Chandigarh:

Having been granted bail to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year, Delhi Chief Minister and Arvind Kejriwal will be released from jail again just ahead of the Assembly elections in Haryana, which is being seen as a big boost for the AAP in a state where it is hoping to do well. 

The party erupted in joy after a Supreme Court granted him bail in the Delhi excise policy case on Friday, noting that his “prolonged incarceration amounts to unjust deprivation of liberty”, and the AAP Haryana handle posted a video of Mr Kejriwal with a fire emoji, writing: “He is back”. 

AAP’s Haryana unit chief Sushil Gupta said Mr Kejriwal would campaign in the state, adding that the people are looking for a change. “We will now fight the polls with double energy. Kejriwal ji will soon start his campaign in Haryana,” he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

“People are looking for a ‘badlav’ (change), they want to elect an honest government, which can ensure good education and health facilities, round-the-clock power supply and overall development… People want to bring the AAP to power and we will win the polls,” Mr Gupta added.

Voting will be held in all of Haryana’s 90 Assembly constituencies on October 5 and the AAP released its sixth list of 19 candidates on Thursday, the last day for filing nominations. The party is contesting 89 seats after its talks of an alliance with INDIA partner Congress fell through. The AAP had sought to contest at least 10 seats as part of the alliance but the Congress was willing to give up only five to seven.

The state unit of the Congress had, in fact, reportedly been against a tie-up with the AAP but talks had been held at the insistence of senior leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who had said that it would prevent a division of votes and give the opposition its best chance of defeating the BJP.

The BJP has ruled in Haryana since 2014 but the opposition has been buoyed by its performance in the recent Lok Sabha polls, where the state’s 10 seats were split evenly between the BJP and the Congress after a clean sweep by the BJP in 2019. Opposition parties are also hoping that they can capitalise on the discontent among farmers, who have been protesting seeking a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP), anger over the Agnipath scheme for recruitment in the armed forces and the anger among athletes following the protest against former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh by wrestlers last year. 

While the AAP had lost the lone Lok Sabha seat – Kurukshetra – it had contested by a margin of 29,000 votes, the party believes it can do well because it is in power in Delhi and Punjab, two states that border Haryana, where, its leaders claim, people are happy with its policies. 

Along these lines, campaigning in the Asandh Assembly constituency on Thursday, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha had made a “triple-engine” pitch for development.

“On one side of Haryana there’s Punjab which has an AAP government and on the other side there’s Delhi with an AAP government too. If the AAP government is formed in Haryana then a triple engine of development will run in the state,” he had said. 

“We listen on the radio, Mirchi sunne waale always khush (Those who listen to Mirchi are always happy). Similarly, Kejriwal ko chunne wala always khush (Those who choose Kejriwal are always happy),” the MP had added. 
 

Chandigarh:

Releasing its third and biggest list for the Haryana Assembly so far, the Congress has named candidates for 40 of the state’s 90 Assembly constituencies. The list includes Aditya Surjewala, who is the son of Congress’ Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Singh Surjewala, as well as two people who had filed their nomination from the constituencies they wanted to represent even before their names were announced by the party. 

With the third list released on Wednesday, the party has named candidates for 81 seats in all, leaving a question mark only on nine remaining seats. The announcement came on a day when the BJP released its final list of three candidates for the polls. 

Aditya Surjewala has been fielded from the Kaithal Assembly constituency, from where his father and Congress General Secretary has been elected an MLA at least twice. 

From the Palwal constituency, former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s in-law Karan Dalal has been given a ticket and so has Vikas Saharan, son of party MP Jai Parkash, from the Kalayat Assembly constituency. Both of these leaders had filed their nominations before their names were announced by the Congress. 

From the Kosali Assembly constituency, the party has denied a ticket to Rao Yaduvender Singh, brother of BJP’s Gurgaon MP and Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh, and fielded Jagdish Yadav instead. Rao Yaduvender Singh had contested from the constituency in 2019 and lost by a margin of over 38,000 votes. 

