Ayodhya made history during the 'Deepotsav-2024' celebrations on Wednesday evening by setting two Guinness World Records, news agency ANI reported.The district administration, in collaboration with the Department of Tourism, Government of Uttar Pradesh, illuminated the Saryu River with more than 25 lakh diyas, marking the largest display of oil lamps ever recorded. Another record was made for the most people performing 'diya' rotation simultaneously."The two Guinness World Records were made for the largest display of oil lamps, with 2,512,585 diyas lit by the Department of Tourism, Government of Uttar Pradesh, and the Ayodhya district administration, and for the most people performing 'diya' rotation simultaneously," officials said.According to ANI, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister (CM) Yogi Adityanath received two certificates from Guinness World Records for the records set during the 'Deepotsav' celebrations in Ayodhya. Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak were also present.As part of the grand Deepotsav celebration, thousands of diyas were illuminated along the banks of the Saryu River. The Diwali 2024 festivities in the city included laser and light shows at Saryu Ghat. The 'Ram Leela' was narrated through a sound-and-light show. In addition, a drone show was also held at Saryu Ghat, and fireworks were set off as part of the Deepotsav celebrations.This year's Deepotsav, the first since the 'Pran Pratistha' of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, featured 18 vibrant tableaux depicting key moments from Lord Ram's life. The tableaux was created by the Information and Tourism Departments, reported ANI. Those who become barriers to humanity and development will face the same fate as UP's mafias: CM The five-day festival commemorates Lord Rama's return to Ayodhya after a 14-year exile. The event highlights Ayodhya's cultural and spiritual significance, attracting millions of devotees and tourists.The UP CM led the Diwali 2024 celebrations in Ayodhya, pulling a chariot carrying artists portraying Lord Ram, Sita, and Lakshman, symbolising Lord Ram's return to his city. Shekhawat, along with Pathak and Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya, was also present during the Diwali 2024 celebrations.CM Yogi emphasised that anyone hindering "humanity and development" would face "consequences" similar to those experienced by UP's mafia. He highlighted the transformation of Ayodhya and Kashi, and said they are the "shining examples of the resurgence of Sanatan Dharma"."Anyone who will become a barrier in the path of humanity and development, their fate will be like that of the mafias of Uttar Pradesh. Today, Ayodhya is shining. Ayodhya is the beginning of Sanatan Dharma. Today our Kashi is shining. The world is seeing the grand Kashi," CM Yogi said.Applauding the double-engine government of the state, the CM emphasised that the government delivers on its promises.He recalled the Deepotsav celebration in Ayodhya eight years ago, mentioning the enthusiastic crowd chanting, "Yogi ji, ek kaam karo, mandir ka nirman karo (Yogiji, do one thing. Build the temple)," and said, "I had reassured them and said, 'Keep faith; the diyas you light today represent the faith of Sanatan Dharma. Lord Ram's blessings will surely be upon us."CM Yogi also launched the tourism app and released the book written by Ayodhya Mayor on the occasion. (With ANI inputs)
30 October,2024 09:30 PM IST | Ayodhya | mid-day online correspondentThe police in Maharashtra's Nagpur have arrested three people from Rajasthan and detained their minor accomplice for allegedly being involved in creating fake Facebook accounts of some senior cops in the state and duping people, an official said on Wednesday, reported the PTI. The police busted the gang and arrested the accused on Tuesday, he said. The trio was identified as Rakmuddin Khan Shafi Khan, Shakir Khan Kasam Khan and Innas Khan Nijruddin Khan, all residents of Kota Khurd in Rajasthan, the official said. "It was in February that the gang members created a fake Facebook account of Nagpur Police Commissioner Dr Ravinder Singal. Using the fake profile, they sent friend requests to different users, including Mohammad Yasir Bashir, a resident of Nagpur," he said, as per the PTI. Yasir received a message from the account, which claimed that the Nagpur police chief's friend in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) was being transferred and wanted to sell his household items urgently. Believing it, Yasir transferred Rs 85,000 to the bank accounts mentioned by the user. But after transferring the money, Yasir stopped getting any response, he said, according to the PTI. Yasir then approached the police and lodged a complaint, based on which a probe was initiated. Upon receiving the complaint, the Cyber Police registered a case and initiated an investigation. They found that the message from the fake Facebook account was sent from Kota Khurd, he said. During the investigation, they found that a 17-year-old boy had created the fake profile, the official added. "The interrogation of the accused trio brought to light that they had recruited several youths, including the minor, to assist in their operations. The minor reportedly received Rs 2,000 for each fake ID he created. The investigation also uncovered that the gang had forged the identity cards of at least five officers in the state," he said, news agency reported on Wednesday. In order to execute the crime, the accused had obtained SIM cards from Assam and West Bengal, which were used in creating fake accounts. The police have confiscated four mobile phones and additional items linked to the fraud, he said. (with PTI inputs)
