LIVE! Ambedkar skips MVA meeting on Maha tickets

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Fri, 15 March 2024

Ambedkar skips MVA meeting on Maha tickets

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23:51 Treasure trove: Gold items, copper coins found in strongbox at Goa govt building

Several items of immense value, including gold pieces and copper coins, were found after a strongbox kept at a Portuguese-era building was opened just for the second time since Goa was liberated in 1961, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Friday.

The strongbox, kept in the Directorate of Accounts building in Panaji, was opened in the presence of a state-appointed committee, he added.

"We found gold pieces weighing 2.23 kilograms, 5,000 antique coins, 307 coppers coins of different dates cumulatively weighing 3.15 kilograms, 814 coins weighing Rs 4.78 kilograms with inscriptions in Arabic, 786 copper coins with Queen Victoria written, household items like tumblers etc," the CM said.

"The is the second time the strongbox was opened since Goa's liberation. It was last opened in 1991," he added.

The Directorate of Accounts office was recently shifted from Panaji to the new 'Lekha Bhavan' in Porvorim and the strongbox was opened as it needed to be moved to the new structure, Sawant said. -- PTI

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23:28 Vizhinjam port protest: Left Govt withdraws 157 cases ahead of LS polls

The Left government in Kerala has made a significant decision to withdraw 157 cases filed against persons who participated in protests back in 2022 against the construction of a port in nearby Vizhinjam.

This announcement was made by the Chief Minister's Office just before the announcement for the upcoming general elections.

According to a CMO statement, out of a total of 199 cases registered in connection with the protests, 157 cases of a non-serious nature have been chosen for withdrawal by the government.

This decision was taken in response to numerous requests, it said.

The protests against the port project were spearheaded by the Latin Catholic church, which wields considerable influence in the coastal areas of Thiruvananthapuram.

This move by the government comes in the backdrop of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, with both the Congress-led UDF and the BJP-led NDA utilising this issue to their advantage against the Left parties, potentially impacting the prospects of their candidates. -- PTI

Prakash Ambedkar (left) with Shiv Sena-UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray/File image

22:47 Ambedkar skips MVA meeting on Maha tickets

Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal, the party's Maharashtra in-charge Ramesh Chennithala and general secretary Mukul Wasnik on Friday met leaders of the allies Nationalist Congress Party-Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray in Mumbai to finalise seat-sharing for the Lok Sabha elections in the state.

Representatives of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi led by Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar, however, were not present at the meeting, having participated in the talks earlier.

State Congress chief Nana Patole, senior party leader Balasaheb Thorat, NCP (Sharad Pawar) leaders Jayant Patil and Jitendra Awhad, and Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut attended the meeting, sources said.

The Congress, Shiv Sena-UBT and NCP-SP make up the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance.

With the Election Commission set to announce the Lok Sabha elections schedule on Saturday, the BJP has declared candidates for 20 out of 48 seats in Maharashtra, while its discussions for seat-sharing with its allies NCP and Shiv Sena are underway. -- PTI

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22:32 Violence in Haiti: India looks at evacuating its nationals

India on Friday said it is looking at evacuating up to 90 of its nationals from Haiti in view of the deteriorating security situation in the Caribbean nation.

Various gangs have launched coordinated attacks on key installations in Haiti in an attempt to force the resignation of the country's embattled Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

There are between 75 and 90 Indians in Haiti and about 60 of them have registered with Indian authorities to return to India "if need be", external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing.

"We are ready to evacuate everybody," he said.

India doesn't have an embassy in Haiti and the situation in the country is being monitored by the Indian mission at Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic.

The ministry of external affairs has already opened control rooms and established emergency helpline numbers in Santo Domingo as well as in New Delhi.

The Indian embassy in Santo Domingo said it is in touch with all Indians in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince and other parts of the country. -- PTI

22:13 1.10 lakh employees of LIC get 17% wage hike

The government has approved a 17 per cent overall hike in wages for more than 1.10 lakh employees of insurance giant Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC).

The wage hike approval has come days after the government cleared a similar raise for the employees of public sector banks.

The wage hike for LIC employees is effective from August 1, 2022, the insurer said.

NPS contribution is enhanced from 10 per cent to 14 per cent of nearly 24,000 employees who joined after April 1, 2010, it said while thanking the government for the wage revision.

A one-time ex-gratia payment to LIC pensioners was also made to more than 30,000 pensioners and family pensioners, it said.

Earlier this week, the government had given an NOC to a 17 per cent wage hike for bank employees effective November 1, 2022.

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21:43 2 Bangladeshi dacoits held in Delhi after shootout

A dreaded criminal of Bangladeshi origin and one of his associates were arrested following a shootout in southwest Delhi's Dwarka on Friday, the police said.

Miraj alias Mehraj, 35, received a bullet injury in his leg while Shahid, 40, was overpowered by a team of the Delhi police's Crime Branch from a spot near Dhulsiras village in the early hours, they said.

A police officer said Miraj, a native of Bangladesh, was involved in a dacoity in a house in the Ashok Vihar area.

He had decamped with cash and jewellery worth Rs 2 crore by holding the family members on gunpoint in May 2023, the officer added.

"Miraj was previously involved in five cases of dacoity and the Arms Act," the officer said, adding that he has been admitted to a hospital.

The police said the duo were also involved in a similar robbery in east Delhi's Preet Vihar on March 13, where they barged into a house and held captive the family members on gunpoint before fleeing away with Rs 5 lakh cash, expensive watches and jewellery worth in lakhs.

Additional commissioner of police (crime) Sanjay Bhatia said Miraj and his associates used to recce an area before targeting a house.

"They would often enter the house when the family was asleep during the wee hours," Bhatia said. -- PTI

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21:24 Stalin, Akhilesh among INDIA leaders to attend concluding rally of Rahul's yatra

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin is prominent among the INDIA bloc leaders, who will attend the concluding rally of the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Mumbai on Sunday, a Congress leader said.