In the third list, five women have got tickets – Pearl Chaudhary from Pataudi, Anita Yadav from Ateli, Sumita Virk from Karnal, Pooja Chaudhary from Mulana and Parag Sharma from Ballabgarh. Pooja Chaudhary is the wife of Varun Choudhary, who won from Mulana in 2019 and was elected the MP from Ambala in this year’s Lok Sabha elections. 

Chander Mohan, the elder son of former chief minister Bhajan Lal and a former deputy minister in the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government, has got the ticket from Panchkula. Sombir Singh, the son-in-law of another former chief minister, Chaudhary Bansi Lal, has been fielded from the Badhra seat.

Voting for all 90 seats in Haryana will take place on October 5 and counting will be held on October 8. The BJP is hoping to retain its hold on power in the Hindi heartland state, which it has ruled since 2014, but is facing a challenge from a resurgent Congress.

What has made the contest more interesting is the fact that the state’s 10 Lok Sabha seats were split evenly between the Congress and the BJP this year after the BJP’s clean sweep in the 2014 general elections. 

Carved out as a separate constituency only in 2009, the Ladwa Assembly seat in Haryana has all eyes on it ahead of the Assembly polls in the state because the BJP has fielded Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini from there and he is seen to be facing a tough contest from sitting MLA and Congress leader Mewa Singh.

With the BJP eyeing a third consecutive victory in the Hindi heartland state and declaring Mr Saini, who took over as chief minister from Manohar Lal Khattar in March, as its chief ministerial face, NDTV visited the Ladwa constituency and spoke to people there, as well as both candidates, to get a feel of which party has the edge there.

A voter in the constituency, Sanjiv Sahni, said the main issues are inflation, unemployment and a bypass that was promised.

“The BJP has had a government here for 10 years. Before coming to power, they made many promises, including that a bypass would be built and 2 crore people would get employment. But it didn’t happen,” he said. 

Another voter said Mr Saini was an MP from the Kurukshetra Lok Sabha constituency, of which the Ladwa segment is a part, but his presence had not been felt. 

Disagreeing with the others, a voter said it is important to elect a strong leader and Mr Saini could be that person, while another emphasised the need of having someone from the ruling party as the MLA to ensure that work gets done. 

‘Will Form Government Again’

Speaking to NDTV, Mr Saini said, “I am getting a lot of love and support from the people of Ladwa. I am convinced that the BJP will get a big mandate and will form the government for the third time. We are giving cylinders at Rs 500 and have bought every last grain from farmers at the minimum support price (MSP).”

His opponent from Ladwa, Mewa Singh, claimed that people are angry at the BJP and the Congress will form a government in Haryana. 

“I won from Ladwa last time, faced a challenge and won with a margin of over 12,500 votes. In these five years, I have worked hard for the constituency and have got support from many communities, so I don’t see the upcoming polls as a challenge… The bypass is a major issue here, but that hasn’t been built. People will ask these questions of Mr Saini. People in the state want Bhupinder Singh Hooda to be the chief minister,” he said. 

Numbers Game

Political experts said Mr Saini, who had won a bypoll from Mr Khattar’s former seat of Karnal by defeating Congress’ Tarlochan Singh with a margin of over 41,000 votes in June, has been fielded from the Ladwa constituency because it has a high population of voters from the Other Backward Communities (OBCs), particularly the Saini community. 

The fact that the BJP’s Naveen Jindal won from the Kurukshetra Lok Sabha constituency, of which the Ladwa segment is a part, by a margin of over 29,000 votes is also likely to have played a part in the decision. 

OBC’s make up 40.09% of the population in the constituency with the Saini community alone accounting for 18.92%. Among non-OBC communities, Jats are a sizeable part of the population, making up 15.84%. The constituency has 1.95 lakh voters.

The constituency was carved out from the Thanesar Assembly segment in 2009 and no party has won it twice. 

Haryana will vote on October 5 and counting will be held on October 8.