30 October,2024 09:09 PM IST | Nagpur | mid-day online correspondentA 37-year-old man was sentenced to 10 years in jail by a court in Odisha's Balasore district for raping a girl. The incident happened in the Khaira area in October last year when the 13-year-old girl was alone in her home. Her mother along with her two siblings had gone out to collect firewood, according to the prosecution. After returning home, the mother learned about the incident and lodged a police complaint, following which the man was arrested, Special Public Prosecutor Pranab Kumar Panda said. The special POCSO court of Judge Ranjan Kumar Sutar sentenced the man to 10 years in jail after convicting him under various sections of the IPC and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and also imposed a fine of Rs 3,000. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
30 October,2024 08:43 PM IST | Balasore | PTINon-availability of aircraft due to maintenance issues has forced Tata Group-owned Air India to cancel some 60 flights on the India-US routes between November and December this year, according to an airline source. The flights, which have been cancelled during the peak travel period, include services to San Francisco and Chicago, among others, the source said. Air India, in a statement, said it has cancelled a "small" number of flights between November and December on account of delayed return of some aircraft from heavy maintenance and supply chain constraints, without naming the destinations. It also said that affected customers have been "informed" and offered flights on other Air India group services operating on the same or adjacent days. "Air India has cancelled some 60 flights to and from San Francisco, Washington, Chicago, Newark and New York between November 15 and December 31, as it does not have adequate wide-body aircraft to operate some of the flights to these destinations," the sources told PTI. As part of this, Air India has cancelled 14 flights on the Delhi-Chicago route, 28 flights on the Delhi-Washington route, 12 flights between the Delhi-SFO route, four flights on the Mumbai-New York route as well as two flights on the Delhi-Newark route, the sources said. "Air India is facing delays in getting aircraft from the MRO operator it is sending to for maintenance. Then some of its wide-body planes are also grounded due to technical issues. This has resulted in the shortage of aircraft and consequently in flight cancellations," they added. "Due to the delayed return of some aircraft from heavy maintenance and supply chain constraints resulting in a temporary reduction in operating fleet, Air India regrets that a small number of flights have been cancelled between now and end-December," an Air India spokesperson said. Affected customers have been informed and offered flights on other Air India group services operating on the same or adjacent days, a free change to any other date or a full refund, the spokesperson said, adding, "Air India sincerely regrets the inconvenience caused by this constraint beyond our control". Air India currently operates five flights between Delhi and Washington, while Delhi-JFK (New York) and Mumbai-JFK routes have seven flights per week. On the Delhi-Chicago route also, the airline operates seven flights per week. Air India operates flights to San Francisco from three destinations -- Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Of this, Air India operates 11 flights per week, including one daily service on the Delhi-SFO route, while from Mumbai and Bangalore, it operates four flights per week. Besides, Air India also operates three flights per week to Newark from Delhi and Mumbai. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
