A helicopter with Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and additional Chief Election Officer of Uttarakhand Vijay Kumar Jogdande on board made an emergency landing in the state’s Pithoragarh district today. All passengers of the helicopter are safe, reported news agency ANI quoting the Uttarakhand Government.

On Tuesday, Mr Kumar announced bypoll to the Kedarnath assembly seat in Uttarakhand. The Kedarnath seat, located in Rudraprayag district, is part of the Pauri Garhwal Lok Sabha constituency, currently held by the BJP.

The seat fell vacant following the death of MLA Shaila Rawat in July. Rawat won the seat on a BJP ticket in the 2022 assembly polls. She had represented the seat in 2012 also as a Congress MLA. She lost in 2017 but regained it in 2022.

Mr Jogdande said the notification for the bypoll will be issued on October 22, with October 29 as the last date for filing nominations. Counting will be held on November 23, he said.

The Election Commissioners yesterday announced the bypolls to 47 assembly seats and Wayanad Lok Sabha seats will be held on November 13. Bypolls for the Kedarnath assembly seat and Nanded Lok Sabha seat will be held on November 20.

The Election Commission also announced the election dates for Maharashtra and Jharkhand. Maharashtra will vote in one phase on November 20 while Jharkhand will go to polls in two phases on November 13 and 20. The counting of votes for both states will be on November 23.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today responded to Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan’s post about the former’s visit to Parvati Kund and Jageshwar Temples. He also invited the actor to visit Rann Utsav in Kutch. PM Modi also added that Mr Bachchan’s visit to the Statue of Liberty in Vadodara is also due.

On Saturday, Mr Bachchan wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “T 4799 – The religiosity .. the mystery .. the divinity of Kailash Parbat , has been intriguing me for long.” However, he added that he will never be able to visit the place. “And the tragedy is that I shall never be able to visit it in person,” he said on the platform. A lot of users asked him about his well-being and his reasons for not being able to go there.

Replying to the same, the Prime Minister said, “My visit to Parvati Kund and Jageshwar Temples was truly mesmerising. In the coming weeks, Rann Utsav is starting and I would urge you to visit Kutch. Your visit to Statue of Unity is also due.”

My visit to Parvati Kund and Jageshwar Temples was truly mesmerising.

In the coming weeks, Rann Utsav is starting and I would urge you to visit Kutch. Your visit to Statue of Unity is also due. https://t.co/VRyRRy3YZ8

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 15, 2023

Meanwhile, PM Modi offered prayers at the Gauri Kund, a holy site for Hindus, in Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand and caught a glimpse of the Adi Kailash on October 12. He began his daylong visit to the border state by catching a glimpse of the Adi Kailash peak, believed to be the abode of Shiva. He was wearing a traditional outfit, complete with a white turban and a ‘ranga’ (upper body garment).

Sharing some more glimpses from Parvati Kund. pic.twitter.com/knqEzDpa6U

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 12, 2023

He also performed aarti at the Shiva Parvati temple along the banks of Parvati Kund in Jolingkong and meditated with folded hands in front of the Adi Kailash peak. From there, he reached the Gunji village and interacted with the locals and attended an exhibition that had local artefacts on display, accompanied by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.

On the other hand, “Big B” recently celebrated his 81st birthday. He shared a collage featuring an image from his Wednesday evening greet and meet session on Instagram and thanked his fans and supporters. He wrote in the caption, “This love and affection is beyond any effort to repay it .. blessed and filled with unending gratitude.”