Talking to PTI on Friday, Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra assembly, Vijay Wadettiwar, said apart from Stalin, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav have also confirmed their participation in the March 17 rally to be held at Shivaji Park in Dadar area of central Mumbai.

Representatives from the Aam Aadmi Party and other allies of the opposition alliance will also remain present, he said.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Shiv Sena-UBT head and former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar will also participate in the event.

"As the Lok Sabha elections will be announced on Saturday, expenses of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra's concluding rally will be shown in our election expenditure," Wadettiwar said. -- PTI

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21:07 Air India lays off over 180 non-flying staff

Air India has laid off more than 180 non-flying staff in recent weeks, sources said while the airline maintained that the affected people were not able to utilise the voluntary retirement schemes and reskilling opportunities.

The loss-making Air India was taken over by the Tata Group in January 2022 and since then, efforts are being made to streamline the business model.

An Air India spokesperson on Friday said that as part of the fitment process, employees in non-flying functions have been assigned roles based on organisational needs and individual merit.

"A comprehensive process has been followed to assess the suitability of all employees over the past 18 months. During this phase, there have also been multiple Voluntary Retirement Schemes and reskilling opportunities offered to employees," the spokesperson said in a statement.

"However, for less than 1 per cent of our employee base who have not been able to utilise VRS or reskilling opportunities, we have to part ways. We are honouring all contractual obligations during this process," the spokesperson said.

While the airline did not mention the exact number of staff who have been laid off, the sources said it was a little over 180 legacy employees. Air India has around 18,000 employees. -- PTI

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday expanded his cabinet, which is less than two months old, by inducting 21 ministers.

The new inductees, including senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former deputy chief minister Renu Devi, were administered the oath of office by Governor Rajendra Arlekar at a ceremony in the Raj Bhavan.

Other notable persons who were sworn in include Mangal Pandey and Neeraj Kumar Singh 'Bablu', both former ministers, belonging to BJP.

Besides, Md Zama Khan, who became the lone Muslim in the cabinet, and the chief minister's confidant Ashok Chaudhary, who held cabinet berths earlier, were back as ministers.

The fresh induction raises to 30 the total strength of the cabinet formed after the return of Kumar, who heads the JD-U, to the BJP-led NDA less than two months ago.

Chants of 'Jai Shri Ram' by leaders of the BJP, which has returned to power, reverberated through the Raj Bhavan during the ceremony. -- PTI

Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Congress president M Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday demanded that all voter verifiable paper audit trail should be counted, during the counting of votes.

He was responding to a question about Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's recent statement that people are demanding that the upcoming elections be held using ballot papers and not EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines).

"This has been our demand since the beginning... You count VVPAT hundred per cent, that is our demand," Kharge told reporters in Bengaluru.

"Only a few VVPATs, you are counting. We are demanding that all the VVPAT should be counted. It will be very easy to know. It is not going to cost much."

VVPAT is an independent system attached with the EVMs that allows the voters to verify that their votes are cast as intended.

When a vote is cast, a slip is printed containing the serial number, name and symbol of the candidate and remains exposed through a transparent window for seven seconds.

Thereafter, this printed slip automatically gets cut and falls in the sealed drop box of the VVPAT. -- PTI

Social media platforms were flooded on Friday with worried fans enquiring about Amitabh Bachchan's health after several reports claimed the megastar had undergone an angioplasty procedure for either a clot in his leg or a blocked artery.

There was no confirmation from the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital where the 81-year-old star was reported to have been admitted early Friday and then discharged or from his office.

As speculation swirled, different sources had different stories to tell various media outlets about Bachchan's health.

Though the reports could not be independently verified, #Amitabh Bachchan and #Kokilaben Hospital were top trends on X for much of the day.

The reports started in the afternoon with some saying he had gone to the Kokilaben hospital for a routine check.

Others said he was hospitalised for an angioplasty -- a balloon procedure to open up blocked arteries and blood vessels -- to remove a blockage in his leg.

And there were some who reported he had an angioplasty for a blocked artery.

That the superstar had posted a cryptic message on X at noon on Friday added to the mystery.

"T 4950 -- in gratitude ever," he said.

An hour later, he put out a promotional video on son Abhishek's 'Majhi Mumbai' team for the Street Premier League. -- PTI

Former Navy Chief Admiral (retd) L Ramdas passed away on Friday at a military hospital in Hyderabad.

He was 90 and was suffering from health issues related to old age.

Ramdas, who was admitted to the hospital on March 11, breathed his last Friday morning, his daughter Sagari R Ramdas said.

"He came to stay with me here in Hyderabad about nine months ago because he was not keeping good health," she told PTI.

The funeral will be held in Hyderabad on March 16, she said. Admiral Ramdas is survived by his wife Lalita Ramdas and three daughters.

On November 30, 1990, he had taken over as the 13th Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) and retired in 1993. -- PTI

BRS MLC K Kavitha comes out of her residence in Hyderabad, Telangana/ANI on X

19:36 Excise policy: BRS leader Kavitha arrested in Hyderabad

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday arrested BRS leader K Kavitha in Hyderabad and is bringing her to Delhi for questioning in connection with a money laundering probe linked to the Delhi excise policy scam case, agency sources said.

Agency officials raided the premises of the leader in Hyderabad Friday morning and later arrested her. Sources said the BRS leader was arrested and is being taken to Delhi.

BRS leader and former Telangana minister Vemula Prashanth Reddy claimed that Kavitha was arrested and being taken to Delhi on a flight at 8.45 pm.

He alleged that the move was "pre-planned" and said they would protest against it.

BRS working president KT Rama Rao, former minister Harish Rao and a large number of party workers gathered at Kavitha's residence and raised slogans. -- PTI

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19:17 First team of Indian military personnel back in India from Maldives: MEA

India on Friday said its first team of military personnel that was operating an advanced light helicopter in the Maldives has returned from the island nation.