30 October,2024 08:34 PM IST | Mumbai | PTIThe Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is contesting on the most number of seats — 20 of 46 — in the Marathwada region in the Maharashtra Assembly election 2024, news agency PTI reported. The region in Central Maharashtra comprises the districts of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Beed, Hingoli, Jalna, Latur, Nanded, Osmanabad, and Parbhani. It has been the epicentre of the Maratha protests steered by activist Manoj Jarange. The Mahayuti — comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena, and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) could win only one of the eight seats in Marathwada in the Lok Sabha polls held earlier this year. The Shiv Sena, led by Chief Minister (CM) Eknath Shinde, has fielded candidates in 16 constituencies in this region. Five ministers from Shinde's cabinet have been given tickets in the region. NCP has nominated nine candidates in Marathwada for the Maharashtra Assembly election 2024. The party has not fielded any candidate in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna and Dharashiv districts, while the Shiv Sena will not be contesting any seats in Beed and Latur, PTI reported. The Mahayuti has given the Gangakhed seat in the region to Mahadev Jankar's Rashtriya Samaj Paksha, which has fielded Ratnakar Gutte. Among the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) parties, the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) has named 16 candidates from the region. These include the Sillod, Kannad, Vaijapur, Aurangabad Central, Aurangabad West and Paithan seats in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district. Five of the six leaders from the undivided Shiv Sena who had won in the district in 2019, sided with CM Shinde when he had rebelled against the Thackeray-led party in 2022. Meanwhile, Sena (UBT) is not contesting in any constituency in the Beed district. The other two MVA partners, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) and Congress, each have got 15 seats to contest in Marathdwada, PTI reported. NCP (SP) has at least one candidate in all eight districts of Maharashtra, while the Congress is not in the fray in the Beed and Hingoli districts. The candidates in Marathwada Minister Abdul Sattar will fight on a Shiv Sena ticket against Suresh Bankar, who recently joined Sena (UBT) from BJP in Sillod. Meanwhile, Housing Minister Atul Save, who is from BJP, is pitted against All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen's (AIMIM) former Member of Parliament (MP) Imtiaz Jaleel and Lahu Shevale of Congress in the Aurangabad East constituency. In the Parli seat of Beed district, Minister Dhananjay Munde, who will be representing NCP, will be pitted against Rajesaheb Deshmukh of NCP (SP). Another minister, Tanaji Sawant of Shiv Sena, is locked in a three-cornered fight in Paranda seat in Dharashiv district, where NCP (SP) has fieded Rahul Mote and its MVA partner Sena (UBT) has nominated Ranjit Patil. In Latur district's Udgir, NCP Minister Sanjay Bansode will take on Sudhakar Bhalerao of NCP (SP). The Maharashtra Assembly election will be held on November 20 on all 288 seats and the votes will be counted three days later.
30 October,2024 08:14 PM IST | Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar | mid-day online correspondentAt least 64 people have died in eastern Spain after flash floods swept away cars, turned village streets into rivers and disrupted rail lines and highways in the worst natural disaster to hit the European nation in recent memory. Emergency services in the eastern region of Valencia confirmed a death toll of 62 people on Wednesday. Another two casualties were reported in the neighbouring Castilla La Mancha region. Rainstorms on Tuesday caused flooding in a wide swath of southern and eastern Spain, stretching from Malaga to Valencia. Mud-coloured floods sent vehicles tumbling down streets at high speeds, while pieces of wood swirled in the water mixed with household items. Police and rescue services used helicopters to lift people from their homes and rubber boats to reach drivers trapped on the roofs of cars. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said dozens of towns had been flooded and warned that the danger is not over. “For those who are looking for their loved ones, all of Spain feels your pain,” Sanchez said in a televised address. “Our priority is to help you. We are putting all the resources necessary so that we can recover from this tragedy.” Authorities reported several missing people late Tuesday, but the following morning brought the shocking announcement of dozens found dead. “Yesterday was the worst day of my life,” Ricardo Gabaldon, the mayor of Utiel, a town in Valencia, told national broadcaster RTVE. He said several people were still missing in his town. “We were trapped like rats. Cars and trash containers were flowing down the streets. The water was rising to 3 metres (9.8 feet),” he said. Over 1,000 soldiers from Spain's emergency response units were deployed to the devastated areas. Rescue services were also rushing eastwards from other parts of Spain. Spain's central government set up a crisis committee to help coordinate rescue efforts. One elderly couple was rescued from the upper story of their house by a military unit using a bulldozer, with three soldiers accompanying them in the huge shovel. Television reports showed videos shot by panicked residents documenting waters flooding the ground floors of apartment buildings, streams bursting their banks and bridges giving way. Spain's national weather service