Junior doctors holding their stethoscope raise slogans as they sit on a dharna after the police stopped their march towards Swasthya Bhawan in protest over RG Kar Hospital rape and murder incident, in Kolkata, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Kolkata rape and murder case: Doctors continue protests, reject Bengal government call for talks

Responding to the claims by government officials, the protesting doctors said, “We want to keep all channels for negotiations and talks open. But the way they wrote the email and the language they used was an insult to us. The way the email came to us, it was not an official email; it was a mail from the Health Secretary, we are not in any position to officially respond to it. If there is any positive response from the government to our five demands, we are ready to consider their appeal to hold talks.”

Six Indians released from Russian Army

At least six Indians enlisted with the Russian Army have been released from their camps on Russia-Ukraine border, months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issue “personally” with President Vladimir Putin during his visit to Moscow in July.

Top U.S. diplomat Donald Lu to visit India, Bangladesh

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Donald Lu will be in India and Bangladesh for the September 10-16 period, the U.S. State Department has announced. Mr. Lu will be in India for the U.S.-India “2+2” Foreign and Defence Ministries’ intersessional dialogue.

Rahul Gandhi’s ‘prejudice against reservation’ got exposed in U.S.: BJP

The BJP on Tuesday accused the Congress of being “anti-reservation” and of opposing the interests of the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and Adivasis, citing a statement of Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, in the U.S.

SEBI chief’s husband received ₹4.78 crore from Mahindra group: Congress

Alleging a conflict of interest, the Congress on Tuesday (September 10, 2024) alleged that Dhaval Buch, husband of Madhabi Puri Buch, chairperson of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), received ₹4.78 crore between 2019 and 2021 from Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) Limited at a time when the SEBI was adjudicating cases of the same group. 

Congress reposes faith in sitting MLAs from Muslim-dominated Nuh; BJP replaces two candidates from 2019 Assembly poll

All three Congress candidates from the Meo Muslim-dominated Nuh district in Haryana – Aftab Ahmed, Mamman Khan and Mohammad Ilyas – on Tuesday (September 10, 2024) filed their nominations for the Assembly polls scheduled for October 5.

We will fight unitedly on all 288 seats: NCP-Ajit Pawar faction

A day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah held closed-door meetings with all the Mahayuti allies in Mumbai, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)-Ajit Pawar faction Maharashtra State president Sunil Tatkare said there was no question of a friendly fight on any seats in the State.

Israel releases video of a Gaza tunnel where it says Hamas killed six hostages

The Israeli military has released video footage of a Gaza tunnel where it says six hostages were recently killed by Hamas. The video shows a low, narrow passageway deep underground that had no bathroom and poor ventilation.

Bulldozers raze illegal structures in Surat after stones thrown at Ganesh pandal

Local authorities in Gujarat’s Surat carried out a demolition drive, razing illegal buildings and temporary structures, in an area that saw rioting following alleged stone-pelting of a Ganesh pandal.

Israeli defense chief says a temporary truce with Hamas is possible

Israel’s Defence Minister says the window is closing on an opportunity to reach a temporary cease-fire deal with the Hamas militant group that he believes could also bring calm to the country’s volatile northern border with Lebanon.

Rural access to electricity had differential benefits: Study

Access to electricity benefited larger, populous villages disproportionately more than hamlets with fewer households, an analysis of the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyut Yojana – a programme launched in 2005 to provide and improve electricity access to roughly 4,00,000 Indian villages. 

Haryana CM Nayab Saini files nomination from Ladwa

Haryana Chief Minister and BJP leader Nayab Saini on Tuesday (September 10, 2024) filed his nomination for the Assembly election from the Ladwa constituency, saying that his only mission was take the State forward on the path of development.

BJP MP objects to suggestion to call SEBI chief to depose before PAC

With the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) setting the agenda to review the performance of “regulatory bodies established by Acts of Parliament”, PAC member and Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy, at the committee’s meeting on Tuesday, demanded that Securities and Exchange Board (SEBI) chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch, who faced allegations of conflict of interest, be called in to depose. 