The military team has been replaced by civilian technical experts. Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu had set March 10 as the deadline for withdrawal of the first group of Indian military personnel from his country.

"The turnaround of the first team of personnel who were operating the ALH helicopter has been completed. The first batch of people that had to be replaced has been completed. The turnaround has happened," external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing.

Following the second meeting of the high-level core group that was set up to address the issue of withdrawal of Indian military personnel, the Maldivian foreign ministry had said India will replace all its military personnel in two phases by May 10.

The second meeting of the core group took place in Delhi on February 2.

The two sides decided to set up the core group following a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maldivian President Muizzu on the sidelines of the COP28 summit in Dubai in December. -- PTI

The Jawaharlal Nehru University has implemented the model code of conduct for its March 22 students' union election, outlining rules and regulations for poll campaigning.

Under the code, students are barred from using inflammatory remarks, wooing voters based on community, caste or religion, or spreading misinformation during campaigning.

The MCC, which came into effect from Thursday night, has been implemented in continuation of the partial code of conduct effective on the campus of the Jawaharlal Nehru University since March 10 -- a day before the election was announced.

The counting of votes will take place on March 24, following which the result will be declared.

The rules released by the JNUSU Election Committee stated that "all candidates shall be prohibited from indulging in activities which are considered corrupt practices such as bribing of voters, intimidation of voters, impersonation of voters, canvassing or the use of propaganda within 100 metres of polling station".

The maximum permitted expenditure per candidate by students' outfits is capped at Rs 5,000, according to the rules.

The JNU Students' Union election is being conducted after a hiatus of four years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was last held in 2019. -- PTI

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18:34 Play Store pricing: CCI orders probe against Google

The Competition Commission on Friday ordered a probe against Google for alleged anti-competitive practices with respect to its Play Store pricing policy.

While passing the order, the Competition Commission of India said the informants are primarily aggrieved with Google's updated payment policies in relation to its proprietary app store -- Google Play Store -- which is alleged to be in violation of the competition law.

It is also alleged that the payment policies are stated to be impacting several stakeholders, including app developers, payment processors, and users alike.

The watchdog has ordered the probe after prima-facie finding that Google has violated Section 4 of the Competition Act that pertains to abuse of dominant position.

In its 21-page order, the regulator noted that Google claims that a service fee is charged for a multitude of services provided by Play Store to app developers.

If the service fee is for the services rendered to app developers, then the reasoning given by Google does not appear to be reasonable, the watchdog noted. -- PTI

18:18 Two sitting Trinamool Congress MPs join BJP

Two sitting parliamentarians from the Trinamool Congress -- Barrackpur MP Arjun Singh and Tamluk MP Dibyendu Adhikari -- joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday.

Arjun Singh, who had earlier joined the BJP in 2019 after quitting TMC and defeated the then-TMC candidate on the Barrackpore seat, returned to TMC again in 2022 even as he remained a BJP MP on Parliament record.

He announced that he was leaving the TMC days after being dropped from the TMC's list of candidates for the Lok Sabha polls.

"After I became the MP from BJP, the way post-poll political violence happened in West Bengal, our area was the worst-hit. I was tolerating atrocities on myself, but to save the workers, I had to keep some distance from the party (BJP) for some days," Arjun Singh said after joining the party.

Tamluk MP Dibyendu Adhikari, brother of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, also joined the BJP.

BJP leaders Dushyant Gautam and Amit Malviya were present as the two MPs joined the BJP. -- PTI

The Madras High Court on Friday directed the police in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore to grant permission with certain conditions to BJP to conduct a four km road show of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in that city on March 18.

Justice N Anand Venkatesh gave the directive to the Assistant Commissioner of Police, R S Puram Range, on a petition filed by J Ramesh Kumar, BJP District President, Coimbatore, challenging an order denying permission to BJP to conduct the road show on Monday.

In his petition, Ramesh Kumar submitted he had applied for permission with the police on March 14 to permit him to conduct a road show for a span of four km via Mettupalayam road, Coimbatore for the purpose of enabling people to meet the Prime Minister.

The road show was to sensitize the people of Coimbatore about various welfare schemes launched by the PM and urge them to avail them through Direct Benefit Transfer without any interference of touts and also promote the habit of saying no to drugs keeping in perspective the recent incidents hazardous drug trafficking in Tamil Nadu, he added.

The first batch of Indian personnel in the Maldives has been replaced by technical personnel, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday.

"The turnaround of the first team of personnel who were operating the ALH helicopter has been completed. So, the first batch that had to be replaced has been completed. The turnaround has happened," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a weekly briefing.

Notably, the Mohamed Muizzu-led Maldives government has formally requested that India withdraw its troops from Male.

Former CEA Arvind Subramanian

17:21 India's GDP numbers don't add up: Former CEA

Former chief economic adviser Arvind Subramanian on Friday said India's latest GDP numbers are 'absolutely mystifying' and difficult to comprehend. India's economy grew by better-than-expected 8.4 per cent in the final three months of 2023 - the fastest pace in one-and-half years.

"I want to be honest with you that the latest GDP numbers, I just simply can not understand them.

"I say that with genuine respect and things. They are absolutely mystifying. They don't add up. I don't know what they mean," Subramanian said while speaking at the India Today conclave.

The NSO has also revised GDP estimates for the first and second quarters of this fiscal to 8.2 per cent and 8.1 per cent from 7.8 per cent and 7.6 per cent, respectively.

Elaborating further, Subramanian said while the implied inflation in these numbers is 1 to 1.5 per cent, actual inflation in the economy is somewhere between 3 and 5 per cent.

"The economy is growing at 7.5 per cent, even though private consumption is at 3 per cent," he pointed out.

And in the latest data, Subramanian said errors and omissions, which are not accounted for, are actually about 4.3 percentage points out of the estimated 7.6 per cent growth for FY24.