called the rainfall “extraordinary,” with 491 litres per square metre accumulated in eight hours in the Valencian locality of Chiva. Spain has experienced similar autumn storms in recent years. Nothing, however, compared to the devastation over the last two days, which recalls floods in Germany and Belgium in 2021 in which 230 people were killed. The death toll will likely rise with other regions yet to report victims and search efforts continuing in areas with difficult access. In the village of Letur in the neighbouring Castilla La Mancha region, Mayor Sergio Marin Sanchez said six people were missing. Spain is still recovering from a severe drought and continues to register record high temperatures in recent years. Scientists say increased episodes of extreme weather are likely linked to climate change. The prolonged drought has also made it more difficult for the land to absorb high volumes of water. The storms unleashed a freak hailstorm which punched holes in car windows and greenhouses as well as a rarely seen tornado. Transport was also impacted. A high-speed train with nearly 300 people on board derailed near Malaga, although rail authorities said no one was hurt. High-speed train service between Valencia city and Madrid was interrupted, as were commuter lines. Valencian regional President Carlos Mazon urged people to stay at home, with travel by road already difficult due to fallen trees and wrecked vehicles. Rescue efforts were hampered, Mazon, said, by downed power lines that left areas without electricity, while phone lines were jammed with calls. He said that the regional emergency service had attended some 30,000 calls. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters in Brussels that the EU will assist by using its Copernicus geo-monitoring satellite system “to help coordinate the rescue teams.” The European Union leader said that the bloc stands ready to activate a civil protection mechanism offering the combined assistance of the other 26 member countries should Spain request assistance. “Europe is ready to help,” Von der Leyen said. As the waters fell, thick layers of mud mixed with refuse made streets unrecognizable. “The neighbourhood is destroyed, all the cars are on top of each other, it's literally smashed up,” Christian Viena, a bar owner in the Valencian village of Barrio de la Torre, said by phone. "Everything is a total wreck, everything is ready to be thrown away. The mud is almost 30 centimeters deep.” Outside Viena's bar, people were venturing out to see what they could salvage. Cars were piled up and the streets were filled with clumps of water-logged branches. Relatives of the missing filled social media and local television and radio outlets with appeals to find their loved ones. Leonardo Enrique told RTVE that his family had been searching for hours for his son, Leonardo Enrique Rivera, 40, who was driving a delivery van when it began to rain. His son had sent a message saying his van was flooding and that he had been hit by another vehicle when he was near Ribarroja, an industrial town which is one of the worst affected, Enrique said. Located south of Barcelona down the Mediterranean coast, Valencia is a tourist destination known for its beaches, citrus orchards, and as the home of Spain's paella rice dish. Like some other areas of Spain, Valencia has gorges and small riverbeds that spend much of the year completely dry but quickly fill with water when it rains. Many of them pass through populated areas. The rain had subsided in Valencia by late Wednesday morning as the storm headed north, prompting authorities in the Barcelona region to issue weather alerts. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
30 October,2024 07:49 PM IST | Barcelona (Spain) | PTIActor Darshan Thoogudeepa, who was arrested in the Renukaswamy murder case on June 11, walked out of jail in Ballari, Karnataka, on Wednesday, October 30, hours after the High Court (HC) granted him interim bail on medical grounds, to undergo spine surgery, news agency PTI reported. Darshan's friend, Pavithra Gowda, and 15 others are the co-accused in the Renukaswamy murder case.A single bench of Justice S Vishwajith Shetty on Wednesday morning granted interim bail to Darshan for a period of six weeks. He was released from prison in the evening after the jail authorities completed formalities on receiving the court order.According to police sources, Darshan will take a route via neighbouring Andhra Pradesh to reach Bengaluru, and security is being provided to him. According to PTI, the Karnataka HC has laid down certain conditions, as per which Darshan should execute a personal bond for a sum of Rs 2 lakh with two sureties for the like sum, and surrender his passport before the trial court. It has also said that he is "at liberty to get himself operated and treated in a hospital of his choice at Bengaluru and he shall report to the said hospital forthwith after his release and get himself medically examined and a report from the said hospital mentioning the probable