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary during the 54th GST Council Meeting, at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, in New Delhi on Monday, September 9, 2024.
| Photo Credit: ANI

GoM set up to review 18% GST on health, life covers

To soothe the growing clamour for a reduction in the 18% tax levy on the premium paid for health and life insurance policies, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council on Monday set the stage for a possible rethink by mandating a stiff 50-day deadline for a new Group of Ministers (GoM) to review the tax rate.

Protesting doctors in Bengal disappointed after Supreme Court directive to resume work

The Supreme Court, while hearing the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital rape and murder case on Monday (September 9, 2024) telling protesting resident doctors in West Bengal to resume work by 5 p.m. on Tuesday caused widespread disappointment among doctors on strike across medical colleges in the State demanding safety and justice.

Bangladesh to seek extradition of Sheikh Hasina from India

Bangladesh’s war crimes tribunal is to seek the extradition of ousted leader Sheikh Hasina from neighbouring India, its chief prosecutor has said, accusing her of carrying out “massacres”.

Congress releases third list of 19 candidates for J&K polls

The Congress on Monday released its third list for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls, fielding JKPCC working president Raman Bhalla from RS Pura-Jammu South, Chaudhary Lal Singh from Basohli, and former NSUI chief Neeraj Kundan from Bishnah (SC).

About 97,000 PF members, pensioners to benefit by pension on higher wages

Nearly 97,640 PF (Provident Fund) members and pensioners under the Employees’ Pension Scheme, 1995, across the country are expected to benefit with pension on higher wages (PoWH). 

At BRICS summit in Russia, Doval may meet Chinese Foreign Affairs Minister Wang Yi, discuss Line of Actual Control

National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval will attend a three-day meeting of BRICS and BRICS Plus High-Level Security Officials beginning on Wednesday in St. Petersburg, where he will engage with Russian NSA Sergei Shoigu in their first meeting since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Ukraine, as well as China’s top diplomat Wang Yi.

Hindi should be generally accepted as the language of work with consensus: Shah’

Union Home Minister Amit Shah was unanimously re-elected the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Official Language on Monday (September 9, 2024), the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said. 

People in politics should not retire, says Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge

“I think nobody should retire from politics. I am saying this because those who believe in an ideology, those who want to serve the nation and serve the community, they have to do this until their end. They have to awaken the people,” Mr. Kharge said while launching the autobiography of former Union Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Five Decades in Politics.

Tharoor seeks urgent SC hearing on defamation case for remarks against PM Modi

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday (September 9, 2024) sought an urgent hearing in the Supreme Court on his plea against a Delhi High Court verdict refusing to quash defamation proceedings against him on a complaint over his alleged “scorpion on Shivling” remarks targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Day after Rajnath’s remarks on 2016 talks, Mirwaiz says Hurriyat always supported dialogue on Kashmir

Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, while reacting to Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s reference to a dialogue initiative of 2016, on Monday (September 9, 2024) said his amalgam “never opposed dialogue on Kashmir and strongly advocated engagement as a means of resolution”.

Heavy rain pounds Malkangiri, Koraput districts of Odisha

Torrential rain battered Odisha’s Malkangiri district, severing its connections with the rest of the State as roads were submerged at multiple locations on Monday (September 9, 2024). Several areas of the district were inundated.

Supreme Court dismisses plea to halt Indian firms’ supply of arms to Israel during Gaza conflict

The Supreme Court on Monday (September 9, 2024) refused to entertain a petition filed by former civil servants, activists, academicians to cancel the existing licences and permissions, halt any new licences given to Indian companies to supply military equipment, arms to Israel during the ongoing Gaza conflict

Italy’s Jannik Sinner holds the U.S. Open trophy after winning his men’s final match against USA’s Taylor Fritz in New York on Sunday, September 8, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Kolkata rape-murder: SC to hear R.G. Kar hospital incident case on September 9

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday (September 9, 2024) the case related to the murder and alleged rape of a junior doctor at the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.