"So it's a lot of stuff about the numbers which you know, I don't understand. I am not saying these are wrong. That's for others to judge," the former CEA said.

According to Subramanian, while the buzz is that the economy has become a very good place to invest in, in the last few quarters, and last few years, it has actually declined sharply.

"... you can see foreign direct investment actually collapsed quite a bit." The former CEA wondered if India has become such an attractive place, why is not there more foreign direct investment. " Private investment, corporate investment is well below levels in 2016," Subramanian pointed out.

Responding to a question, the former CEA noted that Indians really need to disabuse themselves of the notion that India is a big market. "We are not a very big market."

16:40 Our preparations for polls good: Cong leader

Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit on Friday said that their campaign for the Lok Sabha elections started with Rahul Gandhi's criss-cross Bharat Jodo Yatra after Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the general poll schedule tomorrow (Saturday, March 16) at 3 pm.

Speaking to ANI on the poll body announcement and the party preparations of the party for the big-stakes battle, the Congress leader said, "Our preparations are really good. Our campaign to raise relevant issues among the public started with Rahul Ji's Bharat Jodo Yatra."

"We also elected a new party chief reaffirming internal democracy in the party. Like-minded parties that came together to form an alliance (INDIA bloc) to raise current issues will give good leadership...More candidates of our party will be announced soon," he said.

On the ruling party's slogan "Abki baar 400 paar', he said, "It is from the Bharatiya Janata Party. They want to show that they represent the government. They can give any slogan. There was perhaps a guarantee of one or two crore jobs annually. So by that logic, it should have been 20 crores. Leave aside the jobs. Six-seven crore people have been unemployed in the country".

"They (BJP) were claiming to bring prosperity to every household," he said, adding, "Ask people what is the condition of their household budget." Leaders of various opposition parties joined together to take on BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. However, the bloc suffered a body blow after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who was at the forefront of the bloc, joined hands with the BJP-led NDA.

16:04 SC to examine EC's free symbols policy

The Supreme Court on Friday sought a response from the Election Commission on a plea by a Tamil Nadu-based unrecognised political party- Naam Tamilar Katchi-challenging the allotment of free symbols to unrecognised political parties on first come, first served (FCFS) basis.

A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra also issued a notice to another unrecognised political party that was granted the poll symbol on which Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) had contested elections in the past.

The high court had on March 1 dismissed the NTK's petition challenging the allotment of free symbols by the poll panel to unrecognised political parties on first come, first served basis.

It had rejected the NTK's contention that the Election Symbols Order to this effect was arbitrary and unconstitutional, saying a contrary view would operate against the very essence of having free symbols.

The petitioner was aggrieved by the allotment of free symbol 'ganna kisan' (sugarcane farmer) to another political party in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. While issuing the notice on the petition, the CJI said the appeal will be taken up for hearing after the Holi vacation.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over electoral bonds and asserted that the PM always said, "Yeh Modi ki sarkar, yeh Modi ki party," adding that PM Modi should be held "accountable" for making money out of the bonds.

Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, the Congress chief said that PM Modi says 'Modi ki Sarkar', he is the mind behind it all, he should be held accountable for this "PM Modi said 'Na khaunga, na khane dunga'; now it is exposed that BJP made money out of electoral bonds. Na khaunga, na khane dunga, sirf meri party ko khilaunga sab. Whatever PM Modi does, he does it for his own gains, and his party's gains," Kharge said.

Continuing his attack on PM Modi, Kharge said that the Supreme Court has exposed how BJP made money out of electoral bonds.

"Today it has been exposed by the Supreme Court how BJP made money out of electoral bonds. SBI data shows that donations consist of 50 per cent BJP bonds and only 11 per cent Congress bonds. How can they get this much money? How can such companies give such donations? There are many dubious donors. People who have donated are either involved in ED cases or Income Tax issues. PM Modi and his party pressure these people to give more donations to their party," he added.

15:28 BJP took money from gambling firms: Gehlot

Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday attacked the BJP alleging that its loot was exposed to the people of the country with the publishing of the electoral bonds data and called the ED the "extortion" wing of the ruling party.

He claimed that BJP took donations from companies involved in betting and gambling. Gehlot's comments came a day after the Election Commission made the electoral bond figures public.

"After the electoral bond data became public, the loot committed by the Bharatiya Janata Party has come to the fore in front of the country," Gehlot, in a statement on X, said.

"From the information about electoral bonds, it seems that ED has become the extortion department of BJP. The companies which were raided by the central agencies were the ones which donated electoral bonds to BJP and the ongoing action against them was stopped," he added.

The Congress leader said his party was always against the scheme and called it the biggest scam in the country. He called BJP was the most corrupt party in the country for having institutionalised corruption.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the BJP will win seats from Kerala in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and said the people of the state were suffering from the corrupt and incompetent government. Addressing the public campaign in Pathanamthitta for candidates of the BJP-led NDA, he said, "Lotus is going to bloom in Kerala this time."

Attacking the Left and the Congress in Kerala, Modi said the people of the state have endured hardship under governments plagued by corruption and incompetence. Modi said due to the corrupt and incompetent government in Kerala, people are suffering, and they will benefit only if the cycle of consecutive LDF and UDF governments is broken.

"In the last elections, the people of Kerala made us the double-digit vote percentage party. And now, our destiny of double-digit seats here is not so far," Modi said. He said both the LDF and UDF governments have turned a blind eye to the struggles of rubber farmers.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said that huge "assumptions" have been made after the release of data on Electoral Bond Scheme and admitted that while the system might not be perfect, it was "one bit better" than the previous system of political funding that was "completely imperfect".

"The electoral bond system may not be perfect. We must take lessons from the Supreme Court judgement on electoral bonds. There may or may not be a new law around this, I'm not commenting on it. Will make efforts to make sure there is transparency," Sitharaman said while speaking at the India Today Conclave in New Delhi today.