date of petitioner's surgery, period of admission of petitioner in the Hospital for the proposed treatment and follow-up treatment if any, shall be filed before this Court within one week from the date of release." Karnataka HC sets bail conditions The other conditions imposed on Darshan by HC while granting him interim bail state that he shall not "directly or indirectly threaten or tamper" with the prosecution witnesses. The actor has also been asked to "refrain" himself from appearing before print, (electronic) media or any social media to give any statement on any issue including his health condition, during the interim bail. The court has also asked Darshan to surrender before the committal court/trial court immediately after the expiry of the interim bail period. "The bail would be, however, subject to further order of this court", the HC said, adding that the actor shall not leave the jurisdiction of the trial court during the period of interim bail. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said the government "respectfully welcomes" the decision of HC, granting interim bail to Darshan."I will not question the verdict of the court. The government will respectfully welcome the decision of the court," he told reporters here in response to a question. The family of Renukaswamy, who was allegedly killed by Darshan and others, declined to comment on the court granting him interim bail, but expressed confidence that the guilty will be punished as they have faith in the judiciary and police. "Bail has been granted under the legal system, we cannot comment on it. We have faith that the guilty will be punished. We have faith in law and the police. (Darshan's) treatment is a matter for the Doctor, him and the court, we don't want to comment on it," Renukaswamy's father Kashinath Shivanagoudar told reporters in Davangere. Renukaswamy was tortured before murder: Police "We don't have anything to say other than that the guilty should be punished. We have faith in law and judiciary, so we are confident that the guilty will be punished," he added. Sahana, Renukaswamy's wife, had given birth to a baby boy on October 16. She was five months pregnant when her husband was killed. Darshan's fans burst into celebration in various parts of Karnataka, following the court order. Waving Darshan's posters, hundreds of his fans distributed sweets and burst crackers in several areas of Ballari and Bengaluru, among others, PTI reported. The actor's wife, Vijayalakshmi, performed a special prayer at Durgamma Temple in the district headquarters town of Ballari, where her husband is lodged in a prison. On Tuesday, the court had reserved the order on the bail application after hearing detailed arguments from the actor's legal representative, senior advocate CV Nagesh, and State Public Prosecutor P Prasanna Kumar. The state had presented medical reports of the actor in a sealed cover. The reports had been submitted by doctors at Ballari Central Prison and the Head of the Department of Neurology at a government hospital in the state. According to the police, 33-year-old Renukaswamy, a fan of the actor, had sent obscene messages to Pavithra, which enraged Darshan, allegedly leading to his murder. His body was found near a storm water drain next to an apartment in Sumanahalli in Karnataka on June 9. Raghavendra, one of the accused who is a part of Darshan's fan club in Chitradurga, had brought Renukaswamy to a shed in RR Nagar on the pretext that the actor wanted to meet him. The victim was allegedly tortured and murdered in the shed. According to the post-mortem report, Renukaswamy, a native of Chitradurga, died owing to shock and hemorrhage as a result of multiple blunt injuries. The police have said that Pavithra, who is 'accused number one', was the "major cause" for Renukaswamy's murder, claiming that it has been proved from the probe that she "instigated" the other accused, "conspired" with them, and took part in the crime. (With PTI inputs)
30 October,2024 07:00 PM IST | Ballari | mid-day online correspondentAam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Amanatullah Khan opened an "unauthorised" bank account soliciting funds for Delhi riot victims and some of this public money was withdrawn in cash and handed over to him, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) claimed Wednesday, October 30, after it filed a charge sheet against him. According to news agency PTI, the federal probe agency filed the supplementary prosecution complaint against the Member of Legislative Assembly and his second wife Maryam Siddiqui before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Delhi on Tuesday. The case has been listed for hearing on November 4. ED's money laundering case against Amanatullah Khan pertains to the alleged irregularities committed during his tenure as the chairman of the Delhi Waqf Board between 2016-2021, PTI reported. "Amanatullah Khan, without taking any approval from the Delhi Waqf Board, floated 'Delhi Waqf Board Relief Committee'. In order to solicit funds in the name of the Delhi riot victims, Khan opened an unauthorised bank account in the name of Delhi Waqf Board Relief Committee and some of the funds obtained from the public were withdrawn in cash under the directions of Khan and were handed over to him," the agency said. The Delhi riots took place in February, 2020. 