Centre dissolves panel on statistics, surveys amid delayed Census

The Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has quietly dissolved the 14-member Standing Committee on Statistics (SCoS) headed by eminent economist and former chief statistician of the country Pronab Sen, allegedly after its members questioned the delay in conducting the census.

Jannik Sinner beats Taylor Fritz to win U.S. Open

World number one Jannik Sinner, who won his maiden Slam at the Australian Open in January, produced a brutal display of baseline power as he became the first Italian man to win the U.S. Open with a 6-3 6-4 7-5 win over American Taylor Fritz in the final on Sunday (September 8, 2024).

Depression forms over Bay of Bengal, Odisha likely to get heavy rain

The India Meteorological Department on Sunday said the well-marked low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal has turned into a depression and Odisha is likely to receive heavy rain for the next three days.

Paris Paralympics close with a party after ‘historic summer’

The Paralympics closed on Sunday (September 8, 2024) with a giant music-fuelled party as chief Paris 2024 organiser Tony Estanguet said the Games and the Olympics had created a “historic summer”.

Congress names nine candidates in second list for Haryana Assembly polls

The Congress released its second list of nine candidates for Haryana Assembly polls on Sunday (September 8, 2024) fielding Brijendra Singh from Uchana Kalan against JJP’s Dushyant Chautala. Mr. Singh had quit BJP to join Congress before Lok Sabha polls.

“Reclaim the Night”: Thousands hit streets in West Bengal to mark one month of RG Kar rape and murder

Kolkata and several other parts of West Bengal witnessed unprecedented protests on Sunday (September 8, 2024) to mark one month of the rape and murder of a doctor at the city’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

Amit Shah on a two-day tour to Maharashtra

Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Mumbai on Sunday (September 8, 2024() for a two-day visit to the financial capital.

Banned Jamaat leaders organise first major poll rally in south Kashmir’s Kulgam

In its first show of strength, several leaders of banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), which has fielded candidates in the Assembly election as Independents, on Sunday (September 8,. 2024) addressed a well-attended poll rally in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district.

A.P. floods: About 2.37 lakh people affected in Krishna district

Collector D.K. Balaji has said that nearly 2.37 lakh people were affected due to heavy rains and floods in Krishna district. Nearly 6,600 people were evacuated from 20 inundated villages, he sai

Bangladesh-India relations should be based on equity and fairness: Chief Adviser Yunus

Interim government’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Sunday (September 8, 2024) said that Bangladesh wants to maintain good relations with India while asserting that it should be based on equity and fairness.

4 killed at Chhattisgarh alumina refinery after hopper collapses on them

At least four workers were killed and three injured after a hopper filled with coal collapsed on them at an alumina refinery in Chhattisgarh’s Surguja district on Sunday (September 8, 2024), police said.

Navdeep Singh’s gold, Simran Sharma’s bronze take India’s Paralympic tally to 29

The duo’s performance on the penultimate day of the competition lifted India’s tally to 29, including seven gold, nine silver and 13 bronze.

Russia takes Ukrainian town in advance on Pokrovsk

Russia said on Sunday (September 8, 2024) that its forces had taken full control of a town in eastern Ukraine as Moscow’s forces advance on the strategically important city of Pokrovsk and seek to pierce the Ukrainian defensive front lines.

Rishabh Pant returns as India announces squad for 1st Test against Bangladesh

Rishabh Pant on Sunday returned to the Test side after nearly 20 months as India announced their 16-man squad for the opening match of the two Test series against Bangladesh starting on September 19.

48 killed as fuel tanker collides with truck in Nigeria

A fuel tanker collided head-on with another truck in Nigeria on Sunday (September 8, 2024) causing an explosion that killed at leas 48 people, the country’s emergency response agency said.

Italy’s Jannik Sinner holds the U.S. Open trophy after winning his men’s final match against USA’s Taylor Fritz in New York on Sunday, September 8, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Kolkata rape-murder: SC to hear R.G. Kar hospital incident case on September 9

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday (September 9, 2024) the case related to the murder and alleged rape of a junior doctor at the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.