Sitharaman also dismissed as "assumptions" the links between raids by central probe agencies on firms and their subsequent donations to election bonds. "I think you've based yourself on huge assumptions, that the money was given after the Enforcement Directorate raid happened," Sitharaman said while responding to a question at the conclave.

The Election Commission on Thursday uploaded on its website data on electoral bonds provided by the State Bank of India after the bank was asked to do so by the Supreme Court of India.

Data uploaded by the Election Commission of India showed that Future Gaming and Hotel Services, whose director is the lottery magnate Santiago Martin, is the top purchaser of electoral bonds having purchased bonds worth Rs 1368 crore. The data relates to a period from 2019-2024.

"This matter is in court already. The verdict has come, SBI submitted... One question comes to mind, was the earlier system 100 per cent perfect? no.... at least the money that goes to political parties is white money. We moved on from a situation when everybody did anything to a transparent system...it's certainly not better but one bit better," the Finance Minister said.

Sitharaman said that effort should be to learn from this and ensure transparency in the upcoming law if and when it comes. She also criticised the alleged hypocrisy of the opposition for protesting against the good reforms of the Modi government. The Finance Minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi government had undertaken reform works consistently.

14:14 Was Mamata pushed from behind? Doc clarifies

A day after stating that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had a fall at her Kalighat residence "due to some push from behind" leading to injuries on forehead and nose, state-run SSKM Hospital director Manimoy Bandyopadhyay on Friday clarified that all he meant was that the CM may have felt "a sensation of push".

Banerjee, 69, suffered a grievous injury on her forehead and nose during a fall inside her Kalighat residence in South Kolkata on Thursday evening. "This is a sensation of pushing from behind which led to the fall (of CM Banerjee). Our job is to treat and we have done that. There was a misinterpretation of what I said last evening," Bandyopadhyay said.

The SSKM director on Thursday evening said that Banerjee had "a fall within the vicinity of her home due to some push from behind". Bandypadhyay's "push from behind" theory sparked large-scale confusion and speculations over the cause of the Trinamool Congress supremo's fall.

She underwent three stitches on her forehead and one on her nose and was discharged following necessary medical tests, including radio imaging of her brain and ECG, at the hospital. Banerjee, who has been advised bed rest, was reported to be clinically "stable" this morning as doctors said they were planning to carry out a few routine checks during the day, a senior official of the SSKM hospital said.

"The CM's health condition is stable. She had a good sleep in the night as senior doctors kept a close watch on her throughout the period. There will be another assessment of her condition," the official told PTI on Friday.

Asked about the speculations over the CM's fall, a police officer told PTI, "As of now, there has been no complaint lodged in connection with her fall. We have increased the security around the CM's residence."

Banerjee gets a "Z+ category" cover and has a special team of officers looking after her security and even at her residence. The TMC on Thursday evening posted pictures of Banerjee bleeding from her forehead. Party national general secretary and Banerjee's nephew Abhishek took her to the hospital in his vehicle and got her admitted to the hospital. PTI

13:50 SC says no stay on new election commissioners

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to stay the appointments of new election commissioners (ECs) under a 2023 law that excluded the chief justice of India from the selection panel.

A bench of justices Sanjiv Khanna, Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih told the petitioners, who pointed out that a meeting for the selection of ECs was advanced, to file a separate application pointing out the fact.

Refusing to stay the appointments made in accordance with the 2023 law, the bench said, "Normally and generally, we do not stay a law by way of an interim order."

It deferred the hearing on a batch of pleas challenging the appointment of two ECs under the 2023 law.

Senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing in the court on behalf of petitioner Jaya Thakur, said when a judgment is passed, there cannot be any transgression. He contended that there was a clear-cut transgression in the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023.

Former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Sandhu were appointed as election commissioners on Thursday. They were selected by a panel chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two vacancies in the Election Commission had arisen after the retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey on February 14 and the sudden resignation of Arun Goel.

13:04 Congress calls for SIT on electoral bonds

A day after the Election Commission published the electoral bonds data shared by the State Bank of India, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Friday said that the court should constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the matter.

Addressing a press conference on Friday, Rajya Sabha MP asserted that the issue of electoral bonds would not be investigated by any probe agencies.

"ED and CBI are sleeping right now. If this thing happens against the Opposition they would have taken action. They have taken an overdose of sleeping pills. You must remember because I don't, that someone (referring to PM Modi) said 'na khaoga na khane dunga'. What happened to that? Someone (PM Modi) said that they would bring black money from the Swiss bank and transfer Rs 15 lakh each to people's accounts, but it seems like they have transferred that money to their accounts. In my opinion, this will not be investigated by any probe agencies. Now the responsibility is on the Court to determine what will they do and what action they will take," Sibal said.

He further said that the two major scams that have taken place in the country, are demonetization and another scam is of electoral bonds.

"Like the court done in the 2G case, where an SIT was made, in this case also an SIT should be constituted to probe the matter. We have to see how the law will see it now... It should also be found out who donated to the PM-CARES. It's a matter of investigation which party got how many funds," he added.

The Election Commission will announce the schedule for the Lok Sabha polls on Saturday. In a post on X, the poll panel said a press conference to announce the schedule for Lok Sabha elections and some state assemblies will be held at 3 pm on Saturday.

The term of the present Lok Sabha ends on June 16 and a new House has to be constituted before that. Last time the Lok Sabha polls were announced on March 10 and held in seven phases beginning April 11. Votes were counted on May 23. PTI

12:30 Electoral bonds India's biggest scam: Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Friday accused the BJP of being a core beneficiary of the electoral bonds purchased by the gaming and gambling companies.

Raut alleged the Bharatiya Janata Party of being involved in the "biggest scam in the country".

According to Raut, the scheme involves gaming and gambling companies purchasing electoral bonds and channeling the funds directly into the bank accounts of the BJP.