'Amanatullah Khan also failed to furnish complete details of dependents' According to ED, Amanatullah Khan also failed to furnish "the complete details of his dependents" in the election affidavit filed by him. "Maryam Siddiqui was married to Amanatullah Khan and is a complete dependent of Amanatullah Khan. It is to be mentioned that she does not have any known source of income and has not filed any Income Tax Returns," ED said. It claims that its investigation found that an immovable property worth Rs 19 lakh was purchased by the Okhla legislator four years ago "in the name of his second wife Smt Maryam Siddiqui and payment for the same was made partly in cash and partly from the amount received from his close associate Zeeshan Haider". The agency alleged that Khan, along with his associates such as Haider and Daud Nasir, were "managing" the "ill-gotten money" during his tenure as the chairman of the Delhi Waqf Board and used the same to make "cash payments" via Kausar Imam Siddiqui, who is the legislator's alleged fund manager, for purchasing a property at 275-276, TTI Tikona Park in the Okhla area. This property belonged to Jawed Imam Siddiqui, stated PTI. The probe agency further claimed that a seized white diary, "handwritten" by Kausar Imam Siddiqui, showed that cash payments worth Rs 27 crore were made by the MLA's close associates for the purchase of this property at Tikona Park. ED said it found "huge amounts of suspicious cash deposits" in the bank accounts of property seller Jawed Imam Siddiqui and his wife. Following their arrest by the ED, Khan, Haider, Daud Nasir, Kausar Imam Siddiqui and Jawed Imam Siddiqui are lodged in jail under judicial custody. The first charge sheet in this case, against all the accused except Khan, was filed by ED in January. The money laundering probe against Khan stems from two first information reports (FIRs): the Central Bureau of Investigation's case in connection with the alleged irregularities in the Waqf Board and an alleged disproportionate assets case registered by the Delhi Police's Anti-Corruption Unit. (With PTI inputs)
30 October,2024 06:08 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentAssam Chief Minister and BJP co-in-charge for the upcoming Jharkhand assembly elections, Himanta Biswa Sarma, convened a meeting with party workers in Chaibasa on Wednesday, reported news agency ANI. The gathering was aimed to address the internal dissent regarding the party's candidate, Geeta Balmuchu, for the Chaibasa constituency. Jharkhand Assembly Election 2024: The BJP co-in-charge Sarma's reassurance After the discussions, Sarma reassured that the party workers were no longer upset and expressed optimism about their collaboration moving forward. He stated, "They are not upset... They will all work together," highlighting a united front as the elections approach. The Assam chief minister expressed confidence in the BJP's prospects in Jharkhand and asserted that "Our party is in a very strong position... We will fight the elections well, and this time, we will try to win all the seats in Chaibasa." He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Chaibasa on November 4 to bolster campaign efforts ahead of the elections. Chaibasa, reserved for Scheduled Tribe candidates, will see a competitive race between BJP's Geeta Balmuchu and the incumbent MLA from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Deepak Birua. Jharkhand Assembly Election 2024: EC's efforts to prevent distributions of inducements In light of the upcoming elections, the Election Commission has intensified efforts to prevent the distribution of inducements such as cash, liquor, and other freebies to the poll-bound states ahead of the elections. Notably, seizures amounting to Rs 345 crores have been recorded since the election announcement, with Jharkhand accounting for over Rs 114 crores of this total and Rs 175 crores in Maharashtra, and the remaining seizures from the by-election bound states in the country. Seizures so far have already surpassed 2019 Assembly election seizures in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, which were a total of Rs 122.67 crore, as reported by ANI. Jharkhand Assembly Election 2024: Voters, polling and result date Approximately 2.60 crore voters are eligible to participate, including over 11.84 lakh first-time voters and 66.84 lakh young voters. The state has 1.31 crore male voters and 1.29 crore female voters. In the previous assembly elections, the JMM secured 30 seats, while the BJP won 25 and Congress claimed 16 seats. The elections for 81 seats in the Jharkhand Assembly will take place in two phases on November 13 and November 20, with vote counting set for November 23. (With inputs from ANI)