Centre dissolves panel on statistics, surveys amid delayed Census

The Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has quietly dissolved the 14-member Standing Committee on Statistics (SCoS) headed by eminent economist and former chief statistician of the country Pronab Sen, allegedly after its members questioned the delay in conducting the census.

Jannik Sinner beats Taylor Fritz to win U.S. Open

World number one Jannik Sinner, who won his maiden Slam at the Australian Open in January, produced a brutal display of baseline power as he became the first Italian man to win the U.S. Open with a 6-3 6-4 7-5 win over American Taylor Fritz in the final on Sunday (September 8, 2024).

Depression forms over Bay of Bengal, Odisha likely to get heavy rain

The India Meteorological Department on Sunday said the well-marked low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal has turned into a depression and Odisha is likely to receive heavy rain for the next three days.

Paris Paralympics close with a party after ‘historic summer’

The Paralympics closed on Sunday (September 8, 2024) with a giant music-fuelled party as chief Paris 2024 organiser Tony Estanguet said the Games and the Olympics had created a “historic summer”.

Congress names nine candidates in second list for Haryana Assembly polls

The Congress released its second list of nine candidates for Haryana Assembly polls on Sunday (September 8, 2024) fielding Brijendra Singh from Uchana Kalan against JJP’s Dushyant Chautala. Mr. Singh had quit BJP to join Congress before Lok Sabha polls.

“Reclaim the Night”: Thousands hit streets in West Bengal to mark one month of RG Kar rape and murder

Kolkata and several other parts of West Bengal witnessed unprecedented protests on Sunday (September 8, 2024) to mark one month of the rape and murder of a doctor at the city’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

Amit Shah on a two-day tour to Maharashtra

Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Mumbai on Sunday (September 8, 2024() for a two-day visit to the financial capital.

Banned Jamaat leaders organise first major poll rally in south Kashmir’s Kulgam

In its first show of strength, several leaders of banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), which has fielded candidates in the Assembly election as Independents, on Sunday (September 8,. 2024) addressed a well-attended poll rally in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district.

A.P. floods: About 2.37 lakh people affected in Krishna district

Collector D.K. Balaji has said that nearly 2.37 lakh people were affected due to heavy rains and floods in Krishna district. Nearly 6,600 people were evacuated from 20 inundated villages, he sai

Bangladesh-India relations should be based on equity and fairness: Chief Adviser Yunus

Interim government’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Sunday (September 8, 2024) said that Bangladesh wants to maintain good relations with India while asserting that it should be based on equity and fairness.

4 killed at Chhattisgarh alumina refinery after hopper collapses on them

At least four workers were killed and three injured after a hopper filled with coal collapsed on them at an alumina refinery in Chhattisgarh’s Surguja district on Sunday (September 8, 2024), police said.

Navdeep Singh’s gold, Simran Sharma’s bronze take India’s Paralympic tally to 29

The duo’s performance on the penultimate day of the competition lifted India’s tally to 29, including seven gold, nine silver and 13 bronze.

Russia takes Ukrainian town in advance on Pokrovsk

Russia said on Sunday (September 8, 2024) that its forces had taken full control of a town in eastern Ukraine as Moscow’s forces advance on the strategically important city of Pokrovsk and seek to pierce the Ukrainian defensive front lines.

Rishabh Pant returns as India announces squad for 1st Test against Bangladesh

Rishabh Pant on Sunday returned to the Test side after nearly 20 months as India announced their 16-man squad for the opening match of the two Test series against Bangladesh starting on September 19.

48 killed as fuel tanker collides with truck in Nigeria

A fuel tanker collided head-on with another truck in Nigeria on Sunday (September 8, 2024) causing an explosion that killed at leas 48 people, the country’s emergency response agency said.

Chandigarh:

The rebellion in the Haryana BJP sparked by leaders being denied tickets for the upcoming elections intensified on Saturday with a former minister joining the ranks of those who have quit the party.