"The gaming and gambling corporation buys electoral bonds which are then deposited into the ruling party's bank account. Megha engineering secures numerous contracts and in return of the favour purchases lakhs of electoral bonds, funnelling the funds to the BJP's bank account. There are many such companies for which the money has been bought in the electoral bonds and transferred to the political parties. This is the biggest scam in the country," Raut said.

RJD MP Manoj Jha suggested a connection between the recent ED raids on companies and their subsequent purchase of the bonds.

"People are just witnessing it today, everybody knew about it already...ED carries out a raid and just after a few hours, electoral bonds are bought. One must look at this correlation," Manoj Jha said.

Expressing concern over the case, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal asserted that the issue of electoral bonds would not be investigated by any probe agencies.

"ED and CBI are sleeping right now. If this thing happens against the Opposition they would have taken action. They have taken an overdose of sleeping pills. You must remember because I don't, that someone (referring to PM Modi) said 'na khaunga na khane dunga'. What happened to that? Someone (PM Modi) said that they would bring black money from the Swiss bank and transfer Rs 15 lakh each to people's accounts, but it seems like they have transferred that money to their accounts.

"In my opinion, this will not be investigated by any probe agencies. Now the responsibility is on the Court to determine what will they do and what action they will take," Sibal said. -- ANI

The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear pleas seeking a direction to the Centre to stay the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Rules, 2024 till the pendency of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 before the apex court.

A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra took note of the submissions of senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the Indian Union Muslim League, that once the citizenship is granted to migrant Hindus, it cannot be taken back and hence the issues needed an early hearing.

"We will hear this on Tuesday. There are 190 plus cases. All of them will be heard. We will place a full batch with the IAs (Interim applications)," the CJI said.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, said there were 237 petitions and in those pending ones, four interim applications have been filed against the implementation of the rules.

The applications were filed after the Centre implemented the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, by notifying the rules four years after the contentious law was passed by Parliament to fast-track citizenship for undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014.

The application, filed by the IUML, which is one of the petitioners who have challenged the citizenship law, has sought the court's direction to ensure no coercive action is taken against people belonging to the Muslim community pending adjudication of the writ petitions. Muslims cannot apply for Indian citizenship under the CAA. -- PTI

11:48 Shares of IOC, BPCL, HPCL tumble

Shares of Oil Market Companies (OMCs) -- Indian Oil Corporation, BPCL, and HPCL -- tumbled on Friday after the petrol and diesel prices were cut by Rs 2 per litre each.

The stock of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) plummeted 8.10 per cent to Rs 459.60 on the BSE. Shares of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) tanked 6.80 per cent to Rs 158.40 and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) dropped 6.37 per cent to Rs 570.20. This is the first revision in rates in nearly two years.

The Supreme Court today came down hard on the State Bank of India for not sharing the complete data on electoral bonds, a scheme that allowed individuals and businesses to donate anonymously to political parties.

The court had struck down the scheme and directed the bank to share all details on the donations made in the last 5 years.

Hearing a petition by the Election Commission, the Supreme Court said that the data provided by the Supreme Court was incomplete. The five-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, directed SBI to disclose electoral bond numbers as well, in addition to the details it has already shared.

"Who is appearing for the State Bank of India? They have not disclosed the bond numbers. It has to be disclosed by the State Bank of India," Chief Justice Chandrachud said right at the outset of the hearing.

The Congress on Friday alleged that the electoral bonds data has exposed "corrupt tactics" of the BJP such as quid pro quo, seeking donations for the company's protection, kickbacks and money laundering through shell companies.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also said the party continues to demand unique bond ID numbers, so that it can precisely match donors to recipients.

In a post on X, Ramesh put out a "quick first analysis" of the Electoral Bonds (EB)data disclosure that the SBI put out after weeks of "attempting to postpone it until after the election".

"Over 1,300 companies and individuals have donated electoral bonds, including over 6,000 crore to the BJP since 2019," he said.

"Future Gaming & Hotels, has donated over Rs 1200 crore, making it the largest donor in the data so far. Here is the chronology: April 2 2022: ED raids Future, and 5 days later (7th April) they donate Rs. 100 crores in EBs," Ramesh claimed.

10:30 Two new election commissioners assume charge

Newly appointed election commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu assumed charge on Friday. The former bureaucrats were appointed as election commissioners on Thursday.

They are the first ones to have been appointed as members of the poll panel after the new law on appointment of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and ECs came into force recently.

Welcoming them, CEC Rajiv Kumar spoke about the significance of their joining at a historic point when the Election Commission is all set to conduct Lok Sabha elections, a spokesperson said.

The vacancies had come up in the Election Commission after the retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey on February 14 and the sudden resignation of Arun Goel on March 8. Gyanesh Kumar and Sandhu, both 1988-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, belonged to the Kerala and Uttarakhand cadres, respectively. PTI

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also said the party continues to demand unique bond ID numbers, so that it can precisely match donors to recipients.

In a post on X, Ramesh put out a "quick first analysis" of the Electoral Bonds (EB)data disclosure that the SBI put out after weeks of "attempting to postpone it until after the election".

"Over 1,300 companies and individuals have donated electoral bonds, including over 6,000 crore to the BJP since 2019," he said.

So far, the electoral bonds data exposes at least four corrupt tactics of the BJP, Ramesh claimed. "Quid Pro Quo: There are many cases of companies that have donated electoral bonds, and immediately afterwards gotten huge benefits from the government: Megha Engineering & Infra has given over Rs. 800 crores in EBs. In April 2023, they donated Rs. 140 crore, and just one month later, they were awarded the Rs. 14,400 crore Thane-Borivali Twin Tunnel Project," he alleged.

"Jindal Steel and Power gave Rs. 25 crore in EBs on 7 October 2022, and just three days later, they won the Gare Palma IV/6 coal mine, on 10th October 2022," Ramesh claimed.