30 October,2024 05:49 PM IST | Chaibasa, Jharkhand | mid-day online correspondentA 5-year-old child died after being electrocuted from decorative electric lights of Diwali on Tuesday night, the police said on Wednesday, reported the ANI. The child identified as Santosh was a resident of Radha Vihar in Mukundpur, an official said. According to Delhi Police, the child's father in his statement to the police said that he has three children and deceased son was his youngest son, adding that his landlord had installed electric lights for decoration of house at roof of the house for Diwali. "At about 7 pm, mother of child informed him about electrocution of his youngest child namely Sagar, aged 5 years due to decorated electrics lights. Initially the child was taken to Venkatesh Multi-speciality Hospital, near Shiv Mandir, Mukundpur and then they had taken him to New Life Hospital, Mukherji Nagar, Delhi and New Next Hospital, Prashant Vihar. Thereafter, they reached at Fortis hospital, Shalimar Bagh at 10:30 pm, where doctor declared his son Sagar brought dead at 10:38 pm," Delhi police said, as per the ANI. Three die of electrocution while putting up Diwali lights in Chhattisgarh Meanwhile, in an another incident, three persons, two of them minors, were electrocuted, and one person was injured when the ladder they were using to hang lights for Diwali touched a wire in Chhattisgarh's Mungeli district on Monday, the police said, as per the PTI. The incident occurred in front of a petrol pump in the Sargaon police station area, where the victims were putting up decorative lights, an official said. As per preliminary information, the victims were dragging an iron ladder when it came in contact with an overhead wire, he said. The official said the four were electrocuted and sustained burn injuries. They were taken to a community health centre in Sargaon, where three of them were declared dead, as per the PTI. The other injured man was later shifted to the Chhattisgarh Institute of Medical Sciences (CIMS) in Bilaspur, he said. The deceased were identified as Priyanshu Yadav (15), Arjun Yadav (15) and Ram Sahu (20), while the injured man is Shiva Pandey (20), he said. The official said a case has been registered in connection with the incident. (with ANI and PTI inputs)
30 October,2024 05:42 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentAssam Chief Minister (CM) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) co-in-charge for the upcoming Jharkhand Assembly elections 2024, Himanta Biswa Sarma, on Wednesday, expressed strong confidence in his party's position as the elections draw near, reported news agency ANI. The Assam CM informed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Chaibasa on November 4 and asserted that the BJP is well-prepared to contest the elections in the state. "Prime Minister Modi will come to Chaibasa on November 4... Our team (party) is in a very strong position... We will fight the elections well and this time we will try to win all the seats in Chaibasa," Himanta Biswa Sarma told ANI. Regarding the NDA's Chief Ministerial candidate for Jharkhand, Sarma noted, "We have not decided on the CM face from NDA... Our goal will be to choose a good CM for the state." Jharkhand Assembly Elections 2024: Sarma criticises Jharkhand CM Soren Earlier, Sarma also criticised current Chief Minister Hemant Soren's policies towards farmers. He alleged that there is inadequate paddy procurement taking place in Jharkhand and delays in providing Minimum Support Price to farmers. "Hemant Soren should understand that in Jharkhand, the state government doesn't procure paddy, doesn't give MSP to the farmers on time and the maximum amount of paddy is brought by middlemen. He should apologise to the farmers for the crimes he has committed and not transfer this failure to the central government," said Sarma. Additionally, he urged Hemant Soren to publicly declare his opposition to illegal infiltration and his support for implementing the National Register of Citizens in the state. Sarma highlighted upcoming rallies featuring key BJP leaders including, "PM Modi will address two public rallies in Jharkhand on November 4. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be in Jharkhand on November 3 and will address 3 public rallies. People will bless us this time and the NDA-BJP will form the government this time in the state." Jharkhand Assembly Elections 2024: Voters, polling and result date The elections for the 81 seats in the Jharkhand Assembly are set to take place in two phases on November 13 and November 20, with vote counting scheduled for November 23. The state has approximately 2.60 crore eligible voters, including 1.31 crore male voters and 1.29 crore female voters, with notable figures such as 11.84 lakh first-time voters and 66.84 lakh young voters participating in this election cycle. (With inputs from ANI)
30 October,2024 03:59 PM IST | Chaibasa, Jharkhand | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