Former Haryana minister Bachan Singh Arya was hoping for a ticket from the Safidon Assembly constituency but the BJP decided to field Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) rebel Ram Kumar Gautam, who had joined the party earlier this month. The JJP was a BJP ally until Nayab Singh Saini replaced Manohar Lal Khattar as the Haryana chief minister in March this year. 

The BJP had released its first list of 67 candidates on Wednesday and Mr Arya, who had lost from the Safidon Assembly constituency by a margin of about 3,500 votes in 2019, had posted a couplet on social media the next day, in which he spoke of injustice and hinted at a rebellion

“Laga do aag pani mein, shararat ho to aisi ho. Mita do hasti julmo ki, bagawat ho to aise ho. (Set fire to water, if there is mischief, let it be like this. Erase the existence of injustice, if there is a rebellion, let it be like this),” the former minister had posted. 

On Saturday, Mr Arya announced he was quitting the BJP in a terse four-line letter, stating that he was resigning from the primary membership of the party and the state executive.

Mr Arya’s resignation follows the exit of two Haryana ministers – Energy Minister Ranjit Singh Chautala and Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Social Justice Bishamber Singh Valmiki – and MLA Lakshman Napa, who were denied tickets. Key OBC leader Karan Dev Kamboj also resigned from all posts in the BJP for the same reason.

While Mr Chautala announced that he would contest as an Independent, Mr Napa said he would join the Congress.

The loss of Mr Chautala, 79, can hurt the party as he is the son of Chaudhary Devi Lal, one of Haryana’s tallest leaders, who served as chief minister twice and was also a deputy prime minister.

“I am Chaudhary Devi Lal’s son. I have some stature… I have decided to contest as an Independent,” Mr Chautala had said on Thursday.

Some of the leaders also alleged that loyalists were not being valued by the BJP.

“Perhaps the BJP does not need loyalists anymore,” Mr Kamboj had said, adding that the party was rewarding leaders who had joined recently while ignoring those who had served it for years. 

‘No Scope For Change’

Amid the rebellion, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini had said on Friday that speculation over changing candidates should end as there was no scope for doing so.  “Everyone wants a ticket, but the ‘lotus’ (BJP’s symbol) can be given to only one person… It is natural for ticket-seekers to get angry. But they will be persuaded,” he said.

The BJP, which has ruled Haryana since 2014, faces a stiffer challenge this time because it lost five of the state’s 10 Lok Sabha seats to the Congress this year after sweeping all of them in 2019. The protests by farmers – who are seeking a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) – last year’s agitation by wrestlers, and concerns over the Agnipath scheme for recruitment in the Army are seen as posing challenges to the party in the state. 

Congress Jolted Too

The Congress, which got a boost after inducting wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia into the party on Friday, also got a jolt on Saturday – just a day after releasing its first list of 32 candidates for the Haryana polls. Senior leader Rajesh Joon resigned from the Congress and decided to contest as an Independent candidate after being denied a ticket from Bahadurgarh, where the party decided to retain sitting MLA Rajinder Singh Joon. 

“The Congress leadership cheated me. I was promised a ticket but the promise was not kept. I will become an MLA by polling double the number of votes that the Congress candidate gets,” Mr Joon said. 

In the Baroda Assembly constituency, Congress leader Kapoor Singh Narwal said he was promised a ticket by Mr Hooda, but it was given to Induraj Singh Narwal.

“They have cheated the people of the constituency, not me. I will take a call on contesting as an Independent tomorrow (Sunday),” Kapoor Singh Narwal said, even as sources close to him indicated he could leave the party.

Looking to get the first-mover advantage in the Haryana Assembly polls, the BJP has released its first list of candidates, declaring names for 67 out of the state’s 90 constituencies. The list includes the names of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, who will be contesting from the Ladwa constituency, and former minister Anil Vij.

Mr Vij will be the BJP’s candidate from the Ambala Cantonment constituency, a seat he has won three successive times since 2009.