"Hafta Vasooli: The BJP's Hafta Vasooli strategy is simple raid a target through the ED/CBI/IT, and then seek hafta ("donations") for the company's protection. At least 14 of the top 30 donors have been raided," he alleged. Earlier this year an investigation found that after ED/CBI/IT raids, companies were forced to donate to the BJP via electoral trusts," Ramesh said.

"Many of the same companies have donated through EBs, like Hetero Pharma and Yashoda Hospital," he pointed out.

"The IT department raided Shirdi Sai Electricals in December 2023, and in January 2024, they donated Rs. 40 crore through Electoral Bonds," the Congress leader claimed.

IT department raids Future in October 2023 and the same month they donate Rs. 65 crores in EBs, he said. Ramesh also alleged that the data also points to kickbacks as a pattern emerges where immediately after receiving some handouts from the Central government, companies have repaid the favour through electoral bonds.

"Vedanta got the Radhikapur West private coal mine on 3rd March 2021, and then in April 2021, they donated Rs. 25 crore in Electoral Bonds," he alleged.

"Megha Engineering & Infra got the Rs. 4,500 crore Zojila tunnel project in August 2020, then donated Rs. 20 crore in Electoral Bonds in October 2020," Ramesh said.

He also claimed that Megha got the BKC bullet train station contract in December 2022, and donated Rs. 56 crore the same month.

Ramesh alleged that data also shows there has been money laundering through shell companies.

"One huge issue with the electoral bonds scheme is that it removed the restriction that only a small percentage of a company's profits could be donated, paving the way for shell companies to donate black money. There are many such suspicious cases, such as the Rs. 410 crore that has been donated by Qwik Supply Chain Limited, a company whose entire share capital is just Rs. 130 crores according to MoCA filings," he said.

The Congress leader said another major issue is missing data. The data provided by SBI only begins in April 2019, but SBI sold the first tranche of bonds in March 2018.

"A total of Rs. 2,500 crores in bonds are missing from this data. Where is the data of these missing bonds, from March 2018 to April 2019? For instance, in the very first tranche of bonds, the BJP bagged 95% of the funds. Who is the BJP trying to protect?" he said.

A man who used to run a shop selling army uniforms in Rajasthan's Sri Ganganagar district has been arrested on espionage charges, officials have said.

Anand Raj Singh (22) was arrested on Thursday for allegedly collecting information of strategic importance for the army and sharing it with three female handlers of Pakistani intelligence agencies through social media, Additional Director General of Police (Intelligence) Sanjay Agarwal said.

He added that the accused used to run a uniform store outside the Suratgarh Army Cantonment in Sri Ganganagar. Agarwal said Singh shut his shop sometime ago and was working in a factory in the Behror area.

Even during this period, he was in touch with the female handlers of Pakistani intelligence agencies, the officer added.

Singh used to secure confidential information of the army from his sources and share it with the Pakistani agents, the ADGP said, adding that the accused had also demanded money from these agents for sending such classified information.

Agarwal said espionage activities carried out by Pakistani intelligence agencies are being continuously monitored by the intelligence wing of the Rajasthan Police. PTI

At least 20 people were killed and 155 injured in shelling on Thursday while they were awaiting food aid in Gaza, CNN reported citing the health ministry in the Palestinian enclave.

Mohammad Ghraib, a doctor at the emergency unit at Al Shifa Hospital, said the death toll is expected to rise as casualties are still being shifted to the hospital, the report stated.

Earlier, a witness on the spot said dozens of people died, with videos purportedly showing tens of bodies lying at the scene, according to a CNN report.

The Palestinian health ministry described the incident as "a result of the Israeli occupation forces targeting a gathering of citizens waiting for humanitarian aid to satisfy their thirst at the Kuwaiti roundabout in Gaza."

According to eyewitnesses, the area was struck by what sounded like artillery fire or a tank.

In a statement on Thursday, Gaza Civil Defense Spokesman Mahmoud Basal accused Israel of being responsible for the attack, CNN reported. "The Israeli occupation forces are still practising the policy of killing innocent citizens waiting for relief aid as a result of the famine occurring in the northern Gaza Strip," CNN quoted Mahmoud Basal as saying. -- ANI

The United States on Thursday said it is concerned about the notification of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in India and is closely monitoring its implementation.

"We are concerned about the notification of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act on March 11," State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters at his daily briefing.

"We are closely monitoring how this act will be implemented. Respect for religious freedom and equal treatment under the law for all communities are fundamental democratic principles," Miller said in response to a question.

The Indian government implemented the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 on Monday, paving the way for the grant of citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014.

The government also came out with a press statement to say that Indian Muslims need not worry as the CAA will not impact their citizenship and has nothing to do with the community which enjoys equal rights as their Hindu counterparts.

The Indian government has maintained that the CAA is about granting citizenship and that no citizen of the country will lose citizenship. -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a Bharatiya Janata Party rally in Kanyakumari on Friday, as part of his southern outreach with the Lok Sabha polls around the corner.

He is slated to address rallies next week as well, in the western region of the state.

The BJP has not been able to make significant electoral gains in Tamil Nadu in the past but the saffron party is hopeful of reversing that trend, especially under an aggressive K Annamalai who is heading its state unit.

Modi had made a number of visits to Tamil Nadu in the past, besides other southern states.

Among others, he visited Hindu temples and places with religious significance.

The BJP is attempting to a stitch up a non-Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, non-All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam alliance in the state and has already roped in G K Vasan-led Tamil Maanila Congress, expelled AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam and Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, headed by T T V Dinakaran.

Tamil Nadu has a total of 39 Lok Sabha seats and the neighbouring Puducherry one. -- PTI

08:46 Ex-Karnataka CM Yediyurappa booked under POCSO

Karnataka's former Chief Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader B S Yediyurappa faces a first information report (FIR) under the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO).

