Top news of the day: BJP, Congress release second candidates list for Maharashtra polls; India loses Test series at home after 12 years as New Zealand spins historic win, and more

The major news headlines of the day and more.

Maharashtra Assembly polls: BJP releases second list of 22 candidates

The BJP on Saturday released its second list of 22 candidates for the Maharashtra Assembly polls. With this, the party has so far announced candidates for 121 Assembly seats in the State. The party has fielded Ram Bhadane from the Dhule Rural seat, Chainsukh Madanlal Sancheti from the Malkapur seat, Prakash Gunvantrao Bharsakale from Akot and Vijay Kamalkishor Agrawal from Akola West.

Maharashtra Assembly polls: Congress releases second list of 23 candidates

The Congress on Saturday released its second list of 23 candidates for the November 10 Assembly elections in Maharashtra. The list came after the party’s Central Election Committee (CEC) met and discussed the names of the candidates for the polls. The Congress declared 48 candidates in its first list. With this list, the Congress has now announced 71 candidates.

IND vs NZ second Test: India loses Test series at home after 12 years as New Zealand spins historic win in seven decades

New Zealand have created history! It’s taken them seven decades but the Black Caps finally have a series win in India! And it’s in n emphatic manner, with a dominant show for the second consecutive week. India’s 12-year-long unbeaten series record at home has been broken. The World Test Championship final spot is in jeopardy and they have lots of questions to ponder over before heading to Mumbai for the Diwali Test. New Zealand were right on top from the beginning of the series. Having won the first Test in Bengaluru after 36 years, the Kiwis thrashed India in the second Test by 113 runs in Pune on Saturday.

Cyclone Dana: Two more deaths reported in West Bengal; toll rises to four

“Two more people died in West Bengal due to cyclone Dana, taking the toll to four,” officials said on Saturday. “A civic volunteer, identified as Chandan Das (31), died on the spot when he allegedly touched a live wire in Bud Bud in Purba Bardhaman district. The incident happened when he was out with a police team,” they said. “An employee of the Howrah Municipal Corporation was found dead in a waterlogged road in Tantipara. It was suspected that he died due to drowning,” they said.

Punjab: Farmers to hold ‘chakka jam’ in 4 locations over demands, including paddy procurement

Farmers in Punjab on Saturday began a sit-down protest at Phagwara Main Chowk in Kapurthala district of the State as part of a one-day protest against the government to press for various demands, including timely paddy procurement. Bharatiya Kisan Union (Krantikari) Punjab which is organising the protest said it plans to block four national highways.

Army vehicle skids off road in J&K’s Kulgam; 1 soldier dead, 13 injured

An Army soldier was killed and 13 people, including nine army personnel, were injured when their Army vehicle skidded off the road and overturned in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district, officials said on Saturday. The injured, which included four civilians, were taken to a hospital where their condition is stated to be stable, they said. The accident in Kulgam’s D H Pora area happened during an operational move on Friday (October 25, 2024) night, said the Army’s Srinagar-based 15 Corps, also known as Chinar Corps.

Lawrence Bishnoi interview: Seven Punjab Police personnel suspended

The Punjab Police has suspended seven personnel, including two Deputy Superintendent rank officers, in connection with an interview of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi while in police custody. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the state police, led by the special director general of police (human rights), found that one interview of Bishnoi was conducted when he was in Punjab Police’s custody in Mohali’s Kharar while the second was done in Rajasthan.

First journey as public representative, but not as ‘public fighter’: Priyanka Gandhi to Wayanad people

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday said her first journey as a public representative of Wayanad is not her first as a public fighter as she asserted that fighting for democracy, justice and values enshrined in the Constitution is central to her life. In an open letter to the people of Wayanad, after she filed her nomination papers from the constituency, she told them that she would work with them closely and help address their challenges.

Gulmarg terror attack: Police say 3-4 militants involved as search operation enters second day

Three to four militants are believed to have carried out the deadly attack on an Army convoy in the Gulmarg sector of Jammu and Kashmir that left four people, including two soldiers, dead, a senior police official said on Saturday. “The search operation, which entered the second day, was halted at the last light on Friday (October 25, 2024) and was resumed on Saturday morning,” the official said.

Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva, who took a dip in ‘polluted’ Yamuna to protest against AAP, hospitalised

Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva, who took a dip in the Yamuna in the national capital two days ago, was on Saturday morning hospitalised at RML Nursing Home in the city after experiencing shortness of breath and severe skin irritation. Mr. Sachdeva had on Thursday taken a dip in the Yamuna at a ghat near ITO, in protest against the “corruption” of the Delhi government, which he said deprived the city of the funds meant for the cleaning of the river.

Supreme Court junks NGO’s plea on poor condition of Madhya Pradesh schools

The Supreme Court has refused to entertain an NGO’s plea on the condition of State-run schools in Madhya Pradesh. A bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra asked the NGO Social Jurist to approach the Madhya Pradesh High Court. “The petitioner would be at liberty to move the High Court under Article 226 of the Constitution. The petition is accordingly dismissed with the grant of liberty in the above terms,” the bench said.

10 Iranian police officers killed after attack on police convoy; Hezbollah launches drone strike at Israeli airbase

An attack in Iran’s restive southeast killed 10 members of the country’s national police force Saturday, local media reported. The semiofficial ISNA, Mehr and Tasnim news agencies all reported the fatalities in the attack in Gohar Kuh, some 1,200km southeast of the Iranian capital, Tehran. An earlier report on the state-run IRNA news agency described the convoy as being attacked by “miscreants,” without elaborating. Authorities identified no immediate suspects for the attack, nor did any group claim responsibility. The assault came after Israel launched a major attack across Iran early Saturday morning.

Trump leaves Michigan rallygoers waiting in the cold for hours to tape Joe Rogan podcast

Many of Donald Trump’s supporters left a Michigan rally before he arrived Friday night after the former President kept them waiting for three hours to tape a popular podcast interview. Those who remained at the outdoor rally on an airport tarmac huddled in the cold as they waited for the former President to touch down in the battleground state. Mr. Trump apologized to the crowd for the delay, which he blamed on an interview with Joe Rogan, the nation’s most listened-to podcaster and an influential voice with younger male voters Mr. Trump is aggressively courting.

U.S., Japan and South Korea join hands to support digital infrastructure in India

The United States, Japan and South Korea on Friday announced the launch of a new framework that furthers their collaboration with the Indian private sector to support digital infrastructure in India. An announcement in this regard was made by the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), and the Export-Import Bank of Korea (Korea Eximbank).

Published - October 26, 2024 07:11 pm IST