Mr Saini, who was an MP from Kurukshetra until he replaced Manohar Lal Khattar as the Haryana chief minister in March this year, currently represents the Karnal Assembly seat, which he won in a bypoll in June. 

The other candidates include Ambala Mayor and former Union Minister Vinod Sharma’s wife Shakti Rani Sharma, who will be contesting from the Kalka assembly constituency. Ms Sharma is the mother of Manu Sharma, a convict in the Jessica Lal murder case. 

Shruti Choudhry who left the Congress and joined the BJP with her mother – Rajya Sabha MP Kiran Choudhry – in June has been given a ticket from Tosham. Three former legislators from the Jannayak Janata Party, which was the BJP’s ally until this year, have also been fielded. These are Devender Singh Babli from Tohana, Ram Kumar Gautam from Safidon and Anoop Dhanak from Uklana. 

Some of the other inclusions are Deepak Hooda from Meham, who has been the captain of the Indian Kabaddi team, and Union Minister Om Prakash Dhankar, who will be contesting from Badli.

The party has decided to drop some MLAs, including some ministers, and the list includes eight women. 

MP Naveen Jindal’s mother, Savitri Jindal, who was widely expected to get a ticket from Hisar, has not made the cut and the party has decided to stick with the incumbent, Kamal Gupta, who is also a state minister.

The upcoming elections in Haryana will be crucial for the BJP, especially because it won only five of the state’s 10 Lok Sabha seats after sweeping all of them in 2019. It will be an opportunity for the party to prove that it remains popular with voters after failing – for the first time in 10 years – to achieve a majority on its own in the general elections.

The Congress, which is seen to be gaining ground in the state, is also likely to pose a challenge and could emerge stronger if its alliance talks with INDIA partner AAP are successful. The party believes it has a strong chance of dislodging the BJP, which has ruled Haryana since 2014. 

Haryana will vote on October 5 and counting will be held on October 8. 

Fatehabad/Jind:

The Aam Aadmi Party and the Jannayak Janata Party made it clear on Thursday they were not in talks for a pre-poll alliance in Haryana. Speaking at Fatehabad, senior AAP leader Sandeep Pathak dismissed suggestions there was any discussion going on about a tie-up with the JJP for the October 1 polls, while the JJP’s Dushyant Chautala said in Jind his party was prepared to fight all the 90 seats in the state.

Mr Chautala, a former deputy chief minister of Haryana, said it is the media which keeps on talking about such an alliance.

Mr Pathak also said his party will announce its candidates for the assembly polls soon. There is no discussion going on about the alliance with the JJP, he told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of his party workers and office-bearers.

He held two meetings on Thursday: one at Fatehabad (with workers and officer-bearers from Sirsa and Hisar Lok Sabha segments), and the other at Bhiwani (with workers and office-bearers from Bhiwani-Mahendragarh and Rohtak Lok Sabha segments).

On being asked about any possibility of an alliance with JJP, Mr Pathak said, “We do not know with which party JJP is forming an alliance I want to tell Dushyant Chautala not to spread confusion about alliance.” There is no discussion going on about the alliance with JJP, he said assertively.

The AAP had said last month it will contest all the 90 Assembly seats in Haryana, claiming that people want change and are looking at the party with great hope.

In Jind, Mr Chautala, many of whose party MLAs have quit, said, “We are prepared for all 90 seats. The JJP will win more seats than last time. We will hold the key to Vidhan Sabha,” he said.

On being asked if they will enter into a tie-up with any party, Mr Chautala said there has been no discussion so far regarding alliance yet.

When he was asked about the AAP, Mr Chautala quipped, “The AAP already has an alliance with Congress (part of INDIA bloc)”.

Meanwhile, Pathak said Aam Aadmi Party workers will be going door-to-door and make people aware about Arvind Kejriwal’s “guarantees” and appeal to them to vote for change this time.

Aam Aadmi Party workers in Haryana will go door-to-door and make people aware about Arvind Kejriwal’s “guarantees” and appeal to them to vote for change this time, party senior leader Sandeep Pathak said on Thursday.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)