The FIR has been filed against the former CM for allegedly assaulting a minor girl.

As per the FIR the alleged offence took place on February 2 in Bengaluru and the FIR was filed by a police station in Bengaluru.

Based on the complaint filed by the victim, the police registered a case under POCSO and 354 (A) against Yediyurappa.

The FIR alleges that the victim was sexually harassed when she went to seek help on February 2.

The victim had sought help in a case related to another alleged sexual assault on her.

The FIR claims that the senior BJP leader allegedly sexually assaulted the victim after dragging her inside a room.

When the victim ran out of the room, she complained to her mother about the alleged assault.

Based on the mother's complaint, the senior BJP leader was booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and 354 (A) of the Indian Penal Code.

The victim alleged in the FIR that she was allegedly sexually harassed when she went to seek help related to an incident in which she was raped by others.

So far no response has come from Yediyurappa or his family on the allegations. -- ANI

Voting for presidential elections will take place in Russia from March 15-17.

Polling stations have already opened in Russia's Far Eastern regions, particularly the easternmost Kamchatka and Chukotka, TASS reported.

Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov became the first regional head to cast his vote.

People across Russia ate voting to elect their President for the next six years.

For the first time, the people of Donbass and Novorossia will vote for the Russian presidential elections.

It is the first time that the latest technologies tested during earlier lower-level polls--a three-day voting period and a remote vote--will be used during the presidential elections.

The candidates who are contesting for top state post in the 2024 election are Vladislav Davankov, Russia's incumbent President Vladimir Putin, Leonid Slutsky and Nikolay Kharitonov.

New People's Party has nominated Vladislav Davankov, with Putin being a self-designated candidate.

Leonid Slutsky of the LDPR party and Nikolay Kharitonov are also in fray from the Communist Party of Russia, according to TASSAt the very start of the presidential race, as many as 33 people, including nine contenders from parties and 24 independent contenders, planned to contest for Russia's top state post.

Among them, only 15 people submitted the documents needed to be registered as candidates.

Only 11 candidates remained in the presidential race when the deadline for submitting documents expired on January 1.

Eventually, only four candidates were registered.It is the first time that the presidential polls in Russia will be conducted over three days.

According to Russian Central Election Commission Chair Ella Pamfilova, the people liked this format as it gives them more opportunity to cast votes in the presidential polls, TASS reported.

Over 94,000 polling stations will be open in Russia from 8 am (local time) to 8 pm (local time).

Except several regions abroad, the voting will formally end on March 17 at 9 pm (local time) when polling stations in Kaliningrad will close.

As many as 295 polling stations will open in 144 foreign nations and on the territory of Baikonur space centre, which Russia has leased from Kazakhstan.

The exact timeframe of the vote will differ from nation to nation.

Thailand will be the first nation where polling stations will open at the Russian Consulate General in Phuket.

Also, during the presidential elections, people will have the option to cast their vote electronically.

Online voting is available in 29 regions, including Moscow.

People were asked to submit applications to cast their ballots online from January 29 to March 11, TASS reported.

More than 4.7 million people applied to vote online.

People will get to know about the results of the online vote on March 17 from 10 pm (local time) to 11 pm (local time).

So far, Putin has served four terms as Russian President.

If he wins, Putin will serve another six years, due to constitutional amendments that have expanded the term.

This would mark his fifth term.

He can then be re-elected again in 2030 for a sixth term. -- ANI

IMAGE: Burov Denis, rector of the Maritime State University named after admiral Gennady Nevelskoy, votes in the presidential election in the far eastern city of Vladivostok, Russia, on March 15, 2024. Photograph: Tatiana Meel/Reuters

Nationalist Congress Party MLA Nilesh Lanke on Thursday said he was with the Sharad Pawar faction and was following the ideology of the opposition stalwart.

Lanke, who is MLA from Parner in Ahmednagar district, was presumed to have sided with the faction led by deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar following the split in the Sharad Pawar-founded party in July last year.

Incidentally, on Wednesday the BJP renominated sitting MP Sujay Vikhe Patil from Ahmednagar, from where Lanke too is keen to contest.

Lanke, who came to meet Sharad Pawar with a large number of supporters, later addressed a press conference with the latter.

He said he is with Sharad Pawar and following the ideology of the latter's party.

Meanwhile, Ajit Pawar admitted Lanke was disappointed due to local politics.

"I held a meeting with him yesterday. He had complained about a state minister (from Ahmednagar). I told him CM Eknath Shinde, deputy CM Fadnavis, the concerned minister and I will resolve the matter," Ajit Pawar said. -- PTI

File image

00:42 More than 100 trainee cops suffer food poisoning in Maha's Dhule

More than a hundred trainee police personnel suffered suspected food poisoning in north Maharashtra's Dhule city on Thursday evening but all of them were out of danger, an official said.

Of 633 students attending a training camp at the Police Training Centre, some 110 complained of symptoms of food poisoning, he said.

They were immediately admitted to the Bhausaheb Hire Government Medical College Hospital and the condition of all of them was stable, the police official added. -- PTI

Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma/File image

00:24 LS polls: RGV to contest against Pawan Kalyan

Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has confirmed his candidature from the Pithapuram constituency in Andhra Pradesh in the Lok Sabha elections.

He took to X and confirmed the news, saying, "Sudden decision..am happy to inform that i am contesting from Pithapuram."

He added, "To all those doubting , I AM SUPER SERIOUS"

Shortly after Pawan's announcement of contesting from Pithapuram, RGV tweeted.

After seat sharing between TDP-BJP-Janasena, Pithapuram TDP seat has been given to Janasena.

And Today Janasena party chief Pawan Kalyan announced that he will be constesting from Pithapuram seat.

TDP former MLA and aspirant SVSN Varma's followers criticised TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu and burnt TDP posters.

Meanwhile, film director Ram Gopal Varma tweeted that he would contest from Pithapuram. -ANI

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