.
-- PTI

Pitching for foreign investments, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said India is one of the most open economies in the world and is ready to do business with the world.


Speaking at the India-Korea Business Summit, he said his government has worked towards creating a stable business environment and removed arbitrariness in decision-making.


"We seek positivity in day-to-day transactions. We are widening areas of trust rather than digging into doubts. This represents a complete change of the government's mindset," he said.


India, he said, is already the third-largest economy in terms of purchasing power. "Very soon, we will become the world's fifth-largest economy by nominal GDP. We are also the fastest-growing major economy of the world today," he said.


"We are also a country with the one of the largest start-up eco-system," he added. Stating that the government is on a de-regulation and de-licensing drive, Modi said validity period of industrial licences has been increased from three years to fifteen years and more.


"If you see around the globe, there are very few countries where you have three important factors of economy together. They are: democracy, demography and demand. In India, we have all the three together," he said. To the Korean businessmen, he said India is now ready for business and promised to do whatever is required to "promote and protect" their investment.  -- PTI

The Pakistan Army on Tuesday morning resorted to an unprovoked and indiscriminate firing at Manjakote sector of Rajouri district in Jammu and Kashmir.


The Pakistan army used small arms, automatics weapons and mortars in along the Line of Control. Indian army is retaliating effectively and strongly. Further details are awaited.


On February 25, the Pakistan Army at around 4:40 p.m. resorted to an unprovoked and indiscriminate firing at Nowshera in Jammu and Kashmir.


Unprovoked firing and shelling from Pakistani posts have become recurrent over the last few weeks.The recent spate of ceasefire violation incidents has left four security personnel killed and dozens of civilians injured in Rajouri, Baramullah, Kathua, Kupwara and the Valley. -- ANI

A gutsy woman took a man to task for harassing her and passing lewd comments in Delhi's Gaffar Market area. The incident took place on February 25 when the woman was travelling in a rickshaw on her way to the Gaffar Market area.


The two accused followed her for quite some time and passed sexually inappropriate comments.


The gutsy woman caught one of the accused and took him to a nearby police station and filed a complaint. The accused has been identified as Manish and Abhishek, who are residents of Charkhi Dadri area. A case has been registered over the incident and both accused have been arrested.  -- ANI

Election to the 60-member Nagaland Assembly began at 7 am today amid a tight security as more than half of the 2,156 polling stations in the north-eastern state have been declared critical.


With Nationalist Democratic People's Party chief Neiphiu Rio winning the Northern Angami-II seat unopposed, polling is being held in 59 seats. Voting will continue till 4 pm, except in some polling stations of the interior districts where it will end at 3 pm, election office sources said.


Officials said as many as 281 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces, besides the state police force, have been deployed throughout Nagaland to ensure peaceful polling.


Nagaland's Chief Electoral Officer Abhijit Sinha said of the 2,156 polling stations in the state, 1,100 were declared as "critical", 530 "vulnerable" and 526 "normal".


All the polling stations would be manned by the CAPF personnel and the state police would also be assisting them, he added. A total of 11,76,432 voters -- 5,97,281 men, 5,79,151 women and 5,884 service voters -- are eligible to exercise their franchise to decide the fate of 195 candidates.
-- PTI

The benchmark BSE Sensex gained over 132 points to 34,578.39 in early trade today, rising for the third straight session today on buying by domestic institutional investors amid strong global cues. Investors are also eyeing Q3 GDP data, to be released tomorrow.


Market sentiment was bolstered after a Morgan Stanley report said India's economic recovery is expected to have gathered momentum and GDP growth for the December quarter is likely to have accelerated to 7 per cent, broker said. Benchmark BSE Sensex advanced by 132.64 points, or 0.38 per cent, to 34,578.39 in early session today.


The gauge has gained 626.25 points in the previous two sessions. All sectoral indices were trading in the green, led by gains in oil and gas, consumer durables, auto, banking, power, PSU, metals, FMCG and healthcare counters. The NSE Nifty50 reclaimed the 10,600-mark, by rising 32.65, or 0.30 per cent, to 10,615.25. -- PTI

Shares of Punjab National Bank today slumped as much as 9 per cent to hit their 52-week low level in morning trade on bourses after the lender said the amount of fraudulent transactions could be as much as Rs 12,700 crore.


Shares of the company opened weak at Rs 107.80, then cracked 8.75 per cent to a 52-week low of Rs 102.10 on the BSE. Similar movement was seen on the NSE too, where the stock opened at Rs 106.80, then fell to its 52-week low of Rs 102, down 8.92 per cent over its previous close.


Amid the multi-agency probe into the PNB scam, the state-run bank yesterday said the amount of fraudulent transactions could be Rs 1,300 crore more than the current estimate of about Rs 11,400 crore.


On February 14, the bank had detected the fraud wherein billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi and associates had allegedly acquired fraudulent letters of undertaking from one of the branches of the PNB for overseas credit from other Indian lenders. "...We have to inform that quantum of reported unauthorised transactions can increase by USD 204.25 million (approximately)," the filing said. At the current exchange rate, the amount comes to around Rs 1,323 crore. -- PTI

Voting for the 60-member assembly in Nagaland and Meghalaya has begun on Tuesday morning amid tight security arrangements. While the two states have a 60-member house each, voting will be held only for 59 constituencies in both.


In Meghalaya, the election has been countermanded in Williamnagar in the wake of the killing of an NCP candidate Jonathone N Sangma in an IED blast, while in Nagaland, Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party Chief Neiphiu Rio has been declared elected unopposed from the Northern Angami-II constituency.


With consecutive victories in Manipur and Assam, the Bharatiya Janata Party eyes a clean sweep in the two states, while these polls will emerge as a platform for the Congress party to regain its hold in the North-Eastern region.


Aggressive campaigning has been witnessed in the last few weeks from both key contenders, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi respectively.


A total of 361 candidates are in the fray, while over 18.4 lakh voters can exercise their voting rights. Out of the 3,000 polling booths, webcasting will be done at 193 polling stations, while 312 micro observers have been deployed.


Restrictions on conduct of any exit poll and publication and dissemination of result of such exit poll have also been imposed till 4:30 PM tomorrow, reports suggest. The results of the polls in the two states will be declared on Saturday, along with those of Tripura. -- ANI

The Election Commission is likely to announce the schedule for Karnataka Assembly elections in the second week of April, after the school board examinations are over, highly-placed sources said in New Delhi on Monday.

They said the Election Commission will visit the state sometime in the end of March or early April to decide the date on which the election schedule for the state will be announced.

The term of the 224-member Karnataka assembly ends on May 28 this year.

The Bharatiya Janata Party is seeking to wrest control of the southern state from the Congress and has already declared former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa as its chief ministerial candidate.

The ruling Congress is going to polls under the leadership of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, in its bid to retain its hold over the state.

Karnataka is the only big state, besides Punjab, which is now ruled by the Congress.

The Janata Dal-Secular, which is the third force in the state, has announced its pre-poll tie-up with the Bahujan Samaj Party.  -- PTI